ABSTRACT
Withania somnifera, Glycyrrhiza glabra, Raphanus sativus, and Zingiber officinale are known medicinal plants whose roots are widely used in traditional medicine. Root extracts of medicinal plants contain mainly primary and secondary metabolites such as proteins, carbohydrates, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins, saponins, phenols, and other organic compounds. These phytochemicals are the potential precursors for the synthesis of modern drugs and are also used as bioreducing, capping, and stabilizing agents in synthesizing green nanoparticles (NPs). Plant extracts, including root extracts, assist NPs synthesis in a simple, green, eco-friendly, cost-effective, and less toxic technique. The development of a green approach for the synthesis of NPs is much needed to minimize the toxicity and cost of conventional methods. Since ancient times, the roots/rhizomes of plants have been used as dietary supplements and medicine to treat various health disorders. They are the primary source of various secondary metabolites with potential medicinal values. UV-Vis, FT-IR, XRD, SEM, TEM, EDX, and ZP are the various techniques applied to characterize synthesized NPs. Green NPs are widely used in the health, environment, and industrial fields. The main objective of this chapter is to overview the status of previous literature about the medicinal uses of roots of plants, their role in NPs synthesis, and applications.
