Importance of Traditional Knowledge in Modern Drug Discovery

In spite of advancement in medical technologies, traditional knowledge regarding medications still remains important and the key pillar for drug discoveries particularly in developing countries and in general for the entire globe. It’s important to mention that traditional knowledge-based drug discoveries play a major role in the form of active pharmaceuticals in human therapy. The common traditional knowledge-based medicines include Unani, Islamic, Chinese, Ayurveda, Siddha, Irani, African, and Korean which are transmitted from ancient time from generation to generation. Ethnopharmacological researches on natural resources (plants, animals, microorganism, and minerals products) are of great importance in the development of active drugs as well as herbal medicines. On one side, these studies document the therapeutic uses of natural resources but, on the other hand, also safeguard the preservation of cultural heritage. Because of the vast diversity in chemical nature/structures and functional groups of plants and microbial secondary metabolites, and also the development in the modern technologies for identification and characterization, they represent principal sources for new active pharmaceuticals. The demand in the world market for natural products (active pharmaceuticals, fragrances, colors, and flavors) is increasing day by day, and it is reported that about 80% of the world population depends on traditional medicine-based products for their health. For the discovery of modern drugs, most of the researchers across the globe focused on traditional knowledge-based nontoxic plants and other related products. Therefore, significance of traditional knowledge regarding medications either directly from the communities or reported in books and journals should not be underestimated and ignored. This chapter highlights the importance and traditional knowledge-based latest discoveries of natural drugs.