Chapter 1 Phytochemicals as Sources of Drugs

Abstract

Plants have been used as medicines since ancient times, due to the presence of numerous phytocompounds that helps them to prevent and cure several diseases and disorders. They are utilized in different formulations such as herbal tea, extracts, decoctions, infusions, tincture or powder (Balick and Cox 1997; Thomas et al. 1999; Samuelsson 2004; Ujah 2019). Initially, humans started to utilize plants as food which was later segregated as medicinal plants with definite pharmacological action (Howes 2018). In the past, the methods for the application of a medicinal herb for certain ailment were mainly based on the history of the plant which was recorded in herbals. It has been reported from cave carvings and literatures that the medicinal plants are widely used in ancient health care systems, such as Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medications and several ancient medications from ancient civilizations