The search for promising medicinal raw materials for the extraction of biologically active substances

Abstract

Medicinal plants have been a good source of new pharmacologically active molecules. Natural products could be a potential alternative for controlling the pathogen associated with diseases. Recently, antibiotics and most drugs on the market have shown unwanted symptoms and the emergence of resistant pathogenic microorganisms, toxic effects related to these drugs, and withdrawal issues restricting their use in many countries, therefore, much attention has been paid to the herbal extracts and pharmacologically active molecules extracted from different plant species that are used previously in the traditional medicine. Many plant species have been reported to exert pharmacological properties due to their phytoconstituents such as glycosides, alkaloids, saponins, steroids, flavonoids, tannins, and terpenoids (e.g., monoterpenes, diterpenes, and sesquiterpenes). Nowadays, eighty percent of the world’s populations depend on traditional medicines as an essential source of their primary health care. Medicinal plant extracts and their constituents also possess various biological activities including virucidal, bactericidal, fungicidal, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, sedative, spasmolytic, and local anesthetic activities among others. Aim of the study: search for promising medicinal raw materials for extracting biologically active substances (BAS).