Current Practices and Awareness of Anticancer Plants in the Traditional Healthcare System

Nowadays, the increasing burden of cancer has renewed the interest in plants as source of potential anticancer drugs. In fact, one of the major problems with cancer chemotherapy is the extreme toxicity of the traditional drugs. Thus, the research for new biologically active molecules against cancer is targeted on plants and their derived natural products. Plants used in traditional medicine have proved effective and safe in the treatment and management of cancers, and almost 80% of the world’s population use anticancer agents of natural origin. Thus, the aim of the present chapter is to highlight the plant-derived natural products and their analogues established as anticancer agents in the traditional and current medicinal practices, their toxicological effects, and clinical exercises along with the new technologies applied for delivering natural anticancer drugs.