Greco-Arab And Islamic Herbal Medicine: Traditional System, Ethics, Safety, Efficacy, And Regulatory Issues

This book presents a systematic review on traditional Arab herbal medicine including historical background, medical innovations introduced by Arab physicians, common roots of Arab medicine and western medicine, methodology of drug discovery and therapy in Arabic and Islamic medicine, a state-of-the-art description of traditional Arab herbal medicine, and evidence-based safety and efficacy of Arab and Islamic medicines. The usage of modern cell biological, biochemical, in vitro and in vivo techniques for the evaluation of medicinal plant safety and efficacy is also discussed. The toxicity of herbal formulations safety, quality assurances, and chemical analytical techniques are introduced in this book.

Bashar Saad, PhD, is Professor of Cell Biology and Immunology at the Arab American University-Jenin, Palestine, and Director of the Qasemi Research Center at Al-Qasemi Academic College, Baqa Algharbiya, Israel. He made a significant contribution in combining cell biology, immunology, and 3D cell culture techniques with Arab-Islamic herbal wisdom. His research interests include anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties of medicinal plants. He has written more than fifty original papers as well as review articles and book chapters on Arab-Islamic herbal medicine.

Omar Said, PhD, is Director of the Antaki Center for Herbal Medicine, Israel and serves as the head of the Arab medicinal plant project in the Galilee Society R&D regional center, Israel. He is a doctor of pharmacology. As an expert in the fields of pharmacology and ethnopharmacology, he has made significant contributions in combining this modern science with the medicinal plants tradition. His research interests include diabetes, obesity, fertility, psoriasis, acne, hyperlipidemia, and liver diseases. He has written more than thirty-five original papers as well as review articles and book chapters on Arab-Islamic herbal medicine.

Foreword.

Preface.

Acknowledgments.

1. An Overview of Greco-Arab and Islamic Herbal Medicine.

2. History of Greco-Arab and Islamic Medicine.

3. Herbal Medicine.

4. The Arab-Islamic Roots of Western Medicine.

5. Contributions of Arab and Islamic Scholars to Modern Pharmacology.

6. Natural Drugs in Greco-Arabic and Islamic Medicine.

7. Method of Therapy in Greco-Arab and Islamic Medicine.

8. Commonly Used Herbal Medicines in the Mediterranean.

9. The Current State of Knowledge of Arab Herbal Medicine.

10. Greco-Arab and Islamic Medicine Practiced Outside the Middle East.

11. Biosafety of Herbal Medicine.

12. Arab Medicinal Plants: From Traditional Uses to Scientific Knowledge.

13. Modern In Vitro Test Systems.

14. Modern In Vivo Evaluations and Clinical Trials.

15. Medical Ethics in Arab and Islamic Medicine.

16. Medicinal Herbs and Extracting Their Active Ingredients.

17. Food Therapy.

18. Drug Development from Herbal Sources.

19. Herbal Remedies: Use and Demographic and Regulatory Issues.

Appendix A: Plant Naming.

Index.