Medicinal Chemistry

Prospective of Herbal Medicine in Egypt

Abstract

Nada M Mostafa and Abdel Nasser Singab

The great genetic biodiversity of medicinal plants found in Egypt played an important role in the use of Egyptian herbal medicines throughout the years. The ancient Egyptians, used them in therapy protocols, which were clarified in their papyri and tombs walls; and passing by the modern prescriptions, trends were found for using traditional alternatives to costly medications, either alone or as supplements accompanying the chemical drugs in the treatment protocols. Though many challenges are found in Egypt for herbal medicine industry and marketing, as lack of scientific evidence, quality standards, marketing strategies, extensive documentation to protect intellectual property and post-harvesting technologies; yet good agriculture practice, proper marketing plans, and modern molecular technologies can help the efficient use of those medicinal plants and their exportation worldwide, fetching a high income source to Egypt for carrying out more scientific research in agriculture and developing green technologies to produce pollution-free medicinal plants.