7.1 Introduction
Many medicinal plants contain large amounts of bioactive compounds, such as
phenolic compounds, terpenoids, nitrogen compounds, vitamins, and various other
secondary metabolites that are being used for various therapeutic purposes, since
the dawn of mankind (Arumugam et al. 2016; Swamy et al. 2017; Kirubakari et al.
2019). The nature is a treasure of several medications, and provides assistance in
the treatment of different health issues, affecting humans. Indian, Egyptian, Roman,
Chinese, and Greek traditional medicines have documented the use of herbs against
numerous health problems. Currently, despite the development of medicine, technological progress, and the creation of new synthetic substances with medicinal
properties, the use of natural products is gradually growing, mainly in developed
countries. Thus, medicinal plants are present as an alternative in health care (Pandey
and Kumar 2013; Swamy et al. 2016; Mohanty et al. 2017; Anand et al. 2019).
Natural products contribute immensely to the development of numerous drug
molecules having several therapeutic applications (Beutler 2009). A wide-ranging
organism, such as plants, fungi, insects, marine organisms, and bacteria are the
main sources of natural products. Among them, medicinal plants offer harmless
elusive means to improve our health conditions. Moreover, plant-derived bioactives
are an inspiration for developing several therapeutic agents having extensively
diverse chemo-structures and exhibit superior biological properties like antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Hence, many of
them are used in therapeutic applications to treat various human ailments (Swamy
et al. 2016; Kirubakari et al. 2019).
In this context, the tropical region is home to almost a third of the world’s flora
represented in many different biomes with exuberant biodiversity (Brooks et al.
2002; Sobrinho et al. 2014). However, even in the face of the vast biodiversity and
even having great potential for study and knowledge of new perspectives on the
issue of genetic resources, the environmental degradation and the intrusion of new
cultural elements accompanied by the breakdown of traditional life systems
threaten, in addition to a collection of empirical knowledge, the heritage invaluable
genetics for future generations (Chazdon 2019). Therefore, it is essential that scientific and technological innovation provides advances in order to add value to the
products of the tropical biodiversity, and we can make use of these assets ensuring
the sovereignty and vanguard of our nations.
At present, microbial infections due to pathogenic microbes, in addition to their
resistance to conventional antibiotics are posing a major challenge and threatening
the health of humans and other animals. Globally, microbial infections cause millions of human demises, and are increasing every year (Rudramurthy et al. 2016;
Khameneh et al. 2019). Bacterial and fungal infections, in general, have increased
significantly at an accelerated rate. They are being considered as a wide public
health problem that affects the whole world, affecting countless people. Due to this
advancement, it is necessary to put aside many conventional methods of combating
such diseases, which are often not having the expected effect, and to seek new
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L. E. da Silva et al.
Many medicinal plants contain large amounts of bioactive compounds, such as
phenolic compounds, terpenoids, nitrogen compounds, vitamins, and various other
secondary metabolites that are being used for various therapeutic purposes, since
the dawn of mankind (Arumugam et al. 2016; Swamy et al. 2017; Kirubakari et al.
2019). The nature is a treasure of several medications, and provides assistance in
the treatment of different health issues, affecting humans. Indian, Egyptian, Roman,
Chinese, and Greek traditional medicines have documented the use of herbs against
numerous health problems. Currently, despite the development of medicine, technological progress, and the creation of new synthetic substances with medicinal
properties, the use of natural products is gradually growing, mainly in developed
countries. Thus, medicinal plants are present as an alternative in health care (Pandey
and Kumar 2013; Swamy et al. 2016; Mohanty et al. 2017; Anand et al. 2019).
Natural products contribute immensely to the development of numerous drug
molecules having several therapeutic applications (Beutler 2009). A wide-ranging
organism, such as plants, fungi, insects, marine organisms, and bacteria are the
main sources of natural products. Among them, medicinal plants offer harmless
elusive means to improve our health conditions. Moreover, plant-derived bioactives
are an inspiration for developing several therapeutic agents having extensively
diverse chemo-structures and exhibit superior biological properties like antimicrobial, anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Hence, many of
them are used in therapeutic applications to treat various human ailments (Swamy
et al. 2016; Kirubakari et al. 2019).
In this context, the tropical region is home to almost a third of the world’s flora
represented in many different biomes with exuberant biodiversity (Brooks et al.
2002; Sobrinho et al. 2014). However, even in the face of the vast biodiversity and
even having great potential for study and knowledge of new perspectives on the
issue of genetic resources, the environmental degradation and the intrusion of new
cultural elements accompanied by the breakdown of traditional life systems
threaten, in addition to a collection of empirical knowledge, the heritage invaluable
genetics for future generations (Chazdon 2019). Therefore, it is essential that scientific and technological innovation provides advances in order to add value to the
products of the tropical biodiversity, and we can make use of these assets ensuring
the sovereignty and vanguard of our nations.
At present, microbial infections due to pathogenic microbes, in addition to their
resistance to conventional antibiotics are posing a major challenge and threatening
the health of humans and other animals. Globally, microbial infections cause millions of human demises, and are increasing every year (Rudramurthy et al. 2016;
Khameneh et al. 2019). Bacterial and fungal infections, in general, have increased
significantly at an accelerated rate. They are being considered as a wide public
health problem that affects the whole world, affecting countless people. Due to this
advancement, it is necessary to put aside many conventional methods of combating
such diseases, which are often not having the expected effect, and to seek new
264
L. E. da Silva et al.