Current phytotherapy - A perspective on the science and regulation of herbal medicine

Phytotherapy is the use of plant materials to prevent and treat ill health or promote wellness. The practice dates to antiquity, yet remains current. It began in Mesopotamia, and subsequently spread to the rest of the Old World. The primacy of herbalism in medicine is evident from the large number of modern drugs that owe their origin to ethnobotanical remedies. This review traces the origins, the science and breakthroughs, and the effort of the...