Botanical Bioactives for Therapeutics and Human Healthcare

The healthcare system relies significantly on plant-based medicinal systems. Botanical bioactives—such as polyphenols, saponins, terpenes, and alkaloids—are among the most prevalent bioactive substances, widely used due to their remarkable chemical diversity. The unique structures and richness of these compounds underlie a broad range of chemical properties and biological activities, including antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and antioxidant effects. These attributes make plant-derived compounds invaluable in the development of drugs for various diseases and conditions. As plants are a rich source of beneficial phytochemicals, pharmaceutical industries are increasingly turning towards natural products. Recent advancements in understanding plant metabolism, biosynthetic pathways, and chemodiversity have further revealed the immense chemical potential of plants—leading to the discovery of novel plant-derived compounds. The promise of botanical bioactives continues to grow, offering exciting opportunities for the development of new plant-based therapeutics and dietary interventions aimed at enhancing human well-being.A vast array of bioactive compounds has been reported from plants, representing promising sources of unique and diverse chemical scaffolds and offering new opportunities for the discovery of structurally novel molecules. This research topic aims to provide insights into recent developments in the discovery, chemical characterization, and diversity of botanical bioactives. The goal of is to highlight the latest advancements related to the discovery of phytochemicals, biosynthetic pathways, chemodiversity, and chemical profiling of botanicals, ultimately contributing to the continued expansion of plant-derived chemical resources for future health applications.This research topic welcomes submissions in the area of discovery, development and understanding of the chemical diversity and properties of botanical bioactives relevant to human health especially those that focus on:• Medicinal Plants and their phytochemical properties• Indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants and their phytochemical diversity• Phytocompound isolation, characterization and analysis• Biosynthetic pathways and metabolism of plant bioactives• Omics technologies and bioinformatics related to botanical bioactives• Nanotechnology and delivery systems for botanical bioactives• Discovery and analysis of novel plant-derived compoundsStudies need to comply with the best practice guidelines of the leading journals for pharmacological studies on plant extract / natural products including the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology and follow the standards established in the ConPhyMP statement Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205. A detailed description of the material studied, its extraction and processing is essential and manuscripts which lack such a description will be desk-rejected. You can freely download the full version here. Please self-assess your MS using the ConPhyMP tool: https://ga-online.org/best-practice/-------We welcome contributions from researchers across the field, and we are glad to support you as you prepare your submission. If you would like early feedback on whether your planned manuscript fits the scope of this Research Topic, please write to us at plantscience@frontiersin.org before submitting. A quick check at this stage helps confirm your work is a strong fit and can save you time later in the process.To take part, click “Participate in this topic” at the top right of this page, then confirm through the “Participate” link in the follow-up email. This lets us know to expect your contribution, keeps you informed of key deadlines, and gives you access to resources that guide you through submission. We look forward to your participation and to building a vibrant, cohesive Research Topic together. Topic editors: Dr Raju Ramasubbu, David R Katerere, Arjun Pandian Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/73098/botanical-bioactives-for-therapeutics-and-human-healthcare