Bioactive Phytochemicals in the Development of Alternative Medicine

Bioactive phytochemicals (BPs) are naturally occurring secondary metabolites with biologically active compounds and secondary chemical metabolites which possess some health-promoting functions. They are often found in varying concentrations in vegetables, fruits, cereals, and most plants commonly used in ethnomedicine or as herbal remedies. This book chapter compiles the various sources and health benefits of bioactive phytochemicals as well as valuable information on the potential for adopting bioactive components in developing alternative medicine for the management of various human diseases and infections. The well-known BPs in foods include indoles, carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, coumarins, isoflavones, lignans, organosulfur, catechins, anthraquinones, phenolic acids, stilbenoids, isothiocyanates, saponins, procyanidins, phenylpropanoids, and ginsenosides, among others. Bioactive phytochemicals in medicinal plants are a rich source of novel drugs that make up the composition of conventional systems of medicine, modern medications, nutraceuticals, food supplements, pharmaceutical intermediates, and lead compounds in synthetic drugs. Therefore, bioactive phytochemicals have great applications for managing and treating various human diseases, which is an indication that many of them have the potential to be adopted as lead ingredients in pharmaceutical development of alternative medicine. Despite this promising potential there are limitations that may significantly limit the efficacy and clinical applications of bioactive phytochemicals in alternative medicine.