Ethnopharmacology and Pharmacognosy: Intersections in The Search for Novel Therapeutic Agents

Natural products have been the growing source of new therapeutic agents and the fields of ethnopharmacology and pharmacognosy overlap greatly. Ethnopharmacology is the record of traditional knowledge and medicinal practices and leads researchers to plants and compounds that have possible bioactivity. This is complemented by pharmacognosy which involves isolation, characterization, and assessment of these bioactive compounds by conducting stringent preclinical studies, especially animal models. In this review, the authors have synthesized the most important results of studies conducted on animals, mentioning, in particular, the compounds of 6-hederin of Nigella sativa, and curcumin of Curcuma longa, which have anticancer, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory activity. The synthesis of the disciplines provides an improvement to drug discovery by incorporating cultural relevance and scientific validation and focuses on sustainability as well as effectiveness. Issues like standardization, ethical issues and regulatory barriers are critically addressed. Finally, the future opportunities are presented, including the standardized approaches, interdisciplinary approaches, and ethical frameworks, to get the best out of natural products as therapeutic agents. Such review highlights the significance of preparing a bridge between the traditional knowledge and contemporary pharmacological science to promote the creation of effective and sustainable therapeutics.