Book excerpt: Preparation of Phytopharmaceuticals for the Management of Disorders: The Development of Nutraceuticals and Traditional Medicine presents comprehensive coverage and recent advances surrounding phytopharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals and traditional and alternative systems of medicines. Sections cover the concepts of phytopharmaceuticals, their history, and current highlights in phytomedicine. Also included are classifications of crude drugs, herbal remedies and toxicity, traditional and alternative systems of medicine, nanotechnology applications, and herbal cosmeticology. Final sections cover applications of microbiology and biotechnology in drug discovery. This book provides key information for everyone interested in drug discovery, including medicinal chemists, nutritionists, biochemists, toxicologists, drug developers and health care professionals. Students, professors and researchers working in the area of pharmaceutical sciences and beyond will also find the book useful. - Includes the history and current highlights in phytomedicine, along with classifications of crude drugs, herbal drug technologies and herbal cosmeticology - Provides detailed information on herbal remedies and toxicity, traditional and alternative systems of medicine, and applications of microbiology and biotechnology in drug discovery - Discusses the nutritional and health benefits of nutraceuticals and how they help in the management and treatment of metabolic diseases