Stevia rebaudiana is a remarkable South American plant that has become widely used in certain parts of the world as a natural sweetening agent and dietary supplement. Purified extracts of S. rebaudiana have been used as sweeteners and flavor enhancers in the food industry in Japan for over a quarter of a century, and have been found to be up to 300 times sweeter than sucrose. This comprehensive volume provides reviews on the botany, ethnobotany, and chemical constituents of the genus Stevia and examines the chemical synthesis of such compounds as steviol and stevioside. The perceived safety of these compounds has become somewhat controversial in recent years, and a thorough consideration of the pharmacology and biological activity is provided. The final two chapters offer some insight into the various applications of S. rebaudiana extracts and stevioside in Japan and Korea, the two countries with the most extensive use of these food additives at present. Containing numerous up to date references, the book will appeal to a wide segment of the scientific community at all levels, especially those in the fields of natural products, pharmacy, pharmacognosy, plant science, agriculture and the food and beverages industry.

Cannabis and Khat in Drug Discovery: The Discovery Pipeline and the Endocannabinoid System provides comprehensive coverage of two important psychoactive plants: Khat and Cannabis. Initial research has found that compounds and derivatives from Cannabis and Khat are found to have promising properties that can be used for the discovery, design and development of potential drug leads against various diseases. This book extensively discusses the drug discovery and allied sciences of these compounds in the drug discovery pipeline, including basic research and computer aided modeling in ligand-drug interactions and their interactions with the endocannabinoid system. Categorized into sections including, chemical analyses and bioassays, medicinal chemistry, chemical biology and pharmacology, clinical applications, and policy and regulations, this book covers the methods and protocols involved and will be of interest to students, researchers, policymakers and all those involved in drug discovery research. - Covers the medicinal chemistry, pharmacology and biological chemistry of cannabis, khat, their constituent compounds and metabolites - Presents both the adverse and the beneficial entities to health and drug discovery - Includes detailed methods and protocol information to allow easy replication and application

This book provides a thorough and up-to-date overview of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) and its unique dual role in toxicology and biology. The coverage includes epigenetic mechanisms, gene expression, reproductive and developmental toxicity, signal transduction, and transgenic animal models. Featuring an internationally recognized team of authors at the forefront of AHR research, this resource provides a comprehensive reference for readers interested in understanding the full spectrum of AHR, from basic concepts, toxicology analysis, and models to polymorphism and related diseases.

Enjoy sugar-free versions of your favorite dishes without the guilt, the calories, or the health risks. Derived from a South American plant and widely available in the United States, stevia is an all-natural, calorie-free sweetener that is three hundred times sweeter than sugar, suitable for diabetics, safe for children, and does not cause cavities. The Stevia Cookbook includes documented studies and testimonials, as well as more than one hundred recipes for satisfying entrées, hearty side dishes, and sinfully sweet desserts.

SETS FORTH A FRAMEWORK FOR THE ANALYSIS AND STUDY OF FLAVONOIDS More and more dietary supplements contain flavonoids. These products are typically viewed as food rather than drug products by regulatory agencies and therefore not subjected to rigorous clinical trials before they are marketed to the general public. As a result, the use of flavonoid-containing supplements presents a potential public health risk. From discovery to therapeutic application, this book is a comprehensive guide to both achiral and chiral flavonoids, enabling researchers to perform essential preclinical and clinical pharmacokinetics studies in order to ensure the efficacy of flavonoids marketed for therapeutic use. Moreover, the book examines the safety and toxicology of flavonoids as well as flavonoid-drug interactions. With contributions from a multidisciplinary team of leading researchers, Flavonoids Pharmacokinetics reviews and synthesizes the most recent research findings and results from preclinical and clinical studies. The book begins with a comprehensive overview of polyphenols and flavonoids. Next, the book covers: Methods of analysis of achiral flavonoids Preclinical pharmacokinetic of flavonoids Toxicology and safety of flavonoids Methods of analysis for chiral flavonoids Clinical pharmacokinetics of flavonoids Flavonoids and drug interactions Throughout the book, the authors provide examples that demonstrate the use of pharmacokinetics concepts during the preclinical and clinical drug development process. Flavonoid Pharmacokinetics is written for pharmaceutical, food, and nutritional scientists and students, offering the tools they need to thoroughly analyze and test flavonoids and flavonoid-containing supplements to ensure their safety and efficacy.

Issues for 1977-1979 include also Special List journals being indexed in cooperation with other institutions. Citations from these journals appear in other MEDLARS bibliographies and in MEDLING, but not in Index medicus.

The definitive source for choosing the optimal herbal therapy- thoroughly revised and updated. Millions of Americans are turning to herbal therapies to heal what ails them-either as an alternative or as a supplement to traditional medicine. From the most trusted name in natural healing, Phyllis A. Balch's new edition of Prescription for Herbal Healing provides the most current research and comprehensive facts in an easy-to-read A- to-Z format, including: Information on more than 200 herbs and herbal combination formulas, ranging from well-known herbs, such as ginseng and St. John's Wort, to less familiar remedies, such as khella and prickly ash Chinese and ayurvedic herbal combinations Discussion of more than 150 common disorders from acne to yeast infection, and suggested herbal treatment therapies

This book consists of cutting-edge materials drawn from diverse, authoritative sources, which are sequentially arranged into a multipurpose, one-stop-shop, user-friendly text. It is divided into four parts as follows: Part 1: Historical overview of some indigenous medical systems; an outline of the basic concepts of pharmacognosy, ethnopharmacology; common analytical methods for isolating and characterising phytochemicals; and the different methods for evaluating the quality, purity, biological and pharmacological activities of plant extracts. Part 2: Phytochemistry and mode of action of major plant metabolites. Part 3: Systems-based phytotherapeutics; discusses how dysfunctioning of the main systems of the human body can be treated with herbal remedies. Part 4: Provides 153 monographs of some medicinal plants commonly used around the world, including 63 on African medicinal plants. This book therefore demonstrates the scrupulous intellectual nature of herbalism, depicting it as a scientific discipline in its own right.