Dr. Akbar holds an M.D. in Pharmacology of natural products from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, India, and obtained his Ph.D. in Pharmacology from the University of the Pacific, Stockton, California. He served as a Professor of Pharmacology, and has over thirty years of experience in pharmacological research and teaching to medical and pharmacy students. He also served as Director of Pharmacy College Research Center, Qassim University, Saudi Arabia. He has many research papers published in international journals, book chapters on beta-blockers, and books related to natural products and general health. His earlier books were intended to raise awareness of healthcare issues and the use of health (herbal) supplements. The current book is an effort to provide detailed reviews of selected plants, especially for their uses in traditional medicines around the world, their updated phytochemical, pharmacological and clinical (if any) research, point out the reasons for variations and discrepancies, and highlight other nuances involved in research on medicinal plants and the obtained results.
This book is designed to provide pharmacologists and researchers of natural products a comprehensive review of 200 medicinal plants, their vernacular names in various languages and their medicinal uses around the world, and in some cases, a historical perspective.
Chemical constituents of each plant with the putative active constituent, and available up to date pharmacological studies (until 2017 on PubMed) with each medical activity explored and its relationship with traditional uses, are described for each plant. Any variations in chemical constituents and their effects on pharmacological studies outcome have been highlighted.
All clinical trials conducted, with sufficient details, have been included. Nationalities and racial identities of participants of clinical trials are identified to impress upon the social, cultural and dietary influences on the clinical outcomes. Toxicity studies and potential interactions with prescribed drugs, and full spectrum of references are included.