Summary

The search for new drugs from plant sources is a multidisciplinary endeavour involving the examination of traditional medicine, routine biological screening, toxicological evaluation and the development of bio-assays. This book gives strategies for the selection and extraction of plant material, protocols for pharmacological investigation which are arranged in therapeutic sections, examples of data obtained by methods described and advice on interpretation of results. Subjects covered include blood cholesterol lowering, liver protecting and oestrogenic activity and anti-platelet testing. These have been treated in greater depth although classical pharmacological methods are also included. The book is referenced to original papers, reviews and standard textbooks where useful, giving pointers to further in depth theoretical and therapeutic literature.