Natural Products
Natural products are chemical compounds or substances produced by living organisms, that is, found in nature. In its broadest sense, natural products include anything produced by life, including primary and secondary metabolites. They include very small molecules, like urea, and complex structures, like paclitaxel. Natural products can also be prepared by chemical synthesis (semi-synthetic and synthetic) and play a core role in the development of the field of organic chemistry by providing challenging synthetic targets. Natural products are of great value in the prevention and treatment of diseases due to their diverse structure and wide range of sources and have become an important source of lead compounds for innovative drugs. In recent years, natural products have been widely used in the fields of food, cosmetics, and health products, showing high application value.
