Plant Secondary Metabolites in the Management of Degenerative Diseases

Medicinal plants have been indispensable in the development of leadcompounds for the management of human health. However, herbal remedies have notbeen explored maximally in modern therapeutics for the management of drug-resistantdiseases, re-emerging diseases, metabolic syndrome, etc.Several secondary metabolites with proven efficacious pharmacological effects havebeen identified from plants, some isolated but unfortunately never developed into amarketable pharmaceutical product.Thus, this chapter provides resourceful information on the secondary metabolites ofherbal plants with great pharmacological potential. Databases such as JSTOR, ScienceDirect, Google, PubMed, and Medline were explored for relevant information on thisconcept.A spectrum of plant secondary metabolites with potent antibactarial, antiviral,antimalarial, anticancer, antidiabetic activities in different plant species were collated,the class of these metabolites and mechanism of action was compiled.An acquaintance with efficacious secondary metabolites used in the management ofvarious diseases will serve as a basic tool for Ethnomedical Scientists in the integrationof folkloric knowledge in contemporary medicine for the formulation of herbalremedies with superior pharmacological relevance than conventional medicine.