Traditional Resources and Tools for Modern Drug Discovery : Ethnomedicine and Pharmacology

초록

Ethnomedicinal resources refer to indigenous knowledge and techniques for utilizing medicinal plants for therapeutic purposes in particular contexts of culture. These resources usually involve the use of the medicinal plant as a whole or various plant sections such as roots, stems, leaves, fruits, seeds, and flowers for various medical advantages. Numerous traditional medicinal herbs and their bioactive compounds such as polyphenols have shown promising results in treating metabolic diseases. Metabolic disease is a broad term referring to a group of diseases marked by abnormalities in the body’s metabolism, in the uptake of food and energy, leading to serious complications like type 2 diabetes (T2D), nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), cardiovascular conditions, obesity, and hypercholesterolemia. These disorders frequently entail abnormalities with calorie management, regulation of lipids metabolism, glucose utilization, and insulin uptake. The development and advancement of metabolic conditions are significantly influenced by dietary habits, genetics, and exercise. Current treatment options include lifestyle interventions like diet modification, physical activity, and medical therapies like chemotherapy, surgery, and enzyme replacement therapy; however, these treatments can be challenging to maintain over time. Therefore, an alternative treatment method that may provide more secure and effective therapy for metabolic disorders includes the utilization of ethnomedicinal resources especially therapeutic plants and their natural bioactive constituents. Researchers have reported that several medicinal plants and their secondary metabolites such as resveratrol, curcumin, berberine, anthocyanin, etc. have promising medicinal benefits against metabolic diseases, by targeting multiple important proteins that are crucial for maintaining the normal function of the body, thus, showcasing the potential of ethnomedicinal resources in modern medicinal practices. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.