Reverse Pharmacology: A Gateway to Validation of Efficacy of Natural Drugs

Adnan Mastan

Abstract


In spite of significant advances in genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and combinatorial chemistry in the present times, reverse pharmacology (RP) has led to deviation of drug discovery and development from its regular or normal process or path. RP is a trans-disciplinary path which reverses the drug discovery and development process from lab-clinic to clinic-lab. Natural products (NPs) of Unani medicine or traditional system of medicine (TSM) provide vast potential for novel phytomolecules. Therapeutic approach of the TSM will be appreciated through a clinical research model which considers the fundamental principles of traditional medicine at the same time applying the relevant methods of drug discovery. The validation through such researches would rationalize traditional medical practices. RP will prove to be most beneficial to establish evidences of folklore medicine. The potential for new drug discovery in traditional medicine through RP is enormous. An attempt has been made in the present paper to discuss RP with special reference to Unani system of medicine and its relevance in bridging the gap between modern and alternative medicine which may lead to accelerated drug discovery.


Keywords


reverse pharmacology (RP), Unani medicine, traditional medicine, drug discovery

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.37591/joayush.v9i3.2238

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