Himalayan Herbal Medicine for Cancer

Traditional medicine and natural products have recently gained interest and have become a matter of great importance. The traditional medicines are rooted to Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese medicine, traditional Korean medicine, Kampo and Unani, which were practised previously and are still used in a few parts of the world. Plants are a vital source of herbal and synthetic agents used by various pharmaceutical industries. Some plant metabolites have found clinical applications as anti-cancer agents such as paclitaxel (taxol), topotecan, vinblastine and vincristine. In India, Himalayas is one of the world biodiversity hotspots harbouring various pervasive medicinal plants. Despite comprehending of the literature regarding ethnopharmacological information of medicinal plant, but information of some pervasive medicinal plant is still being exploited. In the past few decades, herbal medicine has gained popularity worldwide and emerged as the opportunity to promote traditional Indian medicine globally. Now, people from various developing and developed countries have gained interest in Himalayan herbal medicines. Hence, this chapter aims to provide an overview about the importance of herbal medicine and provide the information about the medicinal plants with anti-cancerous potential.

Keywords: Anti-Cancer, Ayurveda, Cancer, Cancer Therapy, Chemotherapy, Himalayas, Herbal Medicine, Medicinal Plants, Traditional Medicine.