Pharmacognosy (eBook)

Pharmacognosy: Fundamentals, Applications and Strategies explores a basic understanding of the anatomy and physiology of plants and animals, their constituents and metabolites. This book also provides an in-depth look at natural sources from which medicines are derived, their pharmacological and chemical properties, safety aspects, and how they interact with humans.

The book is vital for future research planning, helping readers understand the makeup, function, and metabolites of plants in a way where the history of their usage can be linked to current drug development research, including in vitro, in vivo, and clinical research data.

By focusing on basic principles, current research, and global trends, this book provides a critical resource for students and researchers in the areas of pharmacognosy, pharmacy, botany, medicine, biotechnology, biochemistry, and chemistry.

• Covers the differences between animal and plant cells to facilitate an easier transition to how the body interacts with these entities
• Contains practice questions and laboratory exercises at the end of every chapter to test learning and retention
• Provides a single source that covers fundamental topics and future strategies, with the goal of enabling further research that will contribute to the overall health and well-being of mankind

Dr. Badal McCreath is a distinguished young scientist who holds the 2014 Elsevier Early Career Woman Scientist award in Chemical Sciences for the Latin America and Caribbean region. She has over 10 years' experience in natural products research and holds a patent pending for the anticancer potential of natural products using cancer and normal cell lines.

Dr. Badal McCreath holds a number of national and international awards and distinctions. At the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, she was the 2010 Inaugural Luther Speare Scholar in addition to being the Young Scientist/Technologist awardee at the biennial 23rd Science and Technology Conference and Expo hosted by the Scientific Research Council and the Jamaica Public Service Co. She along with collaborators was also the recipient of the 2013-2014 Principal's award for best work in anticancer research, UWI, Mona. She is a current member of various editorial boards including: The Journal of Cancer Science & Clinical Research and American International Journal of Biology. She is also an advisory board member and reviewer affiliated with Open Access Biochemistry, London.

Dr. Badal McCreath is currently a Lecturer in the Department of Basic Medical Sciences at the UWI, Mona, Jamaica. In addition to having taught Pharmacognosy for 3 years at the University of Technology, Jamaica, her current work involves pioneering the development of novel Jamaican prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines - a project that received national funding totaling approximately 100,000 USD. As PCa incidence and mortality rates are highest among men of African descent, the development of these tools representative of PCa tumors will be available to the global scientific community in order to delineate reasons for the reduced survivorship among this group. These novel cell lines can be used to screen potentially derived natural drug leads for anticancer efficacy utilizing a personalized framework.

Dr. Badal McCreath is a well published author who is currently penning her first book, 'A woman's journey to success.” She is a dynamic scientific orator who has presented at many scientific meetings and conferences. She continues to share her expertise by training and supervising students at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels while volunteering on various nonprofit organizational boards including the Society for Scientific Advancement. She is passionate about implementing a framework that can elevate the nature of biomedical research in Jamaica and the Caribbean with a specific focus on anticancer research. Such a framework that will utilize the country's own natural resources can contribute to improving Jamaica's and the Caribbean's economic standing as they obtain a global competitive edge. She is also deeply committed to improving science awareness and interest at the primary and secondary levels.

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Pharmacognosy: Fundamentals, Applications and Strategies explores a basic understanding of the anatomy and physiology of plants and animals, their constituents and metabolites. This book also provides an in-depth look at natural sources from which medicines are derived, their pharmacological and chemical properties, safety aspects, and how they interact with humans. The book is vital for future research planning, helping readers understand the makeup, function, and metabolites of plants in a way where the history of their usage can be linked to current drug development research, including in vitro, in vivo, and clinical research data. By focusing on basic principles, current research, and global trends, this book provides a critical resource for students and researchers in the areas of pharmacognosy, pharmacy, botany, medicine, biotechnology, biochemistry, and chemistry. Covers the differences between animal and plant cells to facilitate an easier transition to how the body interacts with these entities Contains practice questions at the end of every chapter to test learning and retention Provides a single source that covers fundamental topics and future strategies, with the goal of enabling further research that will contribute to the overall health and well-being of mankind