The Ethnopharmacologic Contribution to Bioprospecting Natural Products

Eric J. Buenz, Rob Verpoorte, Brent A. Bauer

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

28 Scopus citations

Abstract

Descriptions of the use of natural products in traditional medicine have served as starting points for new therapeutics. The details of the traditional use of these organisms can provide important information for future drug discovery and development efforts. Recent technologic advances provide the framework to leverage ethnopharmacologic data in the drug discovery process. Information on the traditional harvest, preparation, storage, and administration of the organisms, and the natural products they contain, provides valuable details regarding characteristics of the active compounds. Importantly, researchers can now rapidly analyze and identify the multiple, and often synergistic, compounds contained in these natural products. Although we are entering the acme of ethnopharmacology, where information regarding the traditional use of organisms can provide valuable natural product leads and accelerate the identification of new therapeutics, this ethnopharmacologic resource is threatened by the loss of traditional medicine knowledge and extinction of organisms.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)509-530
Number of pages22
JournalAnnual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology
Volume58
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 6 2018

Keywords

  • drug discovery
  • ethnobotany
  • high-throughput screening
  • indigenous
  • pharmacology
  • traditional medicine

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Toxicology
  • Pharmacology

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