Active Plant Principles and Applications in Plant Medicine

The active principles from the medicinal plants are what give the quality of the product. They determine its purgative, emollient, expectorant, choleretic, carminative, antidiabetic, purgative, laxative, etc. characteristics, which we read about in the properties. The role of active principles can be played by a single substance or a complex of substances. They are rarely located throughout the plant and accumulate in different component parts. That is why, when the plant is harvested, it is important to document beforehand and what to use from it so that we benefit from the maximum accumulated active substances. The classification of active principles from medicinal and aromatic plants is based on the following criteria: chemical nature, physico-chemical properties, biological action. The most important groups of active principles are: glucides, pectins, mucilages and gums, fatty oils, volatile oils, resins, organic acids, glycosides, saponins, astringents, bitter principles, vitamins, alkaloids, vegetable dyes, antibiotics and phytoncides, substances minerals. We have detailed them below because they help us make the connections between the constituent substances and their properties. The classification of active principles from medicinal and aromatic plants is based on the following criteria: chemical nature, physico-chemical properties, biological action. The most important groups of active principles are: glucides, pectins, mucilages and gums, fatty oils, volatile oils, resins, organic acids, glycosides, saponins, astringents, bitter principles, vitamins, alkaloids, vegetable dyes, antibiotics and phytoncides, substances minerals. We have detailed them below because they help us make the connections between the constituent substances and their properties.