From the Field into the Lab: Natural Product Therapeutics and the Mechanisms Behind Healing and Innovation

This topic aims to highlight scientific advances in the discovery and development of therapeutics derived from natural sources, guided by ethnopharmacological knowledge. It seeks to integrate traditional medical insights with modern pharmacological, chemical, and biotechnological research to explore the therapeutic potential of natural products in an evidence-based manner.

We welcome original research and reviews examining plant- and nature-derived molecules with anti-inflammatory, anti-infective, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, wound-healing, or metabolic effects. Submissions should emphasize the pharmacological mechanisms, efficacy, and safety of bioactive compounds while respecting their cultural and ecological contexts.

By combining approaches from ethnomedicine, pharmacognosy, microbiology, and pharmaceutical sciences, this collection aims to showcase how ethnopharmacology contributes to responsible, innovative, and sustainable drug discovery. We invite interdisciplinary research addressing:

- Integration of traditional knowledge with experimental pharmacological validation.
- Mechanistic and omics-based studies on bioactive natural compounds.
- Advanced formulation and delivery strategies improving efficacy or bioavailability.
- Ethical and ecological considerations in natural product research.

All submissions must follow the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology and the ConPhyMP statement (Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205), including full botanical and methodological transparency. Manuscripts lacking these details will not be considered.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Natural product drug discovery, Bioactive compounds, Wound healing and antioxidant activity, Phytochemistry and pharmacological mechanisms, Traditional medicine and modern therapeutics

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.