Natural products in the prevention and treatment of invasive human diseases

The diseases confronting human race are many and a number of them, which are invasive, can be grouped into three major categories-degenerative, parasitic and microbial. Historically, herbal preparations have been used to manage invasive human diseases. At present, the majority of chemical substances commercially available for treating invasive diseases are dietary supplements, natural products, and synthetic drugs modeled after natural products. This chapter provides an outlook for the role and mode of action of natural products and selected herbs used to treat invasive diseases linked to oxidative stress, cancer, malaria, onchocerciasis, leishmaniasis, and microbes. Considering the therapeutic spectrum and potency of natural products currently in use for the treatment of invasive diseases, a combination of dietary supplements, herbs, natural products, synthetic drugs and life style will continue to play important roles in the treatment of invasive diseases.