Bridging the gap between the ancient sciences of herbalism and the emerging disciplines such as ethnopharmocology or phytopharmacotherapy, this book highlights the major breakthroughs in the history of the field and focuses on future directions in the discovery and application of herb-derived medicines. Implementing the concept of reverse pharmacology, it integrates documented clinical and experiential "hits" into pharmacological leads by transdisciplinary exploratory studies. It further develops these into drug candidates by experimental and clinical research. Honoring the interdisciplinary nature of herbalism, this book is a handy reference for all those in the herbal drug industry from student to researcher.