Comparative cytotoxicity studies of extracts of selected medicinal plants on different cell types

Naturally derived plant products with medicinal value play an important role in health care systems, both in humans and animals. This is evident with the growing interest in their utilisation on a global perspective in the treatment of different ailments (Farnsworth and Morris, 1976; Farnsworth and Soejarto, 1985; Farnsworth, 1988; Balandrin, et al., 1993). In the crude form, medicinal plants contain a diverse structural array of compounds with varying chemotherapeutic relevance that is harnessed traditionally through various modes of preparation. However, our current perspective of the cytotoxic effects of most medicinal plants utilised in traditional health systems is at a rudimentary stage including their long term effects on the majority of the population in resource poor settings who rely on these plants for solving their health problems.