Abstract
Medicinal plant therapies are becoming more common, as more people seek
natural cures and health approaches devoid of synthetic chemicals' adverse effects. The
biological and pharmacological potential of plants is studied and utilized all around the
globe for various purposes including the treatment of infections and diseases owing due
to bioactive compounds in plants produced as a result of secondary metabolism. The
study of medicinal plants is helpful in clinical trials to find pharmacologically useful
chemicals, and this method has produced thousands of valued medicines. Opium,
aspirin, quinine, and digoxin are some examples. Plants possess a large number of
bioactive compounds. On the basis of their chemical structure, they are divided into
four classes: alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, and terpenes. Plants can now be turned into
“factories” that create therapeutic proteins, vaccines, and many more products for use
in the production of biotech pharmaceuticals, medications, and therapies. This chapter
discusses the diversity and importance of medicinal plants in various sectors as well as
highlights the successful drug products produced by the said entities and their future
trends.