'Trease and Evans' is an encyclopedic reference work on pharmacognosy - the study of those natural substances, principally plants, that find a use in medicine. Its popularity and longevity stem from the book's balance between classical (crude and powdered drugs' characterization and examination) and modern (phytochemisty and pharmacology) aspects of this branch of science, as well as the editor's recognition in recent years of the growing importance of complementary medicines, including herbal, homeopathic and aromatherapy.

Table of Contents

Part 1 Introduction: Plants in Medicine: the Origin of Pharmacognosy. The scope and practiceof pharmacognosy. Plant nomenclature and taxonomy

Part 2: The plant and animal kingdoms as sources of drugs: Biological and geographical sources of drugs. A taxonomic classification of medicinal plant and animal drugs. NEW CHAPTER INVITED CONTRIBUTOR

Part 3 Current trends: Bio-assay guided separations in the search for new lead compounds. NEW CHAPTER INVITED CONTRIBUTOR Biologically active compounds from marine organisms. Plant cell and tissue culture. NEW CHAPTER INVITED CONTRIBUTOR Useful drugs arising from traditional remedies NEW CHAPTER

Part 4 Principles related to commercial production, quality and standarization of natural products: Commerce and production. Plant growth regulators. Genetic aspects. Deterioration. Quality control.

Part 5 Phytochemistry: The living plant cell. Methods of phytochemical investigation. NEW CHAPTER INVITED CONTRIBUTOR . Basic metabolic pathways and the origin of secondary metabolites.

Part 6 Pharmacopoeial and related drugs of biological origin: Hydrocarbons and d derivatives. Carbohydrates. Phenols and phenolic glycosides. Volatile oils and resins. Saponins, cardioactive drugs and other steroids. Miscellaneous isoprenoids. Cyanogenetic glycosides. alkaloids. Colouring and flavouring agents. Miscellaneous products.

Part 7 Plants in the treatment of specific diseases and deficiencies: Tumour inhibitors from plants. Plants with antiprotozoal activity. An overview of drugs having antihepatotoxic and oral hypoglycaemic activities. The treatment of infectious diseases Vitamins and hormones.

Part 8: Plants in complementary and traditional systems of medicine: Herbal medicine. NEW CHAPTER INVITED CONTRIBUTOR Homeopathic medicine and aromatherapy. Asian medicine and its practice. Chinese herbs in the West. Plants in African traditional medicine

Part 9. Nonmedical toxic plants and pesticides: Hallucinogenic, allergenic, tertogenic and other toxic plants. Pesticides of natural origin.

Part 10 Morphological and Microscopical Examination of drugs: Plant description, morphology and anatomy. Cell differentiation and ergastic cell contents. Techniques in mircoscopy

Index