Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes the 173 medicinal plants which are classified by families, starting from the most primitive ones and moving onto more recent discoveries. It aims to prefer the botanical one as it allows a broad logical view of the topic with chemotaxonomical connections. The book presents the medicinal plants which are classified according to their botanical properties in the philosophical tradition of A. P. de Candolle, Bentham, Hooker, Hallier, Bessey, Cronquist, Takhtajan, and Zimmerman. It also describes the pharmacotoxicological substantiation of the uses in the light of chemotaxonomy. The book outlines 68 species of medicinal plants belonging to the Rosidae, of which the families Connaraceae, Rosaceae, Anisophylleaceae, Thymeleaceae, Melastomataceae, Rhizophoraceae, Olacaceae, Icacinaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Sapindaceae, Anacardiaceae, Simaroubaceae, Meliaceae, and Rutaceae. It attempts to provide some ideas and comments on possible research development.