Drugs From Threatened Medicinal Plants

Dealing with human disease problems from root level is possible only with the use of proper and authentic drugs isolated from natural sources, especially from herbal sources, because herbals are the main source of secondary metabolites, and these secondary metabolites are the main source of new drug discovery. Millions of people worldwide rely on medicinal plants for their healthcare needs; hence, herbals play a highly significant role in drug discovery and drug development. A vast number of plant sources are available in the universe; all plants have some therapeutic properties, but it is definitely impossible to make an account of the same. There are many unknown plants from which very important secondary metabolites are procured, but they are rarely known to people. Such plants become red labeled due to increased environmental damage and growing human population, which further create a threat to plant extinction. India is a rich source of plant biodiversity. The Western and Eastern Ghats are major hotspots of biodiversity in India, from where it is possible to discover drugs from threatened plants, which needs to be conserved for future research. This chapter makes an attempt to compile drug discoveries from some threatened medicinal plant species so as to give a scientific account of their future use, as well as their ability to be a source of new miracle drugs that can fight against chronic diseases. Furthermore, bioactivity-guided fractionation is recommended to identify lead compounds from these resources to be used for various activities.