Traditional medicine and natural products as antiparasitic agents

Parasitic diseases impose a great burden on human and veterinary health. Chemotherapeutic agents along with vaccines and biologicals have been the mainstays of treatment for parasitic diseases. Additionally, it has been widely demonstrated that many medicinal plants and plant metabolites possess antiparasitic properties. Numerous essential oils, traditional formulations and natural preparations, and phytochemicals belonging to phenolic, alkaloid, terpenoid, and quinone classes of natural products have been shown to serve as potentially efficacious adjuncts or alternatives to conventional antiparasitic agents. This chapter's objective is to provide a current review of traditional medicine and natural products that have shown parasiticidal activity.