Medicinal Plants

Dr. Nirmal Joshee is a Professor of Plant Science at Fort Valley State University (FVSU), Fort Valley, GA, USA. He earned his Ph.D. from North Eastern Hill University, Shillong, India. He did post-doctoral research work in Japan (Biotechnology Institute, Akita) and the USA (University of Nebraska Medical Ctr., Omaha, NE) before joining FVSU. Dr. Joshee is one of the founding members of American Council for Medicinally Active Plants (ACMAP), and currently serves as the Vice-President. His lab conducts research in the field of plant tissue culture and conservation, antitumor compounds in the genus Scutellaria, and gene transfer strategies for plant transformation and secondary metabolite production. Dr. Sadanand Dhekney is an Associate Professor of Genetics and Plant Breeding at the University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.  He received a PhD in Horticulture from the University of Florida (UF), which was followed by post-doctoral research at UF and Assistant/Associate Professor positions at the University of Wyoming. Dr. Dhekney’s research focusses on genetic improvement of perennial fruit species using conventional and molecular breeding approaches. His current research is directed towards grapevine genetic improvement using precision breeding and genome editing. Dr. Dhekney is also actively involved in teaching several courses in plant biotechnology and horticulture. Dr. Dhekney has a long association with the Society for In Vitro Biology (SIVB).  He has received the 2013 Young Scientist Award from the Society for In Vitro Biology, the 2016 Early Career Research Achievement Award from the University of Wyoming and the 2017 Excellence in Research and Teaching award from the National Agricultural Honor Society, Gama Sigma Delta. Dr. Prahlad Parajuli is an Assistant Professor of Tumor Immunology and Neuroimmunology at Wayne State University School of Medicine and Karmanos Cancer Institute, Detroit, MI, USA. He completed his Ph.D. from Delhi University, India, followed by two post-doctoral stints at the University of Tokushima Medical School, Japan and then at the University of Nebraska Medical School, Omaha, NE, USA. Apart from being a founding member of American Council for Medicinally Active Plants (ACMAP), Dr. Parajuli is also a member of AACR and AAI. His research focuses on studying the molecular mechanisms of tumor-immune interaction, neuroinflammation as well as anti-tumor and immune modulatory activities of various medicinal plants.

• 1. The Evolution of Modern Medicine: Garden to Pill Box.- 2. Bioprospecting for Pharmaceuticals- An Overview and Vision for Future Access and Benefit Sharing.- 3.Nepal: A Global Hotspot for Medicinal Orchids.- 4.Current Status and Future Prospects for Select Underutilized Medicinally-Valuable Plants of Puerto Rico: A Case Study.- 5. Black Pepper: Health Benefits, In Vitro Multiplication and Commercial Cultivation.- 6.Prospects for Goji Berry (Lycium barbarum L.) Production in North America.- 7. Skullcaps (Scutellaria spp.): Ethnobotany and Current Research.- 8. Cultivating Medical Grade Cannabis for the Development of Phytopharmaceuticals.- 9. Natural Products as Possible Vaccine Adjuvants for Infectious Diseases and Cancer.- 10. In vitro Plant Cell Cultures: A Route to Production of Natural Molecules and Systematic in vitro Assays for Their Biological Properties.- 11. Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, Analgesic, Anti-inflammatory and Antipyretic Effects of Bioactive Compounds from Passiflora Species.- 12. Modulation of Tumor Immunity by Medicinal Plant or Functional Food Derived Compounds.- 13. Dietary Brown Seaweed Extract Supplementation in Small Ruminants.- 14. Discovery of Green Tea Polyphenol-Based Antitumor Drugs: Mechanisms of Action and Clinical Implications.- 15.Therapeutic and Medicinal Uses of Terpenes.- 16. Unexplored Medicinal Flora Hidden Within South Africa’s Wetlands.- 17. Seabuckthorn: A Multipurpose Medicinal Plant From Upper Himalayas.- Index.