Nutraceuticals : Efficacy, Safety and Toxicity

Nutraceuticals: Efficacy, Safety and Toxicity, Second Edition, brings together everything that is currently known about nutraceuticals and their potential toxic effects. The book introduces readers to nutraceuticals, herbal medicines, Ayurvedic medicines, prebiotics, probiotics, adaptogens, and their uses and specific applications. This essential reference discusses the mechanism of action for the judicious use of these nutraceuticals and the best tools for their evaluation before detailing the safety and toxicity of nutraceuticals and interactions with other therapeutic drugs. Finally, and crucially, regulatory aspects from around the world are covered.

Completely revised and updated, this updated edition provides toxicologists, pharmacologists, pharmaceutical scientists, and those interested in medicinal plants and natural products with a comprehensive overview of the most effective tools upon which to evaluate the safety and toxicity of nutraceuticals, prebiotics, probiotics and alternative medicines.

Dr. Ramesh C. Gupta, Professor & Head of Toxicology Department at Murray State university, is engaged in experimental brain research in relation to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and pesticide toxicity. He has delivered lectures in Australia, Italy, Japan, Germany, France, Switzerland, Spain, Czech Republic, China, South Korea, and Sweden. He served the panels of NIH, CDC, NIOSH, and NAS. He has >350 publications to his credit, including seven major books with Elsevier: (1) Toxicology of Organophosphate and Carbamate Compounds, (2) Veterinary Toxicology: Basic and Clinical Principles, (3) Handbook of Toxicology of Chemical Warfare Agents, (4) Anticholinesterase Pesticides: Metabolism, Neurotoxicity, and Epidemiology, (5) Reproductive and Developmental Toxicology, (6) Biomarkers in Toxicology and (7) Neutraceuticals. He is recipient of Murray State University's distinguished researcher award of the year-2006. He is a diplomate of American Board of Toxicology, and fellow of American College of Toxicology, American College of Nutrition, and Academy of Toxicological Sciences.

Mr. Rajiv Lall is the Founder and CEO of ProbioticSmart, LLC, a novel nutraceutical ingredients development company based on research and evidence-based science and Vets Plus, Inc., an international leader in the animal health industry. He graduated with two Masters degrees, the first in Botany from his native country of India, and the second in Pharmacognosy/Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Minnesota. His research focused on identifying, analyzing, and extracting natural ingredients from plants and plant tissue cultures that provide natural health and medicinal properties, as well as on enzymes in relation to cancer cells through animal cell cultures. Mr. Lall started his career in the human health food industry with an emphasis on probiotics. His relentless drive continues to champion both human and animal health through scientific research and the development of nutritional products and pharmaceuticals, and through these efforts he has obtained various patents and developed several hundred products. His company, Vets Plus, Inc. is a research and science-based product development company with a strong quality and manufacturing platform to support partners in Europe and around the world. Recent awards include the Pet Age Icon Award (2015), NASC Visibility Award (2015), and Menomonie Area Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year Award (2015). Vets Plus Inc. was also nominated for Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year in 2015. In support of the animal health industry, Mr. Lall is now Founder and CEO of Noble Pharma, LLC, a pharmaceutical company in Menomonie, Wisconsin. Mr. Lall and his wife Swati are involved in philanthropic efforts and through that they have developed the Raj and Swati Lall Microbiology Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in support of future scientists and business leaders and the community in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

Dr. Ajay Srivastava is Chief Scientific Officer at Vets Plus Inc. and serves as an adjunct Faculty member at University of Wisconsin-Stout, Menomonie, US. He is specialized in preclinical and clinical product development and nutraceutical research. After receiving his BS in Biological Sciences, Dr. Srivastava earned his DVM from the School of Veterinary Medicine at GB Pant University of Agriculture and Technology, India, before pursuing his MS in Pharmacology. He completed his PhD in Neuropharmacology from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi. After his post-doctoral training in preclinical drug development in neurological disorders, Dr. Srivastava became Senior Research Scientist of the Anticonvulsant Drug Development Program at the University of Utah, where he developed a novel animal model of pharmacoresistant epilepsy to screen potential antiepileptic drugs. He is one of the pioneer researchers who discovered the role of nutraceuticals resveratrol and melatonin in epilepsy. Dr. Srivastava has chaired various scientific sessions in AVMA and WVC meetings and has published several research articles in peer reviewed journals. He has contributed chapters in textbooks on epilepsy, toxicology and nutraceuticals.