Long before the era of high through-put screening and genomics, drug discovery relied heavily on natural products. Drug discovery involves the identification of New Chemical Entities (NCEs) of potential therapeutic value, which can be obtained through isolation from natural sources, through chemical synthesis or a combination of both. However, the success stories for the discoveries Penicillin from penecilium rubens, Paclitaxel yew tree and marketed as Taxol, Aspirin from Willow bark of Salix alba tree etc. have pave way for scholars in the field of natural product and organic chemistry to focus their research work in drug-derived from plants and microorganisms. Natural products derived from these sources are rich in bioactive compound, which have been use over years throughout human history and evolution as remedies for various ailments. This paper however, X-rayed the sources and classes of natural products, pharmaceuticals derived from Natural product, and uses of natural products. The paper also recommended among others that, government should fund research in the area of natural products, pharmaceutical chemistry and pharmacognocy.
Keywords: Chemistry, Drug, Microorganisms, Natural products, metabolism, plant
