Natural Product-Derived Drugs for the Treatment of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

from lemons, malic acid from apples, lactic acid from milk, and uric acid from urine. Since then, alkaloids, terpenoids, and glycosides have been isolated, and their chemical structures determined. Early in the 20 th century, a microelement analysis method was developed that enabled the production of natural organic compounds from a small amount of raw material. The Russian botanist Mikhail Tswet introduced column chromatography for the separation of substances, which spurred the discovery of numerous biologically active substances, ushering in an era of natural product chemistry. Some of the most important medications developed in the 20 th century were synthesized steroids, whose raw materials came from plants. Oral contraceptive pills and adrenocortical hormones are synthesized from the raw materials of Dioscorea macrostachya and the alkaloid diosgenin. Once the functionality of a natural product is confirmed, it may be used in a wide variety of products, including pesticides, functional foods, cosmetics, and drugs. Natural productderived substances can be profitable; Dong-A Pharmaceutical has earned approximately 400 billion won since the 2002 approval of Stillen, the best-selling natural-product-derived