Herbal medicines have been used as prophylactic measures and curative treatments
throughout human history, and crude herbal extracts are commonly used in
pharmaceutical research. Producing a variety of structurally novel bioactive
compounds or secondary metabolites, freshwater plants provide a diverse and
unique source of bioactive lead compounds for the discovery of modern drugs.
These include antibiotics, mycotoxins, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds.
In an effort to bring together the disciplines of biology and pharmacy for the
identification and large-scale collection of pharmaceutically important
organisms, Freshwater Phytopharmaceutical Compounds presents key information on
freshwater flora, including common names, classification, global distribution,
habitats, and biology all organized according to the activities of