What is the use of chemicals for therapeutic effect called?

The use of chemicals for therapeutic effects is referred to as chemotherapy, which is specifically associated with the treatment of diseases, particularly cancer, using chemical substances. Chemotherapy involves the administration of drugs that target and kill rapidly dividing cancer cells, among other therapeutic agents used to manage various medical conditions.

This term encapsulates a broad range of applications where drugs are utilized systematically to treat, cure, or alleviate the symptoms of diseases, making it a critical aspect of modern medicine. While pharmacology focuses on the study of drugs and their effect on biological systems, chemotherapy is the application of those drugs specifically for therapeutic purposes.

Other choices like drug synthesis refer to the process of creating new pharmaceutical compounds, and toxicology involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances, neither of which directly addresses the therapeutic use of chemicals in the treatment of diseases.