Extracting Current Trends from Natural Sources
Natural Marine Compounds
Pharmaceutical and Nutraceutical Potential The marine environment offers an abundant source of nutritionally as well as pharmacologically active agents with great chemical diversity and complexity, and the potential to produce valuable health or medicinal foods and therapeutic substances. The growing need for novel bioactives for the treatment of chronic conditions such as cancer, microbial infections, and inflammatory processes, combined with the recognition that marine organisms provide a rich potential source of such entities, presents continued demand in the search for new pharmaceutically active substances from marine organisms. Marine macro-algae, micro-algae, blue-green algae, invertebrates, vertebrates, and marine-derived microorganisms are rich sources of pharmaceutically active compounds and nutraceuticals and have been recognized in traditional Chinese medicine since ancient times. Secondary metabolites and other bioactive compounds, such as products from chitin and chitosan, are also recognized for their pharmaceutical benefits. Chitin and chitosan from crustacean shells are widely used for various biological and biomedical applications, owing to their unique properties.
The Safe Use of Herbal Products The use of herbal supplements has increased significantly in the last 15 years, with botanical products broadly used throughout the world. In the United States, most herbs are sold in loose form or as tablets, capsules, or tinctures, and regulated as dietary supplements. Many herbs are also commonly utilized as flavorings for foods or in teas. In addition, a handful of herbs provide active ingredients in non-prescription drugs. Given the widespread use of herbs, access to accurate, evidence-based, and clinically relevant safety information is essential to anyone who uses or recommends herbal products.
His upcoming title, Chitin and Chitosan Derivatives: Advances in Drug Discovery and Developments (CRC Press, December 2013) presents current trends in chitin and chitosan derivatives from crustacean shells, which are receiving a great deal of interest due to characteristics such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, and non toxicity as well as analgesic and antioxidant properties. The book brings together a diverse range of research leading to clinical and industrial products. With major implications of modified chitin and chitosan derivatives for drug discovery and development, potential biological and biomedical applications range from antimicrobial and anticancer to tissue engineering and drug delivery.
Comprised of the finest growers, processors, manufacturers, and marketers of herbal products, the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is the only national trade association devoted to herbal issues. Continuing the AHPA mission to promote the responsible commerce of herbal products, the second edition of the American Herbal Products Association’s Botanical Safety Handbook (CRC Press, March 2013) reviews both traditional knowledge and contemporary research on herbs to provide an authoritative resource on botanical safety. Covering more than 500 species of herbs, it provides a holistic understanding of safety through data compiled from clinical trials, pharmacological and toxicological studies, medical case reports, and historical texts.
story continued on pg. 7 (Natural Marine Compounds)
story continued on pg. 8 (Herbal Products)
A senior professor of marine biochemistry in the Department of Chemistry and the director of the Marine Bioprocess Research Center (MBPRC) at Pukyong National University in the Republic of Korea, Se-Kwon Kim, Ph.D., is known for his research on bioactive substances derived from marine organisms and their application in oriental medicine, nutraceuticals, and cosmeceuticals. For his three latest books, Dr. Kim assembled teams of global experts to write about the potential of the marine environment as a productive source of essential novel pharmaceutical and nutraceutical compounds.
Summer 2013
NATURALPRODUCTS 17th International Congress PHYTOPHARM 2013
ACS Fall 2013 National Meeting and Exposition
8-10 July 2013, Vienna, Austria
8-12 September 2013, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
American Society of Pharmacognosy, Annual Meeting
7th International Workshop on Anthocyanins
13-17 July 2013, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
9-11 September 2013, Porto University, Porto, Portugal
Plant Biology 2013
1st European Conference on Natural Products
20-24 July 2013, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
American Society of Horticulture Science Annual Conference
23-25 September 2013, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Natural Products EXPO East
22-25 July 2013, Palm Desert, California, USA
25-28 September 2013, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Gordon Research Conference on Natural Products
6th International Conference on Polyphenols and Health
28 July-2 August 2013, Proctor Academy, Andover, New Hampshire, USA
Botany 2013 27-31 July 2013, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Phytochemical Society of America Annual Meeting 3-7 August 2013, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA
Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology Annual Meeting & Exposition 11-15 August 2013, San Diego, California, USA
61st International Congress & Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research 1-5 September 2013, Münster, Germany
44th International Symposium on Essential Oils 8-10 September 2013, Budapest, Hungary
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16-19 October 2013, Buenos Aires, Argentina
World Organization of Natural Medicine Symposium on Nutritional Medicine 19-20 October 2013, Toronto, Canada
International Conference and Exhibition on Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry & Natural Products 21-23 October 2013, Hyderabad, India
Annual American Herbalists Guild Symposium 7-10 November 2013, Bend, Oregon, USA
5th Global Summit on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants 8-12 December 2013, Sarawak, India
CALENDAR Natural Products Networking News
Happy 100th Anniversary to the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics Originally a 116-page pocketsized book, known as the Rubber Handbook, the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics comprises 2,600 pages of critically evaluated data. One hundred years after the publication of the first edition, the Handbook continues to be one of the most popular and respected references in the science, technical, and medical communities—spanning nearly every discipline. Relied upon by generations of scientists, it remains a trusted source for easy access to chemical and physical data that has been tested and verified. When the first edition of the Handbook appeared, the electron had been known for only 17 years, there were 81 elements, and the Bohr theory of the hydrogen atom was still in press. The book expanded rapidly in subsequent editions, and by the 7th Edition in 1919, it had grown to more than 500 pages. An essential resource for scientists around the world, the Handbook is available in print, eBook, and online formats. In addition, The CRC Physical Constants of Organic Compounds table from this classic reference is now a true member of the twenty-first century, available as an app through the iTunes App Store.
“While the CRC Handbook is monumental in its scope, a huge, always-to-be-relied-upon mine of information, it is also a friendly book, a companion which has given me joy for the greater part of my life.” —Oliver Sacks, M.D., Physician, Author, Neurologist
The important role of editor of the Handbook—held by only five individuals over the past 100 years—has been in the competent hands of William “Mickey” Haynes for the last four editions. In a career devoted to finding and capturing the best data, Dr. Haynes worked more than three decades for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and currently is scientist emeritus with NIST. The recently released 100th Anniversary, 94th Edition of the Handbook includes new tables and major updates and expansions. In addition, a new series highlighting the achievements of some of the major figures in chemistry and physics has been initiated with this edition.
NATURALPRODUCTS
INSIGHTS
From the Editor of The Dictionary of Natural Products
Nutraceuticals: The Hottest Trend Under Fire
Natural Products and Modern Drug Discovery
Derived from the words nutrition and pharmaceutical, the term nutraceutical is currently applied to products that range from isolated nutrients, dietary supplements and herbal products, specific diets, genetically modified food, and even processed foods such a cereals, soups, and beverages. The term has almost no meaning under the law and regulations vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, with “nutraceutical� products regulated as drugs, supplements, food ingredients, or food.
Extracted from tissues of terrestrial plants, marine organisms, or microorganism fermentation broths, natural products were the basis of the material medica for numerous civilizations since the beginning of time. Some advanced ancient civilizations have left us pharmacopeias so detailed that many of the plants described in them have yet to be explored. These small molecules provide inspiration for the majority of FDA-approved agents, continue to be one of the major sources of inspiration for drug discovery, and often become important in the treatment of life-threatening conditions.
Health claims for nutraceuticals range from the fantastic to the unrealistic, but most are based on cell culture studies and have not been validated in humans, making them inadequate for public health recommendations. Furthermore, there is little research available on the difference, if any, of the effects of nutraceuticals on populations that are well fed and well nourished as opposed to those that are underfed and undernourished.
Despite this, treatments that involve the use of plants or plant extracts are often considered part of traditional or alternative medicine. A large part of the population in third world countries relies on traditional or herbal products and, surprisingly, in the rest of the world their use is making a comeback. The development and application of modern methods, such as spectroscopy, for the isolation and structure elucidation of natural products during the late nineteenth and the twentieth century slowly decreased traditional herbal use. Even though, using these methods, many naturally occurring bioactive compounds and/or their derivatives have become drugs of central importance and represent a high percentage of the drugs used today.
The lack of a regulatory framework to govern nutraceuticals in most countries, coupled with claims that can be dubious at best and unsubstantiated at worst, pave the way for marketing hype about the health benefits of these products, which can be inflated or harmful without proper scientific research. Focusing on human population-based research, Nutraceuticals and Health: Review of Human Evidence explores the role of nutraceuticals in human health, disease prevention, health promotion, and as an adjunct to disease treatment. Editors Somdat Mahabir and Yashwant V. Pathak have put together a team of recognized experts to deliver a comprehensive scientific review of the latest research. The book provides a general background of nutraceuticals and human health, then covers health and disease areas such as cancer, lipidermia and cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome with obesity, diabetes and hypertension, respiratory health, the gut microbiome, and cognitive decline. It concludes by addressing the methodological issues that must be addressed in the conduct of epidemiological research on nutraceuticals in health and disease. Although nutraceuticals hold significant promise in alleviating the suffering from disease, for this potential to be fulfilled, much more research is needed to document safety and disease risks in humans. Highlighting important knowledge gaps, the book includes cutting-edge summaries that highlight both the biological and epidemiological findings of relevant studies of nutraceuticals in health and disease. Taking an unusual, yet crucial epidemiological focus, it examines whether, and what kinds of, evidence exist to support a role for nutraceuticals in disease risk, prevention, and treatment.
Chemistry and Pharmacology of Naturally Occurring Bioactive Compounds edited by Dr. Brahmachari, presents cutting-edge research in the chemistry of bioactive natural products and demonstrates how natural product research continues to make significant contributions in the discovery and development of new medicinal entities. With contributions from leading researchers in the field, the book highlights the chemistry and pharmaceutical potential of natural products in modern drug discovery processes, and covers the synthesis and semisynthesis of potentially bioactive natural products. Natural products clearly are an important source for future therapeutic options for an array of acute and chronic diseases, but more research is needed on efficacy, standardization, toxicity, and long-term effects. This book, by providing state-of-theart evidence on bioactive natural products, will obviously help to fill this gap.
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NATURALPRODUCTS
Recently Published and Upcoming Titles
American Herbal Products Association’s Botanical Safety Handbook Second Edition Edited by
Zoë Gardner University of Massachusetts, Amherst, USA
Michael McGuffin American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
Catalog no. K15080, March 2013, 1,072 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4665-1694-6, $119.95 / £76.99 Also available as an eBook
Anthocyanins in Health and Disease Edited by
Taylor C. Wallace Scientific and Regulatory Affairs, Council for Responsible Nutrition, Washington, DC, USA
M. Monica Giusti Catalog no. K14214, October 2013, c. 368 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-9471-2, $129.95 / £82.00 Also available as an eBook
Chemistry and Pharmacology of Naturally Occurring Bioactive Compounds
Anticancer Agents from Natural Products Second Edition
Goutam Brahmachari
Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology (5 Volume Set)
Visva-Bharati University, West Bengal, India
Umberto Quattrocchi
Catalog no. K14122, February 2013, 584 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-9167-4, $149.95 / £95.00
Universita di Palermo, Italy
Edited by
Edited by
Gordon M. Cragg National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, USA
David G. I. Kingston Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, USA
Also available as an eBook
National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland, USA
Also available as an eBook
Caper
Chitin and Chitosan Derivatives Advances in Drug Discovery and Developments Edited by
The Genus Capparis
Se-Kwon Kim
Ephraim Philip Lansky
Pukyong National University, Busan, South Korea
Rimonest Ltd., Haifa, Israel
Catalog no. K16275, December 2013, c. 568 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4665-6628-6, $179.95 / £114.00
Helena Maaria Paavilainen and Shifra Lansky
Also available as an eBook
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Series: Traditional Herbal Medicines for Modern Times
Catalog no. K12834, November 2013, 384 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-6136-3, $129.95 / £82.00 Also available as an eBook
Carotenoids and Retinal Disease Edited by
John T. Landrum
Citrus bergamia
Bergamot and its Derivatives Series: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants - Industrial Profiles, Vol. 51 Edited by
University of Messina, Italy
John Nolan Waterford Institute of Technology, Cork, Ireland
Catalog no. K14416, October 2013, c. 268 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4665-0204-8, $149.95 / £95.00
Flavonoids and Related Compounds
Bioavailability and Function Series: Oxidative Stress and Disease Edited by
Jeremy P. E. Spencer University of Reading, UK
Alan Crozier University of Glasgow, UK
Catalog no. K12151, April 2012, 471 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-4826-5, $149.95 / £99.00 Also available as an eBook
Giovanni Dugo and Ivana Bonaccorsi
Florida International University, Miami, USA
Catalog no. 8044X, May 2012, 3960 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4200-8044-5, $1295.00 / £825.00 Also available as an eBook
David J. Newman Catalog no. K10713, October 2011, 767 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-1382-9, $189.95 / £121.00
CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants
Catalog no. K12886, August 2013, c. 592 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-6227-8, $139.95 / £89.00
Freshwater Phytopharmaceutical Compounds Santhanam Ramesh, Rajabalaya Rajan, and Ramasamy Santhanam Catalog no. K19044, September 2013, c. 243 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4665-8455-6, $149.95 / £95.00 Also available as an eBook
Also available as an eBook
Also available as an eBook
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Order online at www.crcpress.com
Recently Published and Upcoming Titles
NATURALPRODUCTS Medicinal Plants of China, Korea, and Japan
Bioresources for Tomorrow’s Drugs and Cosmetics Christophe Wiart Catalog no. K14339, May 2012, 454 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-9911-3, $149.95 / £95.00 Also available as an eBook
The Modern Ayurveda
Milestones Beyond the Classical Age Edited by
C.P. Khare and Chandra Kant Katiyar Society for New Age Herbals, New Delhi, India
Catalog no. K14266, March 2012, 413 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-9632-7, $149.95 / £95.00 Also available as an eBook
Nutraceuticals and Health Review of Human Evidence
Handbook of African Medicinal Plants
Marine Nutraceuticals
Series: Nutraceuticals, Vol. 2 Edited by
Prospects and Perspectives
Somdat Mahabir
Series: Nutraceuticals Edited by
National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
Yashwant V. Pathak
Bioresources Development and Conservation, Maryland, USA
Se-Kwon Kim
University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
Pukyong National University, Busan, South Korea
Catalog no. K16569, December 2013, c. 400 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4665-7197-6, $139.95 / £89.00
Catalog no. K14958, March 2013, c. 464 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4665-1351-8, $169.95 / £108.00
Catalog no. K15095, August 2013, c. 395 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4665-1722-6, $159.95 / £99.00
Second Edition Maurice M. Iwu
Also available as an eBook
Also available as an eBook
Also available as an eBook
Honey in Traditional and Modern Medicine
Marine Pharmacognosy
Natural Products Interactions on Genomes
Series: Traditional Herbal Medicines for Modern Times, Vol. 11 Edited by
Edited by
Series: Clinical Pharmacognosy Series Edited by
Laïd Boukraâ
Catalog no. K14137, December 2012, 454 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-9229-9, $159.95 / £99.00
Trends and Applications
Catalog no. K11859, November 2013, c. 480 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-4016-0, $139.95 / £89.00 Also available as an eBook
Se-Kwon Kim Pukyong National University, Busan, South Korea
Also available as an eBook
Medicinal Plants
Herbal Drugs as Therapeutic Agents
Biodiversity and Drugs Edited by
M. K. Rai
Amritpal Singh Herbal Consultant, Mohali, India
SGB Amravati University, Maharashtra, India
Catalog no. K20898, November 2013, c. 176 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4665-9860-7, $129.95 / £82.00
Natural Products Inc., Evanston, Illinois, USA
Geoffrey A. Cordell
Also available as an eBook
Jose L. Martinez
Marine Cosmeceuticals
Mariela Marinoff Luca Rastrelli
Edited by
Università di Salerno, Fisciano, Italy
Se-Kwon Kim
Catalog no. K16054, July 2012, 650 pp. ISBN: 978-1-57808-793-8, $149.95 / £95.00
Universidad Santo Tomás, Talca, Chile
Trends and Prospects
Pukyong National University, Busan, South Korea
Catalog no. K12759, December 2011, c. 428 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-6028-1, $169.95 / £108.00
Also available as an eBook
Siva Somasundaram Catalog no. K13327, January 2014, 300 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-7231-4, $149.95 / £95.00 Also available as an eBook
Pharmaceutical Botany Dequn Wang and Xianhe Tan Catalog no. K10905, March 2014, 344 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-1745-2, $119.95 / £76.99 Also available as an eBook
World Economic Plants
A Standard Reference, Second Edition John H. Wiersema USDA, Beltsville, Maryland, USA
Blanca León The University of Texas at Austin, USA
Catalog no. K11135, January 2013, 1336 pp. ISBN: 978-1-4398-2142-8, $149.95 / £95.00
Also available as an eBook
Order online at www.crcpress.com
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NATURALPRODUCTS PARTNERS in PUBLISHING Synthesizing today’s research for tomorrow’s discoveries
Chemistry Arena from Taylor & Francis and CRC Press Interested in All Things Chemistry? Visit our Chemistry Arena, the essential resource for all things chemistry. Here you can access all things chemistry—from high-quality journal reviews and cutting-edge articles, to the latest Chemistry news, conference listing, and interviews with journal editors, book authors, and experts. Access Chemistry Arena at www.chemistryarena.com. Also, discover our monthly themes and enjoy free online access to content from a selection of Editor’s Choices, highly cited, most read and recent articles, as well as related books. Don’t miss out and check regularly. Sign up to receive our future newsletters and be entered in our competitions to win CRC Press books. You can also follow us on Twitter! www.twitter.com/ChemistryArena.
Taylor & Francis Journals – Online and In Print For more than two centuries, Taylor & Francis has been a leading provider of quality journals. Continuing to reflect and shape modern thought, the examples below are just a few of the 1,000 journals available from Taylor & Francis at www.tandfonline.com. Edited by Armandodoriano Bianco, Sapienza Università di Roma, Natural Products Research covers all aspects of research in the chemistry and biochemistry of naturally occurring compounds, including work on natural substances of land and sea and of plants, microbes, and animals. The editor welcomes discussions of structure elucidation, synthesis, and experimental biosynthesis of natural products as well as developments of methods in these areas. Natural Product Research issues will be subtitled either “Part A - Synthesis and Structure” or “Part B - Bioactive Natural Products.” Manuscript submissions are subject to initial appraisal by the Editor, and, if found suitable for further consideration, to peer review by independent, anonymous expert referees. All peer review is single blind and submission is online via ScholarOne Manuscripts. Edited by De-Quan Yu, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, the chemistry-oriented Journal of Asian Natural Products Research (JANPR) publishes the work of scientists in Asian countries, e.g. China, Japan, Korea, and India as well from other countries on natural products of Asia. Major fields covered are isolation and structural elucidation of natural constituents (including those for non-medical uses), synthesis and transformation (including biosynthesis and biotransformation) of natural products, pharmacognosy, and allied topics.
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Want to Publish with Us? CRC Press Seeks Authors and Editors The Clinical Pharmacognosy Series Responding to the need for modern approaches to pharmacognosy, the Clinical Pharmacognosy Series addresses the cross-fertilization of classical pharmacognosy with modern chemical and biological approaches, along with their applications in clinical settings. Specific topics covered will include randomized controlled trials, toxicology, mechanisms of action, identification of active chemical constituents, metabolism characterization, bioavailability, and pharmacokinetics of active constituents. Send all queries to the Series Editors or Acquisitions Editor: Series Editor, Series Editor, Navindra P. Seeram, Ph.D. Professor Maria Tiziana Corasaniti University of Rhode Island Department of Pharmacology Email: nseeram@mail.uri.edu Magna Graecia University, Tel: 401-874-9367 Catanzaro, Italy Email: mtcorasa@unicz.it Tel: + 39 0961 3694109 Acquisitions Editor, Hilary Rowe CRC Press/Taylor & Francis Group Email: hilary.rowe@taylorandfrancis.com Tel: 858-436-5501
The Traditional Herbal Medicines for Modern Times Series The merging of traditional and modern medications has become common practice in China, Japan, India, and North America, and benefits claimed include improved effectiveness and a reduction in toxicity, period of medication, and cost of treatment. The Traditional Herbal Medicines for Modern Times series reports on the latest developments in integrated medicine: the combination of traditional herbal medicines and modern medicine. It also discusses key topics relevant to interdisciplinary health science research by ethnobiologists, taxonomists, conservationists, agronomists, chemists, pharmacologists, clinicians, and toxicologists. The series re-examines herbal medicines in a multidisciplinary manner, selectively combining traditional herbal medicine and modern medicine—a co-medication mix resulting in “integrated medicine.” Send all queries to the Series Editor or Acquisitions Editor: Series Editor, Roland Hardman 215 Norwich Road Wroxham, Norwich, Norfolk, UK Email: r.hardman@bath.ac.uk Acqusitions Editor, John Sulzycki CRC Press / Taylor & Francis Group Email: John.Sulzycki@taylorandfrancis.com Tel: (561) 998-2574
NATURALPRODUCTS
PIONEERS Noteworthy Names in Natural Products
Pioneers Blend Traditional Knowledge and Contemporary Research
Zoë Gardner
Access to accurate, evidence-based, and clinically relevant information is essential to anyone who uses or recommends herbal products. With input from some of the most respected experts in herbal and integrative medicine, American Herbal Products Association’s Botanical Safety Handbook, Second Edition, edited by Zoë Gardner and Michael McGuffin, reviews both traditional knowledge and contemporary research on herbs to provide readers with an authoritative resource on botanical safety.
When asked what sparked her interest in pursuing a career in the field, Zoë Gardner says Michael McGuffin that her passion for medicinal plants began early in life. Playing in the woods behind her house and going for hikes around New England with her family as a child, she got to know plants long before she had names for them. When she came across field guides and other books that talked about edible wild plants—plants took on a new level of interest. Later, as she discovered that so many local plants were also medicinal, a passion was born and she has followed that passion ever since. Michael McGuffin and Zoë Gardner first met at a conference on medicinal plant conservation while Zoë was a graduate student at the University of Massachusetts and Michael was president at the American Herbal Products Association. After some initial research and identification of financial support, they assembled an Expert Advisory Panel to guide the structure and the content of the second edition of this bestselling handbook.
One of the biggest surprises for Dr. Gardner has been the reputation that herbal medicines have of being under-researched and not well understood. She states that while the available evidence is different than evidence for pharmaceutical drugs, there is a tremendous amount of scientific research and traditional use information that is available on herbal medicines.
George Nicola
Providing a breakdown of the process of collecting a compound from nature, isolating the active ingredient, and taking it all the way through the steps required to prepare it into vital medicine, Chemistry of Natural Products: Sources, Separations and Structures by Dr. Raymond Cooper George Nicola and Raymond Cooper emphasizes the challenges and advantages of products acquired from nature over traditional compounds such as those arising from combinatorial chemistry. George Nicola and Dr. Cooper were introduced to each other by CRC Press editor Hilary Rowe during a natural products conference. Inspired to pursue his passion for natural products by his high school chemistry teacher, Dr. Cooper credits his longevity in the field to the great people and teams he has had the good fortune of working with. He says that one of the most rewarding aspects of his work has been the satisfaction that comes from being part of a team that is able to bring new products to market. Presenting a broad focus, ideal for readers in the initial stages of learning about natural products, George Nicola and Dr. Cooper’s upcoming book fulfills an important unmet need in the academic training of students in this field.
Natural Marine Compounds (continued from pg. 1) Dr. Kim’s recently published book, Marine Nutraceuticals: Prospects and Perspectives (CRC Press, March 2013), discusses the marine habitat as a source for novel unique bioactive substances that can be used as nutraceuticals and functional food ingredients. Examining the current status and future potential of natural marine compounds, it provides a comprehensive account of marine-derived nutritionally and pharmacologically active agents and their potential health benefits. These include antioxidant, anticancer, anticoagulant, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, and antibacterial properties. The book also describes the sources, isolation and purification, chemistry, functional interactions, applications, and industrial perspectives of marine-derived nutraceuticals.
Dr. Kim’s book, entitled Marine Pharmacognosy: Trends and Applications (CRC Press, December 2012), offers insight into trends and approaches for marine pharmacognosy, including techniques for the exploration of the marine habitat for novel compounds. This reference provides a broad account of marine-derived bioactive pharmaceuticals and their potential beneficial health-related effects—from antiviral and antiallergy to radioprotective activities. With the number of publications and patents in this dynamic field increasing each year, this book serves as a timely, integrated resource for marine biologists and chemists, biotechnologists, natural product and medicinal chemists, and pharmacognosists.
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NATURALPRODUCTS
NEXUS
Honey: An Ancient Remedy for the Modern World For thousands of years, honey has been an important food source for humans, due in part to its low water content that prevents microbial spoilage. As depicted in Stone Age paintings, the first honey collecting by humans was at least 8,000 years ago. In ancient Egypt, honey was offered to the gods and used for embalming and to sweeten food, especially in the wedding celebrations of pharaohs. This custom was passed on to GrecoRoman culture and, subsequently, medieval Europe in which newlyweds drank honey wine (mead) for a month after the wedding ceremony for good luck and happiness … essentially a honeymoon. An anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, and antimicrobial agent, honey also has a long history of use in medicine. Bee products, including bee pollen and royal jelly, contain a range of pharmacologically active ingredients with unique properties. Excavated medical tablets from Mesopotamia indicate that honey was a common ingredient in many prescriptions. Ancient Egyptians, Chinese, Indians, ancient Greeks, Romans, and Arabs all used honey to treat wounds and various disorders, such as diarrhea, ulcers, and coughs. Today, honey has proven beneficial in burn and wound management due to its physical and biochemical properties and absence of adverse effects. It’s also being researched to help treat other medical conditions, including diabetic ulcers, gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and cancers. In particular, the “no peroxide” manuka honeys (from Leptospermum scoparium of New Zealand and L. polygalifolium of Australia) provide a broad antibac-
terial activity range, even against antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria.
Thy Lord has inspired the Bees, to build their hives in hills, on trees and in man’s habitations, From within their bodies comes a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for mankind, Verily in this is a Sign, for those who give thought. (Koran, Surah XVI: 68–69)
These topics and more are explored in the upcoming book Honey in Traditional and Modern Medicine (November 2013). Edited by Dr. Laïd Boukraâ, the book covers the extensive use of honey in culinary and medical practice around the world, including in Ayurvedic medicine. Leading international scientists discuss up-to-date methods for the chemical analysis of honey, illustrate the importance of the botanical origin of honey in relation to its medicinal use, and explore its new roles in the food science industry. The book examines the quality assessment and standardization of honey formulations, which are essential to justifying the acceptability of honey in modern medicine and drugs. It also presents results of studies involving honey and other bee products in treating wounds in dogs and horses, mastitis in dairy cows and goats, reproductive problems in rabbits, and inflammation in dogs and cats. Another interesting topic covered is the history of the “secret weapon” in honey: andromedotoxin/grayanotoxin (GTX). In his “Anabasis, The March of the Ten Thousand,” Athenian historian and army commander Xenophon described the effects on soldiers subjected to “mad honey” poisoning in 401 BC. The book studies this poisoning agent/compound and explains how to treat patients suspected of having GTX poisoning. While honey has been used for centuries in folk medicine, this natural healer is now finding its way into modern medicine. Understanding the scientific basis of honey’s nutritional and medicinal properties could lead to the development of novel therapeutic agents for wound therapy, cancer treatment, and other significant medical issues.
Herbal Products (continued from pg. 1) The revised second edition presents an easily understood classification system, including both a safety rating and a drug interaction rating for each herb. It lists contraindications, known drug and supplement interactions, side effects, pharmacology, other precautions, and now includes pregnancy and lactation data and provides numerous checked references. Dispelling the myth that if a product is “natural” it must be safe, and rejecting blind reports of herbal safety concerns, the updated handbook sorts out the factual references
from those that are inaccurate in an effort to provide a high-quality resource. With the retail value of the U.S. herbal marketplace in the billions of dollars and the multitude of variable quality data available on the Internet, a reliable source of thoroughly researched and verified information is critical for the safe use of herbal products available in the marketplace.