The medicinal uses of Curcumin (also called turmeric) have been known and described for more than 5000 years. A large body of recent research suggests that curcumin is potentially useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, through modulation of numerous molecular targets. This is the first monograph to focus on the potential use of curcumin in the treatment of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, psoriasis and more.

The medicinal uses of Curcumin (also called turmeric) have been known and described for more than 5000 years. A large body of recent research suggests that curcumin is potentially useful in the treatment of inflammatory diseases, through modulation of numerous molecular targets. This is the first monograph to focus on the potential use of curcumin in the treatment of cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, psoriasis and more.

Medicinal plants and their derived products remain as an indispensable source of bioactive molecules that serve as either drug candidates or lead compounds for drug design and discovery. There are several advantages for plant-derived therapeutics including wide availability, diverse pharmacological actions and a generally good profile of safety and tolerability. Over the recent years, there have been numerous reports from clinical studies testifying to the efficacy and safety of medicinal plants and phytochemicals in ameliorating several human diseases. A plethora of basic studies has also unravelled molecular mechanisms underlying the health benefits of herbal medicines. Nevertheless, issues such as identification of bioactive ingredients, standardization of the products and drug interactions remain to be further studied. In this book, we aim to put together several chapters on the medicinal properties and pharmacological action of medicinal plants, plant species and phytochemicals. The goal is to present a comprehensive collection on most of the therapeutic aspects of plant-derived natural products and molecular mechanisms thereof.

In ancient times, people benefited from ingesting different parts of various weeds (root, stem, shoot, leaf, flower, fruit, seed, etc.) to maintain a healthy life. People have obtained the vegetables we grow today by succeeding in cultivating these weeds. This book explains the health benefits of vegetable crops, organic vegetable growing, greenhouse management, and principles of irrigation management for vegetable crops.

This is the second volume of the comprehensive, two-volume work on oxidative stress in lung diseases. Adopting a multidisciplinary approach, it demonstrates the cellular and molecular mechanisms associated with ROS (reactive oxygen species)-induced initiation and progression of a variety of lung diseases, such as COPD, emphysema, asthma, cystic fibrosis, occupational pulmonary diseases and pulmonary hypertension and discusses points for therapeutic intervention. The book also covers translational research and the latest research on prevention and therapeutics. Each chapter includes in-depth insights into the mechanisms associated with lung diseases and into identifying targets for drug development. Bridging the gap between fundamental and translational research, and examining applications in the biomedical and pharmaceutical industry, it is a thought- provoking read for basic and applied scientists engaged in biomedical research.

Nutritional supplement research concerning brain health and neurological disease is becoming an important focus. While nutritional supplements are very popular for general health and well being, the effectiveness of common supplements and their impact on general brain health and for the treatment or prevention of neurological disease is not clearly understood. This comprehensive introduction to bioactive nutraceuticals for brain and neurological provides a foundation review for research neuroscientists, clinical neurologists, pharmacology researchers and nutrition scientists on what we know now about these supplements and the brain and where focused research is still necessary. - Foundational review content covering nutrition and brain and neurological health - Reviews known nutritional supplements and impact on brain and neurological health - Comprehensive coverage ideal for research scientists and clinical practitioners

The Middle East is known as the cradle of civilization. It was the crossroads of ancient empires and the birthplace of major world religions. Today it is the center of many world issues due to its economic, religious and political importance. Although it has lagged behind many other regions of the world in medicinal research, this has increased dramatically in recent years with increasing numbers of relevant publications and the country of Iran has spearheaded this progress. Much of the research has focused on increasing our understanding of the aging process and attempting to identify biomarkers and natural products to improve the human healthspan. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the research conducted in the Middle East on the health benefits of curcumin, a phytochemical derived from the famous spice turmeric. Hundreds of studies have now been published describing the health benefits of this spice. The importance of this research is exemplified by poor data regarding health and longevity as only 0.08% of the population in Iran consists of individuals over 90 years of age. This is approximately 10 times lower than the percentage of this same age group in the United Kingdom and the United States of America and almost 20 times lower than that in Japan. This book presents a series of reviews and meta-studies describing research which has resulted in identification potential new biomarkers and drug targets for age-related disorders. All of the studies have focussed on the testing of curcumin and related products, which have already shown some promising leads in age-related conditions such as heart-disease, diabetes, cognitive impairment and cancer. The authors in this series come from different centers and cities of Iran, including Mashhad, Tehran, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Birjand, Quchan and Yazd, and many of the chapters feature collaborations with other countries of the Middle East and throughout the world, including Brazil, Italy, Mexico, Oman, Poland, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. This underscores the emergence of the Middle East into this arena of research. The book will be of high interest to scientific and clinical researchers in the subject of aging and age-related disease, and to physicians and pharmaceutical company scientists since it gives insights into the latest strategies, biomarkers and targets involved in the mechanism of action of curcumin to promote healthy aging. It will also provide important information on disease mechanisms related to age-related disorders, as each chapter will be presented in the context of specific chronic diseases.

This book details several important medicinal plants, their occurrence, plant compounds and their chemical structures, and pharmacological properties against various human diseases. It also gives information on isolation and structural elucidation of phytocompounds, bio-assays, metabolomic studies, and therapeutical applications of plant compounds.

Turmeric and Curcumin for Neurodegenerative Diseases examines protective mechanisms of turmeric products and novel nanotechnological therapeutics and biomaterial design strategies to circumvent Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s, and liver diseases. With neurodegenerative and liver diseases posing a serious threat to health care systems worldwide, this book addresses how existing nanotechnology and therapeutic strategies have not been as successful in their treatment. In addition to discussing drawbacks, possible future perspectives to overcome these challenges are also examined. Chapters also focus on therapeutic efficacy and drug delivery systems, providing readers with a full summary of research in this field in one handy reference. Summarizes the therapeutic efficacy of turmeric and curcumin for neurodegenerative diseases Includes effects on Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and liver diseases Focuses on different types of drug delivery systems and their challenges Examines novel nanotechnological therapeutics and biomaterial design strategies

With cardiovascular disease remaining one of the primary causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, there is a great need to further understand the molecular basis of this disease class and develop new therapeutic or preventative measures. Cardiovascular Diseases: Nutritional and Therapeutic Interventions presents up-to-date information on the pa