Stay up‎-to‎-date with this important contribution to rationalized botanical medicine The Handbook of Medicinal Plants explores state‎-of‎-the‎-art developments in the field of botanical medicine‎.‎ Nineteen experts from around the world provide vital information on natural products and herbal medicines‎-‎-from their earliest relevance in various cultures to today‎'‎s cutting‎-edge biotechnologies‎.‎ Educated readers‎,‎ practitioners‎,‎ and academics of natural sciences will benefit from the text‎'‎s rich list of references as well as numerous tables‎,‎ figures‎,‎ and color photographs and illustrations‎.‎ The Handbook of Medicinal Plants is divided into three main sections‎.‎ The first section covers the use of herbal medicines throughout history in China‎,‎ Australia‎,‎ the Americas‎,‎ the Middle East‎,‎ and the Mediterranean‎,‎ emphasizing the need for future medicinal plant research‎.‎ The second section discusses the latest technologies in production and breeding‎,‎ crop improvement‎,‎ farming‎,‎ and plant research‎.‎ The third section focuses on groundbreaking advances in the medicinal application of therapeutic herbs‎.‎ In the Handbook of Medicinal Plants‎,‎ you will gain new knowledge about‎:‎ * recent research and development in Chinese herbal medicine * modern methods of evaluating the efficacy of medicinal plants by "screening" * the newest developments of in vitro cultivation * prevention and therapy of cancer and other diseases using medicinal plants * the challenges and threats to medicinal plant research today * trends in phytomedicine in the new millenniumThe Handbook of Medicinal Plants demonstrates the global relevance of sharing local knowledge about phytomedicines‎,‎ and highlights the need to make information on plants available on a worldwide basis‎.‎ With this book‎,‎ you can help meet the challenge to find scientifically rationalized medicines that are safer‎,‎ more effective‎,‎ and readily available to patients from all walks of life‎.‎