The study of phytochemicals, which are chemicals derived from plants is Phytochemistry. Those studying phytochemistry strive to describe the structures of the large number of secondary metabolic compounds found in plants, the functions of these compounds in human and plant biology, and the biosynthesis of these compounds. The reasons for synthesizing phytochemicals by plants are to protect themselves against insect attacks and plant diseases. Phytochemicals in food plants are active in human biology and in many cases have health benefits. Phytochemistry can be considered as a sub-field of botany or chemistry.
