Freshwater ecosystems are known for their key role as enhancers of oxygen and water quality and providers of habitat and food to the associated fauna. The bioactive compounds or secondary metabolites such as antibiotics, mycotoxins, alkaloids, phenolic compounds and growth compounds have been reported to show various activities ranging from antimicrobial and antiviral to cytotoxicity and immunomodulation. They serve as sources of valuable pharmaceutical compounds in the development of modern drugs. Taking a comprehensive look at freshwater pharmaceutical compounds, this book presents about 120 species of biomedically important aquatic plants and their pharmaceutical compounds-- Provided by publisher.