Preface

Chapter 8 **Plant-Derived Medicines with Potential Use in Wound**

Tina Maver, Manja Kurečič, Dragica Maja Smrke, Karin Stana

Ezekwesili-Ofili Josephine Ozioma and Okaka Antoinette Nwamaka

Chapter 9 **Plant-Based Ethnopharmacological Remedies for Hypertension**

Dennis R.A. Mans, Angela Grant and Nicholaas Pinas

Nontokozo Z. Msomi and Mthokozisi B.C. Simelane

Chapter 12 **Powerful Properties of Ozonated Extra Virgin Olive Oil 229**

Chapter 13 **Taraxacum Genus: Potential Antibacterial and Antifungal**

Jorquera Martínez and Rolando Chamy Maggi

Chapter 14 **Taraxacum Genus: Extract Experimental Approaches 271**

Jorquera Martínez and Rolando Chamy Maggi

Elisabetta Carata, Bernardetta Anna Tenuzzo and Luciana Dini

María Eugenia Martínez Valenzuela, Katy Díaz Peralta, Lorena

María Eugenia Martínez Valenzuela, Katy Díaz Peralta, Lorena

Chapter 10 **Herbal Medicines in African Traditional Medicine 191**

**Treatment 121**

**VI** Contents

**in Suriname 151**

Chinwe

Chapter 11 **Herbal Medicine 215**

**Activity 247**

Kleinschek and Uroš Maver

Even in the light of increased sophistication and access to conventional healthcare the use of herbal medicine has continued to thrive in both poor and rich societies for many and proba‐ bly different reasons. Hence, it is important for the various stakeholders in healthcare—gov‐ ernments, healthcare providers, farmers, biomedical scientists, and engineers—to have enough information to give due attention to herbal medicines in a deliberate effort to devel‐ op them alongside conventional medicine. Therefore, there is an urgent need for appropri‐ ate and sufficient information on herbal medicines, especially that which highlights important topics such as uses, efficacy, safety, herbal/drug interactions, research and devel‐ opment, regulation, analytical techniques, and quality control. *Herbal Medicine* collates and presents in a simple, unambiguous, and readable manner, wide and in-depth information that will be useful to all who have a stake in herbal medicine and healthcare in general.

To make this important book a reality I wish to thank the management of Intech who pro‐ vided the platform on which such great knowledge and information can be disseminated. The resilient, patient, and experienced counsel of Ms. Kristina Kardum, the Author Service Manager, for this book project is highly appreciated and commended. The efforts of all the contributing authors, who painstakingly researched and presented the various topics that brought this book to fruition, are highly commended as well as many others who contribut‐ ed to make this book possible. Thank you.

> **Philip F. Builders** Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Microbiology Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Kaduna State University Kaduna, Nigeria

**Chapter 1**

**Provisional chapter**

**Introductory Chapter: Introduction to Herbal Medicine**

Herbal medicine (HM) is the fulcrum of complementary and alternative medicine, which in recent times is increasingly gaining widespread popularity all over the world and gradually streaming toward integration into the mainstream healthcare systems [1]. The use of HM cuts across gender, social and racial classes in both developing and developed countries of the world [2–7]. Due to the increasing popularity of HM, stakes in the world markets (local and international) are also rapidly increasing and the annual sale is rapidly approaching US \$62 billion [8]. An important driver in this upsurge in patronage and use includes low cost, the wide acceptance due to its status of being a natural product with the acclaim of low toxicity, efficacy in certain challenging diseases, flexibility in its accessibility, preparation and use.

HM includes preparations of biologically active natural products that consist largely of herbs or herbal materials, some recipes may contain materials such as fungal and bee products, as well as minerals (kaolin, bentonite), ash, shells, insects and animal parts, and are used for the maintenance of health and management of various diseases. HMs can elicit numerous benefits just as some can cause adverse effects. The pharmacologic and most of the toxic effects that are elicited by HMs have been linked to the activities of the secondary metabolites. In many instances, HMs have been appropriately used, misused and sometimes misunderstood. The benefits of HMs as a means of healthcare depends largely on the correct and adequate knowledge, and experiences while misuse as well as misunderstanding have been tracked to the knowledge gap on herbal medicines especially as it relates to their benefits and potential drawbacks by the primary healthcare professionals: doctors, pharmacists, nurses and the public. The attraction to herbal medicine will continue to increase across the globe for various reasons, hence the urgent need for appropriate and enough information on HM especially that which highlights on important topics such as benefits, efficacy, safety, toxicity, research and development, formulation, regulation, analytical techniques, quality control, economic

**Introductory Chapter: Introduction to Herbal Medicine**

© 2016 The Author(s). Licensee InTech. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

© 2018 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use,

distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.78661

Philip F. Builders

**1. Herbal medicine**

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

Philip F. BuildersAdditional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.78661

#### **Introductory Chapter: Introduction to Herbal Medicine Introductory Chapter: Introduction to Herbal Medicine**

DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.78661

#### Philip F. Builders Philip F. Builders

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.78661
