Herbal Medicine: Clinical Perspective and Regulatory Status.

Herbal medicines play an important role in treating various ailments due to their potentially high therapeutic values and acceptability by patients with different health complications. The practice of herbal medicine involves the use of a part of a plant, the entire plant, or a selective isolated phytoconstituent. The search for new drugs during the scientific era revived the interest in the discovery of herbal drugs from different natural resources. The present modern healthcare system involves the utilization of drugs and 50% of them are of natural origin. In recent years, there had been an upsurge in the interest for search of novel herbal drugs by the pharmaceutical industry. However, the discovery of such new novel phytomedicines involves various challenges in the identification of active constituents; their characterization, pharmacological activity, toxicity/adverse effects, drug interactions, and, most importantly, their regulatory requirements. The present review is mainly focused on the history of herbal medicine, current clinical perspective, and pharmaceutical and regulatory challenges facing herbal drugs. Moreover, problems encountered in drug discovery from herbal resources and their possible solutions have been delineated.

Oleuropein: A natural antioxidant molecule in the treatment of metabolic syndrome.

Olive (Olea europaea Linn., Fam. Oleaceae) is commonly known as Zaytoon in Mediterranean region. Its fruits and oil are essential components of Mediterranean diets. Olive tree is a prevalent plant species and one of the important cultivated crops of Mediterranean region. Oleuropein is a phenolic constituents of olive, which, along with its related compounds, has been indicated to be majorly responsible for its beneficial effects. Oleuropein is a secoiridoid type of phenolic compound and consists of three structural subunits: hydroxytyrosol, elenolic acid, and a glucose molecule. It is also reported to be the chemotaxonomic marker of olive. The oleuropein is reported to possess a number of biological activities including action against dyslipidemia, antiobesity, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antiatherogenic, antihypertensive, antiinflammatory, and hepatoprotective actions. The scientific evidence supports the role of oleuropein as a potential agent against metabolic syndrome. The present review discusses chemistry of oleuropein along with potential role of oleuropein with reference to pathophysiology of metabolic syndrome.