From Biodiversity to the Modern Use of Medicinal Plants
A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026
Special Issue Editors
Interests: botanical and phytochemical characterization of medicinal plants and agricultural by-products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: biotransformation; phytochemistry; anticancer drugs
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: pharma-toxicological and phytochemical evaluation of medicinal plant and herbal extract activity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Interests: plant extracts; pharmacological properties of plant extracts; chemical characterization of plant extracts
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
The intricate relationship between biodiversity and the therapeutic use of plants has shaped traditional medicine systems for millennia and continues to inspire modern pharmacological innovation.
To this day, the plant kingdom remains the most productive source of new molecules as potential candidates for innovative health applications. For decades, attention was primarily focused on the isolation and identification of single metabolites as the origins and effectors of pharmacological activity. Meanwhile, in parallel, deeper investigation was being undertaken into the complex matrix of crude extracts and fractions, unraveling their enormous applicative potential as new ingredients or for the innovative application of plants already known in traditional medicine. Utilizing this deep knowledge of the chemical compositions of plant extracts, innovative therapeutic approaches to human and animal health and wellness can be developed. Furthermore, the use of green techniques and the optimization of relevant processes enables the sustainability of the production chain of these plants to be maximized, whilst also reducing waste and valorizing the by-products as secondary raw ingredients.
This Special Issue invites the submission of original research articles, reviews, and perspectives that explore the continuum from the ecological and ethnobotanical roots of medicinal plants to their contemporary applications in healthcare and biotechnology.
Here, we aim to highlight the critical role of biodiversity in sustaining the discovery and development of plant-based medicines, especially in the face of global environmental change and biocultural erosion. Contributions may address, but are not limited to, the following:
- Ethnobotanical studies documenting traditional knowledge and practices;
- Phytochemical and pharmacological investigations of plant-derived compounds;
- Valorization of wild medicinal plant species alongside a conservation angle with regard to their habitats;
- Biotechnological innovations in the cultivation, synthesis, and formulation of plant-based therapeutics.
We also stress the importance of deep chemical knowledge, confirmed by qualitative fingerprint and quantitative characterization, as an essential element for the rational interpretation of the activity of these plants from qualitative and quantitative point of view.
This Issue seeks to foster interdisciplinary dialog among botanists, pharmacologists, chemists, ecologists, anthropologists, and health professionals. By bridging traditional wisdom and modern science, we aim to illuminate pathways for sustainable healthcare solutions rooted in nature’s diversity.
Prof. Dr. Luigi Menghini
Dr. Raimundo Gonçalves De Oliveira Junior
Dr. Claudio Ferrante
Dr. Simonetta Cristina Di Simone
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- rational phytotherapy
- phytochemical composition
- pharmaco-toxicological evaluation
- composition/activity relationship
- unexplored plant extract
- plant biodiversity
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