Plant extracts or their pure natural constituents have been used
traditionally for thousands of years for treating diseases with
considerable success in India and other Asian countries. In addition,
they have also been used as complements or supplements with conventional
medicine. This book discusses the latest research in the application of
combination therapy, namely herbs and drugs, in the treatment of a range
of communicable and non-communicable diseases to achieve a synergistic
effect. This synergy may help in reducing the amount of drug, its
toxicity, side effects, and development of resistance as well as improve
its efficacy. The book also discusses the pharmacodynamic and
pharmacokinetic parameters, experimental tools to determine the impact
of combination, computational approaches to identify synergy,
statistical analysis of data, and clinical and regulatory issues. The
book is useful for researchers in the fields of pharmacology, pharmacy
and medicinal chemistry and those working in pharmaceutical and
nutraceutical industries. This book could open up new strategies to
focus on multiple targets to combat complex diseases unlike the single
targeted drugs that are being currently marketed by the pharmaceuticals
industries.