Mankind has always been dependent on plants ever since the ancient times, for food shelter and also medicinal purpose. With the advent of knowledge of medicinal uses of plants, their therapeutic actions could be correlated to the compounds/metabolites produced by the plants in their different parts which were used as remedy for various ailments. These metabolites have been classified as Primary and Secondary metabolites. This book consists of an introductory overview of metabolites of medicinal plants and deals with their Types, Classification and Uses, with special emphasis on Secondary metabolites like the Phenolics, phytosterols and alkaloids. The first and second chapter cover the overview of medicinal plants and analysis of literature, thereby revealing the thorough research done on these medicinal plants and also the compilation of outcomes of the research. Third chapter explains the ethnobotanical background of plants, their metabolites and their plausible correlations with their pharmacological activities. It comprises of elaborate study of traditional knowledge and customs of people concerning these plants, with special emphasis to their therapeutic uses. The fourth and fifth chapter include the protocols for biochemical assays for qualitative and quantitative screening of both primary as well as secondary metabolites obtained as extracts from sequential extractions, isolation techniques of secondary metabolites viz. chromatographic techniques like TLC and GCMS, and their identification which include NMR. Lastly, it delves on the efficacy of these isolated and separated metabolites as antioxidants and antimicrobial agents. These results, thus, are upcoming thrust areas in the field of Pharmaceutical industry that explores and puts to use the therapeutic potential of different secondary metabolites found in plants. Also, the techniques for their isolation are important from the point of view of framing research objectives including the analysis, and parameters for qualitative and quantitative assessment. Last Section summarises the complete work with special emphasis on the outcomes which proves the efficacy of plants as potent antioxidants and antimicrobials.

This Book will benefit the students of both Under Graduate and Post Graduate programs and Research Scholars from all streams of Life sciences like Botany, Biotechnology, Zoology, Microbiology, Biochemistry and Pharmacology. The students pursuing research could use the book to prepare frame work for methodology of their research work. The book is also useful for faculty members as they could use it as basic book and guide for their students for topics related to Phytochemistry.

1. Plants and their Phytochemicals
2. Analysis of Phytoconstituents
3. Ethanobotanical Background of Plants
4. Assays and Techniques
5. Physicochemical Analysis
6. Alkaloid Estimation
7. References