Book excerpt: Natural compounds continue to play a key role in drug development. Many clinically approved drugs are either unmodified natural products or their semi-synthetic derivatives. This book series presents reviews of exciting new bioactive natural products that have huge potential as drugs. Each volume presents comprehensive chapters contributed by eminent scientists. The volumes focus on drug candidates which are in the later stages of drug development and are being evaluated in clinical trials. The series, therefore, highlights the importance of natural products in our lives. The second volume covers the following topics: - A review of recent patents and natural products in clinical trials to treat schistosomiasis - Natural products: the new intervention regimen for metabolic disorders - Fluorine-containing drugs and drug candidates derived from natural products - Natural products for the management of cardiovascular diseases - Implication of natural compounds for the prevention of ocular diseases.