Anti-Cancerous Potential of Medicinal Plants and Constitutes

Cancer is the second largest emerging reason for death worldwide. The increasing threat to human life indicates the important need for safer and more effective anticancer treatment. Herbal medicines have been in use since ages. Various kinds of ancient literature support the use of herbs as medicinal agents against ailments because of their rich availability and lesser side effects. The pharmacological potency of the plants is exhibited through the presence of phytoconstituents such as flavonoids, terpenoids, steroids, alkaloids, etc. Nowadays, the investigation of plants and their phytochemicals is an important asset for the detection and expansion of new potent pharmacologically active compounds. This chapter reviews a few medicinal plants as anticancer herbs with the study of active phytochemicals and the basic mechanisms involved in targeting cancer. The literature survey for this chapter was done by searching the keywords on the online library and databases available such as Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Sciences, Elsevier, PubMed, and ScienceDirect. The thorough review of reported cancer in vitro cell culture and in vivo animal studies will help summarize the significance of the use of medicinal plants and phytochemicals present in the plant in anticancer cures along with other related diseases.