Chapter 1 - Plant-based therapeutics: current status and future perspectives

Abstract

The current scenario of challenges of different diseases originating with complex severities demands robust research and development of therapeutic moieties which will alleviate this condition. Allopathic medicines have successfully been used to treat various diseases with higher success rates in the current pharmaceutical market. However, irrational use of synthetic drugs led to drastic side effects, which were difficult to predict even after using sophisticated technology. This compelled researchers to shift attention to exploring herbal alternatives with fewer side effects. Nevertheless, herbal drugs have marked their presence since the evolution of humanity as a traditional herbal cure for various ailments. These herbal drugs have never been validated for their toxicity and safety profile. Therefore, WHO launched a strategy on conventional medicine (2014–23) that aims to promote the safety, efficacy, and quality of herbal drugs. This, in turn, will drive attention towards scientific research of herbal plants and extract a single active therapeutic moiety from complex phytoconstituents. However, another crucial step in making herbal medicine a success is its delivery toward its targeted site. The solution to this problem lies in nanotechnology. Nanotechnology can deliver herbal moiety to a target site by crossing the barriers. Herbal drugs have poor bioavailability due to their properties of high molecular weight, poor aqueous solubility, etc. Incorporating this herbal drug into a lipid-based matrix will overcome challenges occurring due to the physicochemical properties of the drug. Hereafter, other innovative approaches like organ-on-chip and transdermal drug delivery must be developed to sustain the ever-increasing demand for efficacious therapeutic drugs to treat different disease conditions.