Medicinal Natural Products

Providing an introduction to natural products in medicine from a biosynthetic point of view, rather than the more usual natural product class or activity viewpoint. The book offers coverage of plant, microbial and animal products, with the main text supplemented by short, boxed essays.

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Pharmacologically active natural products from plants, microorganisms and animals have been used for centuries in the treatment of diseases. Within the science of pharmacognosy early herbal remedies and animal extracts have been evaluated and analyzed to produce both modified (semi-synthetic) extracts and synthetic analogues. This textbook provides an introduction to natural products in medicine from a biosynthetic point of view, rather than the more usual natural product class or activity viewpoint. The book provides coverage of plant, microbial and animal products, with the main text supplemented by short, boxed essays covering important classes of compounds with detailed explanations.