Special Issue

Evidence-Based Application of Natural Products in the Prevention and Treatment of Diseases

Submission Deadline: July 31, 2026 (Open) Submit Now

Guest Editor

Bashar Saad, PhD, Full Professor

1.Faculties of Medicine, Arab American University, P.O. Box 240, Jenin, State of Palestine
2.Al-Qasemi Research Center, Al-Qasemi Academy, P.O. Box 124, Baqa El-Gharbia 30100, Israel

Website1 | Website2 | E-Mail

Research interests: cancer research; medicinal plants; inflammation; Metabolism

About This Topic

Herbal-based diet and medicines, which are a type of natural product, combine traditional medical practices and generations of therapeutic wisdom. They offer invaluable advice on how to select, prepare, and apply herbal formulations for the treatment of various ailments. These plant-based remedies have been effectively used to treat conditions such as skin diseases, tuberculosis, diabetes, jaundice, hypertension, mental disorders, cancer, AIDS, and other infectious diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 60% of the global population depends on herbal medicine, with about 80% of people in developing countries relying almost entirely on it for their primary health care needs. Phytochemicals and their chemical analogs have yielded numerous clinically useful drugs for treating chronic and acute diseases, and research continues to seek new therapeutic agents from medicinal plants. The growing popularity and acceptance of herbal medicine is due to the belief that natural products are safe, affordable, and readily available. However, there are concerns about the pharmacognosy and standardization of herbal medicine compared to conventional drugs. Over the past three decades, research efforts have increased in both developed and developing countries to scientifically evaluate and validate herbal drugs through clinical trials.

The aim of this Special Issue is to collate original research articles addressing the efficiency of active ingredients or extracts from natural products for the management of diabesity and its complications. Review articles discussing the state of the art are also welcome. Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

1. Evidence-based herbal medicine is used for promoting health and managing human diseases.
2. The structure-activity relationship of pharmacologically active metabolites plays a crucial role in various types of diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and inflammation.
3. Honey and its products are used for the prevention and management of diseases.
4. Pharmaceutical formulations of pharmacologically active metabolites are effective in managing chronic diseases.
5. Different pharmacologically active metabolites are used in the management of chronic diseases.
6. Recent advances in drug discovery have identified potential anti-cardiovascular, anti-diabetic, and anti-obesity compounds from the Mediterranean diet and medicinal plants.
7. Identifying the cellular targets of effective natural products is a key step in drug discovery.

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted through the LIDSEN Submission System. Detailed information on manuscript preparation and submission is available in the Instructions for Authors. All submitted articles will be thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process and will be processed following the Editorial Process and Quality Control policy. Upon acceptance, the article will be immediately published in a regular issue of the journal and will be listed together on the special issue website, with a label that the article belongs to the Special Issue. LIDSEN distributes articles under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) License in an open-access model. The authors own the copyright to the article, and the article can be free to access, distribute, and reuse provided that the original work is correctly cited.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). Research articles and review articles are highly invited. Authors are encouraged to send the tentative title and abstract of the planned paper to the Editorial Office (icm@lidsen.com) for record. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Editorial Office.

Welcome your submission!

Publication

Open Access Review A Review on the Ethnomedicinal Plants Used in Zimbabwe for the Treatment and Management of Skin Conditions: Perspectives on Pharmacological and Toxicological Evaluation by Elliot Nyagumbo  , Trust Nyirenda  , Cephas Mawere  , Alfred M. Mutaramutswa  , Godwins Ngorima  , Donald T. Kapanga  , Fabian Maunganidze  , Marvellous Matsheza  , William Pote  , Lucy Mabaya  and Michael Bhebhe Received: 05 March 2025;  Published: 19 August 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2503036 Abstract Medicinal plants remain central to healthcare in Africa, where up to 80% of the population relies on traditional remedies to manage a range of health conditions, including skin ailments. In Zimbabwe, the country's rich biodiversity and favourable agroecological zones support a diverse range of ethnomedicinal plants. However, much of the knowle [...]

Open Access Research Article In Silico Evaluation of Bioactive Compounds (Flavonoids, Rosmarinic Acid) from Five Plants (Rosemary, Oregano, Pink Savory, Lemon Balm, and Saffron) and Their Role in Cardiovascular Health and Hypertension by Chaimae Merimi  , Abdessamad Benabbou  , Lamiae Bourassi  , Abdelhay Addous  , Ahmed A. Elhenawy  , Rachid Touzani  and Belkheir Hammouti Received: 22 January 2025;  Published: 25 June 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2502027 Abstract Cardiovascular diseases and hypertension represent significant global health challenges, driving the need for innovative therapeutic solutions. In this study, we employed advanced in silico methods to investigate the molecular properties of two bioactive compounds, Flavonoids and Rosmarinic Acid, extracted from five medicinal plants: Rosemar [...]

Open Access Research Article Phytochemical and Antifungal Evaluations of Virgin Cocos nucifera (Coconut) Oil by Olorunjuwon O. Bello  , Rosemary O. Akande  , Temitope K. Bello  , Muibat O. Fashola  , Mathew O. Oni  and Adeleke Osho Received: 21 July 2024;  Published: 20 January 2025;  doi: 10.21926/obm.icm.2501006 Abstract The incidence of antifungal-resistant pathogenic fungi has steadily increased around the globe and calls for an aggressive response. The study aimed to produce and evaluate virgin coconut oil's phytochemical properties and antifungal potentials (VCO). The production of VCO was achieved by hot extraction and natural fermentation [...]