Journal of Herbal Medicine最新文献

Introduction

Knee osteoarthritis is the common joint disease and one of the major causes of pain and disability in the world. Regarding the people tendency to traditional medicine the present study was designed to survey the activity of Commiphora mukul (C. mukul) drops on knee osteoarthritis for the first time.

Methods

The present study was performed as a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled trial with 70 patients with moderate knee osteoarthritis, which divided into two groups, drug recipients and placebo. Twenty drops were administered to the placebo group and the control group was administered 20 drops of drug twice a day for 2 months. The pain, function and clinical health scores of both groups were measured at the beginning and end of the study with Visual Analogue Scale and knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score evaluation scales.

Results

The intervention and control groups were similar in terms of age, gender, pain score and knee function before the intervention. Pain intensity in right and left legs was decreased and exhibited statistically significant differences before and after the intervention in both the intervention group (P < 0.001) and the control group (P < 0.01). Five indices of discomfort and dryness, pain, activity and daily activities, exercise and recreation and quality of life in the intervention group, improved (P < 0.001) though in control group the difference between indices were not significant except exercise and recreation.

Discussion/Conclusions

The consumption of C. mukul extract for 2 months was effective in relieving the symptoms of the knee osteoarthritis in patients and improve the quality of life.

Introduction

Therapeutic activities of medicinal plants are due to the different secondary metabolites, which are stored in their organs and constitute a large reservoir. These medicinal plants could allow the development of new biomolecules, which would constitute an alternative against highly toxic breast cancer chemotherapy. The present study identifies the medicinal plants used by the traditional medicine practitioners of the northern region of Cameroon in the treatment of this pathology.

Methods

A semistructured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic information from participants as well as ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological data of the different treatments. The approach used to conduct the survey was an interview with the traditional medicine practitioners of the region using the local language.

Results

As a result, 131 traditional healers were interviewed; they provided 50 therapeutic recipes made from 37 plant species belonging to 21 families. The recipes presented are mainly formulated from a single plant (74%) while among the combinations, associating two plants was predominant (18%). The bark was the most used organ (46%) while the most used preparation methods were decoction (52%) and maceration (36%). Treatments were mainly administered orally for an unlimited duration (until recovery). The plants listed were found to be rich in secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, flavonoids, or tannins that revealed anticancer activities through literature.

Conclusions

The results of the present work constitute a strong basis for the search of new anticancer chemotherapeutic agents that would be more available and less invasive.

Introduction

Plants used in traditional medicine by different ethnic groups define the field of ethnomedicine, a subfield of ethnobotany. A preliminary survey revealed that Ondo women still engage in the services of traditional birth attendants till the present day.

Methods

Structured questionnaires and personal interviews were used to obtain information from 124 respondents, consisting of males and females.

Results

The major plant part used were leaves with a frequency of 35%. Some of the plants reported were solely administered, while others were administered in combination with other plants. The traditional solvents commonly used were water and coconut water. The main methods of herbal preparation were decoction and soups. The methods of administration ranged from half a cup or 2 taken 2–3 times daily.

Conclusions

This study has increased our knowledge of Ondo womens’ antenatal and postnatal care practices. Proper documentation of these traditional claims pending scientific validation is necessarily recommended.

Introduction

Globally, oral disease is a major health problem, which affects the quality of life. The role of oral microflora in the oral diseases is well established. However, with the increase in the frequency of oral disease, the development of antimicrobial drug resistance to the existing drugs has insisted on searching for alternative drugs from plant sources. Herein, herbal-based mouthwash is formulated to effectively control the dominant oral pathogens.

Methods

The antimicrobial activity of plant extracts was evaluated against oral pathogens by zone of inhibition test. Mouthwash was formulated with one gram of each plant extracts (Rosa damascena flower petals, Coleus amboinicus leaves, Psidium guajava leaves, and Phyllanthus acidus fruits) in 10% ethanol. Antimicrobial efficacy of the formulated mouthwash was assessed against Streptococcus mutans, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans by standard protocol. Also, the antibiofilm effect of the formulated mouthwash was assessed against preformed S mutans biofilm and visualised using SEM and CLSM.

Results

The formulated mouthwash exhibits excellent broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. The minimum inhibitory concentration result indicates that the susceptibility of the pathogens was found as follows: S aureus < S mutans < C albicans < E faecalis < E coli. Also, it shows a great anti-inflammatory effect. SEM and CLSM images reveal that the formulated mouthwash has the potential to inhibit the oral biofilm of S. mutants.

Conclusions

This study concludes that the formulated herbal-based mouthwash might be useful in controlling multiple oral pathogens and biofilms.

Introduction

Striae gravidarum (SG) is the most prevalent physiological skin change experienced by pregnant women during gestation. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of topical Sesamum indicum L. (Sesame) and Rosa damascena Mill. (R damascena) oils because of their skin-healing properties in preventing SG in nulliparous females.

Methods

This study was a triple-blinded, randomised, controlled trial conducted on 150 nulliparous mothers in the age group of 18–35 from 16 to 20 weeks of pregnancy. Participants were randomly assigned to the R damascena oil, Sesame oil, or placebo group with a 1:1:1 randomisation ratio. They received the allocated intervention of 1 g, twice/d, without massaging the abdomen for 20 weeks. Socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics and SG risk factors were completed at baseline. Davey's and Kamini's methods were used as data-gathering tools for assessing striae and itching.

Results

There were no significant differences between study groups in baseline characteristics. The occurrence of striae between 35 and 38 weeks of pregnancy was similar (72%, 74%, and 74% among R damascena oil, Sesame oil, and the placebo group, respectively; P = 0.919). More than 50% of participants had severe SG. The itching was reported by 40%, 54%, and 40% of participants among the R damascena oil, Sesame oil, and control groups, respectively (P = 0.129), which was mild mostly. Skin redness and itching following topical oil use were the reported side effects.

Conclusions

This study indicated that using R damascene and Sesame oil 10% did not affect the incidence and severity of striae and itching compared to the control.

Animal experimentation has long been an integral part of biomedical and cosmetics research, with historical roots dating back to ancient Greece. During that period, physicians constrained by cultural taboos that forbade the use of human cadavers, turned to the dissection of animals for their anatomical studies. The use of specific animal models in research has often been justified by the remarkable biological similarities between animals and humans. However, there are instances where animal models, such as fish and frogs, are used, despite significant disparities in their anatomy and physiology compared to humans. In herbal medicine research, animal experimentation has found various applications. Numerous plant species from diverse global regions, including the United Kingdom, United States, China, India, and Africa, have been studied to identify their pharmacological properties and therapeutic indications. Nevertheless, the use of animals in these studies, while offering undeniable advantages, remains a subject of intense debate and contention, mainly arising from the ethical challenges it presents, as well as the substantial financial burden it imposes, and its inability to reliably predict human responses. This paper, therefore, proposes a comprehensive list of research methodologies that are ethical, practical, cost-effective, and consistent with the real ethos of herbal medicine. These alternative methods, which include in vitro studies, human cell cultures, computational modelling, culturally sensitive clinical trials, and ethnobotanical surveys, have the potential to provide cost-effective healthcare solutions, without subjecting animals to unnecessary suffering.

Introduction

To determine what natural and herbal remedies were used in the fight against COVID-19 and analyze the potential of these products to create a risk for surgical patients.

Methods

The study was conducted with a descriptive and cross-sectional research design. The data were collected between September and October 2021. In the study, convenience sampling, which is a non-probability sampling method, was used. An online questionnaire was applied to the participants on social media platforms. In the data collection process, 1 488 individuals were reached.

Results

The most frequently used herbal remedies by the participants were garlic (62.8%), ginger (53.4%), linden (42.3%), turmeric (37.9%), and oregano (35.6%). The most frequently used natural remedies were lemon (65.4%), honey (53.8%), yogurt (47.2%), traditional soups (33.5%), and vinegar (33.1%). The most frequently used supplements of vitamins were vitamin D (42.4%) vitamin C (41.1%), vitamin B12 (22.4%), vitamin E (8.7%), and fish oil/Omega-3 fatty acids (7.5%). Among the participants who reported that they used natural and herbal remedies (n = 710), only 6.9% were determined to have undergone a surgery in this period. Furthermore, 89.8% of these individuals who presented to the hospital for a surgery had not been asked whether they used natural or herbal remedies by healthcare professionals.

Conclusion

The intake of garlic and vitamin E supplements according to the American Society of Anesthesiologists and the intake of garlic, ginger, turmeric/curcumin, and vitamin E supplements according to the Society for Perioperative Assessment and Quality Improvement Consensus Statement should be stopped before a surgery.

Introduction

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of using Vitex agnus-castus (VAC) plant on menstrual and menopausal symptoms in district where VAC is commonly used.

Methods

The menstrual and menopausal symptoms of a total of 225 women aged between 18-65, living in Aydın province, Turkey, and its districts, who either used VAC or not were compared, following purposive sampling method. The research data were collected with an online survey form between March and December 2021. The data collected from the women in the VAC group (n=104, 46.2%) and the women in the non-VAC (n=121, 53.8%) group were compared in this study.

Results

It was found that the rate of experiencing symptoms before menstruation was higher in women who did not take VAC compared to the women who took VAC (P < 0.05). Almost all of those who experienced menopausal symptoms were in the group that did not take VAC.

Conclusion

The type, duration and time of VAC use were associated with the effect of menstruation on daily life, but not with menopausal symptoms.

Introduction

Secondary metabolites produced in plants play a vital role in their adaptation to various biotic and abiotic stresses in the environment. Plant secondary metabolites possess significant value in the pharmaceutical and other herbal medicine-related industries. Therefore, the isolation and characterisation of plant secondary metabolites have gained a special interest in recent years. The elucidation of secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways is required in the metabolic engineering of plant secondary metabolites in heterologous organisms.

Methods

Data were retrieved from various online electronic resources, including PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus, among others. Keywords such as Solanaceae plants, secondary metabolites, transcriptomic, medicinal plants, and RNA sequencing were used to formulate search strategies across approximately 111 research and review articles.

Results

The outcomes of the de novo transcriptomic studies performed in Solanaceae medicinal plants have been extensively elucidated with a primary focus on the identification of candidate genes, pathway analysis differential gene expression analysis, the discovery of molecular markers, and the identification of transcription factors.

Discussion

The primary significance of de novo transcriptomic studies performed in Solanaceae medicinal plants has been discussed with significant limitations necessitating attention. Moreover, recent and future trends of de novo transcriptomic studies have been addressed with the intention of encouraging more de novo transcriptomic studies in Solanaceae medicinal plants.

Introduction

The ethanolic extract of Anethum graveolens (dill) and its major constituents, chlorogenic acid (CGA) and ellagic acid (EA), were investigated for hepatoprotective effects in a HepG2 cell fatty liver model.

Methods

HepG2 cells were induced with a combination of oleic (1mM OA) and palmitic (1mM PA) acids and treated with either 10 µM fenofibrate, 1-10 µg/mL CGA or EA, 60-360 µg/mL A. graveolens extract, or left untreated (n=4-5 per group). After 48 hours, cell medium and cells were collected for alanine transaminase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and fatty acid accumulation assays. The mRNA and protein expression levels of free fatty acid (FFA) synthetic pathway-related genes were determined using reverse transcription/real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting analysis, respectively.

Results

HepG2 cells treated with OA and PA showed increased ALT, AST, and ROS levels, fatty acid accumulation, and modified mRNA and protein expression of PPAR, SREBP1, ACC, ACOX, FAS, SCD1, and HMGCR fatty acid synthesis-related genes. The CGA, EA, and A. graveolens extract showed hepatoprotective activities in OA and PA-induced HepG2 cells by preventing fatty acid accumulation and restoring mRNA and protein expression levels of the fatty acid synthesis-related genes to control levels, with comparable efficacy to the standard anti-lipidemic drug, fenofibrate. Furthermore, CGA, EA, and A. graveolens extract did not increase ALT and ROS levels in HepG2 cells, in contrast to fenofibrate.

Conclusion

A. graveolens extract, CGA, and EA are good candidates for development as preventive health supplements for fatty liver disease therapy.