A highly diversified approach for drug discovery which involves the observation, description and experimental investigation of indigenous drugs and their biologic activities that is based on botany, chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacology, and other disciplines (anthropology, archaeology, history, and linguistics) contributing to the discovery of natural products with biologic activity. 'the interdisciplinary scientific exploration of biologically active agents traditionally employed or observed by man’. The subject is mainly concerned with the observation, description and experimental investigation of biological activity and the active substance of plants and animals used in traditional medicine of past and present cultures