Back to Nature: The Alternative Paradigm for Drug Development

Abstract

Nature has traditionally been a fruitful harbinger of new medicines. However, despite the history of past successes, interest in natural products as a source of new drugs has withered over the past two decades. The trend in drug research has been towards combinatorial chemistry and high throughput screens, relying on receptor mechanisms to identify leads for further development. Following passage of Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) legislation in 1994 and the resurgence of interest in herbals and the dietary supplements market, natural products are again attracting attention as a potential source of new medicines. These developments are triggering powerful changes on how botanical mixtures are developed and regulated.