Medicinal Plants of Borneo

Book excerpt: The rich biodiversity of Borneo provides many useful plants for medicinal purposes. Written by experts in the field, Medicinal Plants of Borneo provides a guide and introduction to the medicinal plants from Borneo used traditionally as well as plants whose medicinal uses have been recently discovered. These include anti-HIV plants – such as Calophyllum lanigerum (calanolide A) – and anti-cancer plants – such as Aglaia foveolata (silvestrol). The book also provides information on the relevant medicinal chemistry, such as isolated bioactive compounds and the mechanism of action, where available. FEATURES Discusses the rich experience in the use of medicinal plants and the wide diversity of Borneo’s botanical resources Presents plants with medicinal properties from a scientific perspective Provides readers with current information on the chemistry and pharmacology of natural products with pharmaceutical potential Covers a range of chemical, botanical and pharmacological diversities Forms an important part of the Natural Products Chemistry of Global Plants series due to an increasing global interest in natural products and botanical drugs Simon Gibbons is Head of the School of Pharmacy, University of East Anglia, UK, and a Professor of Natural Product Chemistry. He was formerly a Professor of Medicinal Phytochemistry at the School of Pharmacy, University College London (UCL). Stephen P. Teo is a forest botanist with the Forest Department, Sarawak, Malaysia.