For decades, natural products, particularly plant-derived secondary metabolites, have been used to treat various chronic conditions, including cancer. Although various medicines are available to treat different types of cancers, no drug is found to be fully efficient and safe as an anticancer therapy. But plants and plant-derived products are effective and secure in treating various cancer. Different plants have been identified as potential anticancer agents like Camellia sinensis, Catharanthus roseus, Curcuma longa, Datura metel, Embelia ribes, Matricaria chamomilla, Momordica charantia, Nelumbo nucifera, Ocimum sanctum, etc. Besides, several plant-derived anticancer compounds that work effectively against various cancers have been isolated and characterised, like Taxol, camptothecin, and vinblastine. The present chapter focuses on the anticancer application of different medicinal plants and their phytochemicals. In addition, different treatments and modes of action of various phytochemicals have been discussed.
TopMedicinal Plants In Cancer Treatment
Ancient natural medicines used to heal a variety of ailments medicinal plants. The most cutting-edge medicinal compounds that aid in easing human ills and promoting health are primarily found in plants. Their significant “antioxidative, antimutagenic, and anticarcinogenic” potential is related to their notable preventative and protective qualities (Kaur et al., 2015). Herbal remedies have been the mainstay of medical treatment/care in underdeveloped nations for many years. Plants have also been employed in medicine because of their inherent antibacterial qualities. As a result, research has been conducted to learn more about terrestrial plant extracts’ characteristics and nanomaterial-based drug development applications, especially for cancer (Sivaraj et al., 2014).
The numerous bioactive chemicals found in medicinal herbs/plants have a range of biological effects, including “antitumour, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-malarial” action. Understanding how to prepare different pharmaceuticals has significantly used knowledge about medicinal plants. Pharmaceutical companies often turn to medicinal plants as a rich source of many chemicals. The anticancer characteristics of several medicinal plants are used to identify a potential molecule that can thwart cancer growth. Secondary metabolites from medicinal plants, including “terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids, and steroids,” exhibit various pharmacological characteristics (Sumner, 2000). Medicinal plants such as “Camellia sinensis, Catharanthus roseus, Curcuma longa, Datura metel, Embelia ribes, Matricaria chamomilla, Momordica charantia, Nelumbo nucifera, Ocimum sanctum,” etc., demonstrate potential involvement in the prevention of cancer cell growth.
At present, anticancer drugs generated from herbs/plants are now widely used like, “Vinca alkaloids”, “vinblastine”, and “vincristine” from C. roseus, “Paclitaxol (Taxol®)”, “Himoharringtonine” from C. harringtonia, “Elliptinium”, a derivative of ellipticine identified from B. vitensis, and “Colchicine” from C. autumnale are a few examples (Nagani and Chanda, 2013; Chanda and Nagani, 2013; Iqbal et al., 2017; Seca and Pinto, 2018; Sirsat et al., 2019).