International Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemical Sciences

Authors: Pooja Srivastava, Radhika Kapadiya 

Abstract: Traditional medicinal plants have been used for centuries by various cultures worldwide to treat ailments and promote well-being. The field of pharmacognosy aims to explore the therapeutic potential of these plants and their natural products. This paper provides an overview of the journey from ethnopharmacology, where traditional knowledge is gathered, to drug discovery, where modern scientific methods are employed to identify and develop new drugs. It highlights the importance of traditional medicinal plants as a valuable resource for drug discovery and emphasizes the need for collaboration between traditional healers, scientists, and regulatory authorities to harness their therapeutic potential.

Keywords: Ethnopharmacology, traditional medicinal plants, bioactive compounds, drug discovery, scientific approaches, bioassay-guided fractionation, high-throughput screening, metabolomics, molecular docking, cellular and molecular biology, challenges, future perspectives.