The concept of growing crops for health rather than for food or fiber
is slowly changing plant biotechnology and medicine.
Rediscovery of the connection between plants and health is
responsible for launching a new generation of botanical
therapeutics that include plant-derived pharmaceuticals,
multicomponent botanical drugs, dietary supplements,
functional foods and plant-produced recombinant proteins. Many
of these products will soon complement conventional
pharmaceuticals in the treatment, prevention and diagnosis of
diseases, while at the same time adding value to agriculture.
Such complementation can be accelerated by developing better
tools for the efficient exploration of diverse and mutually
interacting arrays of phytochemicals and for the manipulation
of the plant's ability to synthesize natural products and
complex proteins. This review discusses the history, future,
scientific background and regulatory issues related to
botanical therapeutics.
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