ABSTRACT
Knowledge of the therapeutic properties of medicinal plants predates recorded history. For example, ancient Egyptians used the fruits and leaves of the bishop’s weed (Ammi majus) to treat vitiligo, a skin condition characterized by a loss of pigment. Recently, β-methoxypsoralen, a drug produced from this plant has been reported to treat psoriasis and other skin disorders, as well as T-cell lymphoma (Lipp 1996, Talalay and Talalay 2001). The use of and search for drugs and dietary supplements derived from plants have accelerated in recent years (Matthews et al. 1999, Yeh et al. 2003, Hamdan and Afi fi 2004, Mahomoodally 2004a,b,c, 2005a,b, 2007, Rangasamy et al. 2007, Loizzo et al. 2008, 2011, Ranilla et al. 2010, Nickavar and Yousefi an 2007, Ponnusamy et al. 2011) whereby ethnopharmacologists, botanists, microbiologists, and natural-product chemists are combing the earth for phytochemicals and “leads” which could be developed for the treatment of various ailments (Balandrin et al. 1985). The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 80% of the population of developing countries still relies on traditional medicines, mostly plant drugs, for their primary health care needs (Blumenthal et al. 1998, WHO 1993, 2003, 2005, 2007). For instance, the use of herbs and medicinal plant products has become a mainstream phenomenon over the past two decades in many countries where herbs and phytomedicines (herbal remedies) have become one of the fastest growing segments in retail pharmacies and supermarkets
Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Mauritius; E-mail: f.mahomoodally@uom.ac.mu
(Matthews et al. 1999, Ponnusamy et al. 2011). There is no question that medicinal herbs now constitute the most rapidly growing segment of the total U.S pharmaceutical market and are now used by approximately 20% of the population (Austin 1998, Bent 2008). Available reports tend to show that about 25% of all prescriptions sold in the U.S are from natural products, while another 25% are from structural modifi cations of a natural product (Hostettmann 1999, Bent 2008). In other reports ( Barrett et al. 1999, Ang-Lee et al. 2001), it is proposed that three in 10 Americans use botanical remedies in a given year leading to a whole new industry referred to as “nutraceuticals” and currently 20,000 herbal products are available in this country (Vuksan et al. 2001, Bent 2008).
