A natural product is a chemical compound or substance produced by a living organism - found in nature that usually has a pharmacological or biological activity for use in pharmaceutical drug discovery and drug design. A natural product can be considered as such even if it can be prepared by total synthesis.
These small molecules provide the source or inspiration for the majority of FDA-approved agents and continue to be one of the major sources of inspiration for drug discovery. In particular, these compounds are important in the treatment of life-threatening conditions.
Read more about Natural Product: Natural Sources, Screening of Natural Products, Traditional Medicine, Isolation and Purification, Synthesis, Drugs, Publications
Famous quotes containing the words natural and/or product:
“Man is, then, only disguise, falsehood, hypocrisy—both in himself and in regard to others. He does not wish any one to tell him the truth; he avoids telling it to others; and all these dispositions, so removed from justice and reason, have a natural root in his heart.”
—Blaise Pascal (1623–1662)
“For man is not the creature and product of Mechanism; but, in a far truer sense, its creator and producer.”
—Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881)