Medicinal Plants as Novel Promising Therapeutics for Neuroprotection and Neuroregeneration

Abstract

Ayurveda is the most ancient and the traditional medicinal system with historical roots in the Indian subcontinent. Modernized practices derived from traditional Ayurvedic medicinal system are a type of complementary or alternative medicine (Jafari et al. 2014). High costs and increased side effects of new drugs, lack of curative treatment for several chronic diseases, and microbial resistance are some of the reasons that have contributed in directing the public interest towards complementary and alternative medicine. Ayurvedic therapies have been integrated in complementary and alternative medicine as preventive measures to treat wide range of chronic diseases due to their least adverse effects compared to conventional medicines (Humber 2002; Patwardhan et al. 2004; Jafari et al. 2014). Moreover, Ayurveda formulations may also be used in combination with other drugs without any adverse drug-drug interactions (Humber 2002; Patwardhan et al. 2004). The concept of “one drug-one target-one disease” in modern medicines has provided remarkable success in providing highly selective and potent magic bullets, especially for certain highly contagious diseases. In several other diseases especially lifestyle disorders, this approach has shown major disadvantages where a disease manifestation and progression involve multifactorial and complex signaling pathways. Herbal products are being actively used as means of alternative medicine because of their multicomponent approach to target multiple sites for their mode of action (Bent and Ko 2004; Tachjian et al. 2010; Pallas et al. 2013). Moreover, their formulation in single delivery system and their least side effects make them promising candidates to treat several central nervous system ailments (Borisy et al. 2003; Keith et al. 2005). Furthermore, these herbal formulations can be used in combination with other drugs without any adverse drug-drug interactions (Hopkins 2008).