Background:
Substances present in nature have been a continuous source for the development of drugs for
cardiovascular and infectious diseases, cancer, and many other diseases. As the literature concerning these natural
products grows, it becomes more difficult for a reader to quickly grasp the essential facts and develop a well-informed
impression of this field of research. Until now, it has also been difficult to determine which natural products and research
objectives were receiving the most attention as measured by number of citations.
Objective:
The current study of all published articles concerned with natural products sought to identify which natural
products and which research objectives are connected with the major contributors to scientific journals based on the
number of relevant publications and the number of times each publication was cited elsewhere.
Methods:
Bibliometric data, including citation data, were extracted from the Web of Science database using the search
string TS=(“natural product*)” and analyzed by the VOSviewer software.
Results:
The search yielded 63,194 articles, with more than half of the manuscripts published since 2012. The ratio of
original articles to reviews was 5.8:1. The major contributing countries were the United States, China, Germany, Japan, and India. Articles were published mainly in journals focused on chemistry, pharmacology or biochemistry. Curcumin,
resveratrol, and terpenoids were the most frequently cited natural products.
Conclusion:
The results of the current study provide researchers from different backgrounds and healthcare professionals
with a brief overview of the major trends in natural-product research in the form of a citation-based summary of the
relevant literature.
Medicinal Plants – Derived Natural Products and Phytochemical Extract as Potential Therapies for Coronavirus : Future Perspective
