Herbal plants in the traditional medicine of Bahrain

Plant samples collected in Bahrain and data reported in the literature indicate the flora of Bahrain to contain 52 species (49 genera; 20 families) of medicinal interest. Of these plant species 20 appear to be indigenous and are being used in traditional herbal remedies for numerous afflictions. Preparation of such remedies appears to be simple and includes boiling, infusions, extraction of milled dry or fresh leaves, flowers, seeds or whole plants. Direct consumption of plant parts, raw or cooked, is also practiced. None of these plants has been studied systematically to evaluate their medicinal potential.     

Medicinal plants as potential male anti-infertility agents: a review

For millions of couples, the inability to have a child is a personal tragedy and a large proportion of childless people are confronted with social stigmatization (blame) and personal frustration. Formerly assigned to women, infertility of a couple is nowadays equitably distributed between the two sexes. Among the methods used to treat male infertility problems, medicinal plants have been used empirically as extracts, decoctions, fractions or semi-purified compounds. These herbal products are used in the treatment of a dysfunctioning of the libido, sexual asthenia, erection, and sperm disorders. Pharmacological activities of many of these plants have been shown in vitro using cells, in vivo (on laboratory animals) and human studies. For instance, extracts of Panax ginseng, Panax quinquefolius and Lepidium meyenii have shown positive effects on sexual desire; while extracts of Astragalus membranaceus, Asparagus racemous, Withania somnifera, Andrographis paniculata and Acanthopanax senticosus improved sperm parameters. Plants provide a treatment option that is affordable and available for infertile couples, and phytotherapy is an essential form of treatment in our health system. However, herbal products are still anarchically used in many regions and countries, and a great proportion of medicinal plants used traditionally to solve male reproductive disorders have not yet been scientifically evaluated. Therefore in this review, we have summarized most of the data dealing with the effects of plant extracts on mammalian reproductive functions.     

Regulatory issues concerning the safety, efficacy and quality of herbal remedies

Herbal remedies and alternative medicines are used throughout the world, and in the past herbs were often the original sources of most drugs. Today we are witnessing an increase in herbal remedy use throughout the Western world raising the question as to how safe are these preparations for the unborn fetus? Many women use herbal products during pregnancy. The dilemma facing most regulatory authorities is that the public considers these products as either traditional medicines or natural food supplements. The user sees no reason for regulation. Most countries have laws concerning foods, drugs, and cosmetics, the details of which seldom clearly define to what section of the law and regulations alternative remedies belong. In most countries alternative remedies are regulated as foods, provided that no medicinal claim is made on the label. The global regulatory sector, however, is changing rapidly. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia created a Complimentary Medicines Evaluation Committee in late 1997 to address this issue, and Canada has created a new Natural Health Products Directorate in the realigned Therapeutic Products and Foods Branch in 2000. In parallel, the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products has drafted test procedures and acceptance criteria for herbal drug preparations and herbal medicinal products. In the US, the Food and Drug Administration classifies these natural products as dietary supplements. Manufacturers must label a dietary supplement thus: “this statement has not been evaluated by the FDA [, and] this product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.” Whether these products are foods or drugs is undecided. To add complexity to this issue, most of the potential deleterious effects of natural products on the unborn may be related to hormonal effects (e.g., phytoestrogens) and nutriceutical drug interactions (e.g., St. John's Wort and antidepressants), rather than direct embryotoxicity per se. We suggest that ensuring quality of herbal products should receive immediate attention by regulatory authorities, before embarking on the more arduous tasks of safety and efficacy. Birth Defects Res B 68:505–510, 2003. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

The relevance of traditional knowledge systems for ethnopharmacological research: theoretical and methodological contributions

Infections of the reproductive tract, complications after childbirth, and reproductive problems continue to be a major health challenge worldwide. An impressive number of plant species is traditionally used to remedy such afflictions, and some have been investigated for their efficacy with positive results. A total of 105 plant species belonging to 91 genera and 62 families were documented and identified as herbal remedies for reproductive problems in Northern Peru. Most species used were Asteraceae (9.52%), followed by Lamiaceae and Fabaceae (8.57% and 6.67%). The most important families are clearly represented very similarly to their overall importance in the local pharmacopoeia. The majority of herbal preparations for reproductive afflictions were prepared from the leaves of plants (22.72%), the whole plant (21.97%), and stems (21.21%), while other plant parts were used less frequently. More than 60% of the cases fresh plant material was used to prepare remedies. Over 70% of the remedies were applied orally, while the remaining ones were applied topically. Many remedies were prepared as mixtures of multiple ingredients. Little scientific evidence exists to prove the efficacy of the species employed as reproductive disorder remedies in Northern Peru. Only 34% of the plants found or their congeners have been studied at all for their medicinal properties. The information gained on frequently used traditional remedies might give some leads for future targets for further analysis in order to develop new drugs.     

Plant folk medicines among Nicobarese tribals of Car Nicobar Island,India

The present paper deals with investigations of less known medicinal plant lore among the aboriginal Nicobarese tribe of Car Nicobar island, India. Information on 73 species and their therapeutic applications and manner of use are initially documented and described as remedies in folkloric tradition and popular domestic medicine. No chemical principles are identified; no putative herbal remedies are pharmaceutically and medically evaluated. The aim of this paper is to gather information concerning medicinal plants and to provide access to specialists in search of their applications in modern medicine. A brief account of geography, climate, ethnology, and methodology adopted is given. Vernacular name(s) of the plants in the Nicobarese language are incorporated for the first time in the literature.     

Cultural Transmission of Traditional Knowledge in two populations of North-western Patagonia

Background

Indigenous knowledge has become recognized worldwide not only because of its intrinsic value but also because it has a potential instrumental value to science and conservation. In Nepal, the indigenous knowledge of useful and medicinal plants has roots in the remote past.

Methods

The present study reviews the indigenous knowledge and use of plant resources of the Nepal Himalayas along the altitudinal and longitudinal gradient. A total of 264 studies focusing on ethnobotany, ethnomedicine and diversity of medicinal and aromatic plants, carried out between 1979 and 2006 were consulted for the present analysis. In order to cross check and verify the data, seven districts of west Nepal were visited in four field campaigns.

Results

In contrast to an average of 21–28% ethnobotanically/ethnomedicinally important plants reported for Nepal, the present study found that up to about 55% of the flora of the study region had medicinal value. This indicates a vast amount of undocumented knowledge about important plant species that needs to be explored and documented. The richness of medicinal plants decreased with increasing altitude but the percentage of plants used as medicine steadily increased with increasing altitude. This was due to preferences given to herbal remedies in high altitude areas and a combination of having no alternative choices, poverty and trust in the effectiveness of folklore herbal remedies.

Conclusion

Indigenous knowledge systems are culturally valued and scientifically important. Strengthening the wise use and conservation of indigenous knowledge of useful plants may benefit and improve the living standard of poor people.     

Folk Phytotherapy in Paediatric Health Care in Central and Southern Italy: a Review

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) consists of systems and practices used to prevent or treat illness, and/or promote health and wellbeing, generally with herbal remedies. In recent decades, ethnobotanical and ethnopharmacological surveys have received increased attention among populations in central and southern Italy traditionally highly conservative regarding knowledge of folk medicine. This review highlights the use of wild and cultivated plants in paediatric health care. From a search of articles published between 1978 and 2017 we found a total of 34 containing reports of medicinal plants specifically used for treating children’s diseases, listing 83 taxa belonging to 37 families in 116 recorded cases of medicinal plant use. Tuscany has the highest number of plant use reports and the highest number of species used in a single region, followed by Campania and Sicily. Allium sativum is the most widely reported species, cited in eight regions. We identified eight ailment categories. Plants used as anthelmintics and for gastro-intestinal and skin diseases are widely used.     

Assessment of Heavy Metals in Pharmacological Important Medicinal Plants Consumed in the Bannu District,Pakistan

This study assesses the contents of heavy metals in the four most commonly used indigenous medicinal plants in the Bannu District, Pakistan. The rapid appraisal approach was used along with semi-structured interviews with elderly people and herbalists for selection of indigenous plants. Heavy metals were determined via flame atomic absorption spectrometer by acid digestion of samples. Four medicinal plants were selected after interviews of 53 local residents and herbalists. Plant and soil samples were obtained for evaluations from a wastewater zone (WWZ) and a clean water zone (CWZ). Indigenous plants from the WWZ showed considerably higher metal contents compared to the CWZ. The trend of metals for indigenous medicinal plants grown in clean water was Mn > K > Na > Zn > Co > Fe > Cu while for wastewater the trend appeared as Co > K > Na > Zn > Fe > Mn > Cu. An alternative significant extent of research is needed to qualify the assessment of the human health insinuations of consumption of indigenous remedies. The heavy metal content of administering herbal medicine should be screened, as formulation and processing of medicine may affect heavy metal contents of the remedies.     

Medicinal Plant Knowledge Among Lay People in Five Eastern Tibet Villages

Tibetans in five villages in the Mount Khawa Karpo area of the Menri (Meili Xueshan in Chinese) range, Northwest Yunnan, People’s Republic of China, were interviewed about their knowledge of a number of medicinal plants and their uses. There was large variation in people’s knowledge with significant differences among the villages and between men and women. Most of the reported knowledge focused on a small number of commercial plants and their uses. In comparison with Tibetan doctors, villagers generally knew fewer applications and focused on general health remedies. Many people collected medicinal plants for their own use as well as for sale, but also obtained medicinal plant remedies from markets and Tibetan doctors, and often used traditional Tibetan healthcare in conjunction with biomedical treatment.     

Distribution of Herbal Remedy Knowledge in Tabi,Yucatan, Mexico

Distribution of Herbal Remedy Knowledge in Tabi, Yucatan, Mexico. The distribution of herbal remedy knowledge among a group of people is studied for two main reasons: (1) to identify plants that are promising for pharmacological analysis, and (2) to examine the factors that lead to herbal remedy knowledge erosion as opposed to dynamism in the acquisition of knowledge. The goal of this particular study, which is aligned with the second reason, is to establish the variation in herbal remedy knowledge among the Yucatec Maya in Tabi, Yucatan, Mexico. Free listing and cultural consensus analysis revealed that knowledge about a few medicinal plants and herbal remedies was distributed widely among the Yucatec Maya in Tabi, whereas the majority of knowledge was idiosyncratic. This finding was consistent with other studies of herbal remedy knowledge distribution among indigenous groups in Latin America and Africa. Assessing patterns in the distribution of herbal remedy knowledge is an important next step in determining the degree of dynamism or erosion in knowledge acquisition and transmission in Tabi.     

Therapeutic effects of herbal extracts and constituents in animal models of psychiatric disorders

A search for novel pharmacotherapy from medicinal plants for psychiatric illnesses has progressed significantly in the past decade. This is reflected in the large number of herbal preparations for which psychotherapeutic potential has been evaluated in a variety of animal models. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of herbal extracts and constituents that have significant therapeutic effects in animal models of psychiatric illnesses. Eighty five individual herbs reviewed were classified as anxiolytic, antidepressant, neuroleptic, antidementia, or anti-substance abuse herbs. The full scientific name of each herb, herbal part used, active constituent, extract, dose range and route, animal model, possible mechanisms of action, and pertinent references are presented via synoptic tables. The herbal mixtures were also mentioned. A considerable number of herbal constituents whose behavioral effects and pharmacological actions have been well characterized may be good candidates for further investigations that may ultimately result in clinical use. The investigation of a large portion of the herbal extracts and herbal mixtures is in its infancy. Herbal remedies that have demonstrable psychotherapeutic activities have provided a potential to psychiatric pharmaceuticals and deserve increased attention in future studies.     

Fetal Endoxins and Complications of Pregnancy

Maternal endoxin (digoxinlike substance) is proposed as arising in the fetal area of the fetal adrenal cortex. Its function may be to sensitize the uterus for labor, much as does cortisol in the sheep fetus. Because endoxin is a sodium-potassium-adenosine triphosphatase inhibitor, however, it may also induce maternal vasoconstriction. On our service, normal pregnant women have detectable endoxin after 35 weeks with increasing amounts at term. Specimens of cord blood often have “digoxin” in the therapeutic range. We find that about 40% of women in premature labor and 65% of pregnant women with hypertension have elevated levels of serum endoxin. Postdate gravid women sometimes have very low endoxin levels. Pregnant women with complications and elevated digoxin (endoxin) levels could have specific antidigoxin therapy if endoxin proves to be a modulator of their symptoms. Digoxinlike substances are also sometimes elevated in ill nonpregnant persons, such as those with renal, liver, or heart failure, or hypertension.     

四川沙湾区重点药用植物资源调查研究

目的:调查研究四川沙湾区的药用植物资源,全面掌握沙湾区重点中药资源的分布以及利用现状。方法:通过野外调查和内业整理以及文献查阅工作,重新明确该地区现有的重点药用植物。结果:沙湾区内药用植物有135科527种,重点药用植物100种,其中沙湾区国家Ⅰ级野生保护植物有1种,Ⅱ级野生保护植物10种,Ⅲ级野生保护植物6种;2015年版中国药典收载的基原植物有85种,人工栽培药用植物有23种。结论:沙湾区中药资源较为丰富但利用率低,其中药材产业发展具有较大潜力,此次调查结果为沙湾区中药资源的中药材产业化发展提供新的基础数据与方向。     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis and active ingredients of medicinal plants: current research status and prospectives

Medicinal plants have been used world-wide for thousands of years and are widely recognized as having high healing but minor toxic side effects. The scarcity and increasing demand for medicinal plants and their products have promoted the development of artificial cultivation of medicinal plants. Currently, one of the prominent issues in medicinal cultivation systems is the unstable quality of the products. Arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) affects secondary metabolism and the production of active ingredients of medicinal plants and thus influence the quality of herbal medicines. In this review, we have assembled, analyzed, and summarized the effects of AM symbioses on secondary metabolites of medicinal plants. We conclude that symbiosis of AM is conducive to favorable characteristics of medicinal plants, by improving the production and accumulation of important active ingredients of medicinal plants such as terpenes, phenols, and alkaloids, optimizing the composition of different active ingredients in medicinal plants and ultimately improving the quality of herbal materials. We are convinced that the AM symbiosis will benefit the cultivation of medicinal plants and improve the total yield and quality of herbal materials. Through this review, we hope to draw attention to the status and prospects of, and arouse more interest in, the research field of medicinal plants and mycorrhiza.     

Herbal formulations as pharmacotherapeutic agents

Herbal medicines are popular as remedies for diseases by vast majority of world's population. Polyherbal preparations are products from medicinal plants. These are considered as safe since they are natural products. Herbal formulations which have reached widespread acceptability as therapeutic agents in India include noortropics, antidiabetics, hepatoprotective agents and lipid lowering agents. Pharmacological effects of many plants have been studied in various laboratories in India. However, there are many limitations regarding safety and efficacy of these preparations. Knowledge about active principles of herbal preparations are not well defined, information on toxicity and adverse effects of these formulations are lacking. Information regarding pharmacokinetics and bioavailability is not available. Packet inserts providing details regarding safety, and warning are not required for sale of these which are available as over the counter preparations. The risk of untested and unregulated remedies should be known to the lay public. Selection of plant material based on quality, standardisation of methods of preparation, enforcement of regulation regarding appropriate labels, are measures which will improve the quality and acceptability of herbal preparations as therapeutic agents. Documentation of research publications in journals and availability of information on website, are other measures to assist research in this field.     

Disease Surveillance Strategies in Swine

Preparations derived from plants were the original therapeutic interventions used by man to control diseases (including parasites), both within humans and livestock. Development of herbal products depended upon local botanical flora with the result that different remedies tended to develop in different parts of the world. Nevertheless, in some instances, the same or related plants were used over wide geographic regions, which also was the result of communication and/or the importation of plant material of high repute. Thus, the Nordic countries have an ancient, rich and diverse history of plant derived anthelmintic medications for human and animal use. Although some of the more commonly used herbal de-wormers were derived from imported plants, or their products, many are from endemic plants or those that thrive in the Scandinavian environment. With the advent of the modern chemotherapeutic era, and the discovery, development and marketing of a seemingly unlimited variety of highly efficacious, safe synthetic chemicals with very wide spectra of activities, herbal remedies virtually disappeared from the consciousness – at least in the Western world. This attitude is now rapidly changing. There is a widespread resurgence in natural product medication, driven by major threats posed by multi-resistant pest, or disease, organisms and the diminishing public perceptions that synthetic chemicals are the panacea to health and disease control. This review attempts to provide a comprehensive account of the depth of historical Nordic information available on herbal de-wormers, with emphasis on livestock and to provide some insights on potentially rewarding areas of "re-discovery" and scientific evaluation in this field.     

ATLAS OF ROENTGENOGRAPHIC POSITIONS

Mere diagnosis of a valvular heart lesion without circulatory incapacity is inconsequential in considering the prognosis for a pregnant woman.There are grave dangers of heart failure during pregnancy, labor or the postpartum period in women who have had congestive failure prior to pregnancy or during a previous pregnancy and delivery.Decisions as to whether or not to recommend avoidance of pregnancy or therapeutic abortion should depend not alone upon the prospect of death during gestation or at the time of delivery, but also upon the possibility of increased impairment of heart function and physical incapacity of the mother in the postpartum period.Because of the extensive surgical procedure there are few indications for interrupting pregnancy after the third lunar month; and because the major circulatory loads do not increase after the eighth month, rarely should labor be prematurely induced after that time.The exertion of labor, although generally inconsequential, in some cases may produce sustained oxygen debt. In cases in which labor in a previous pregnancy has been accompanied by heart failure, cesarean section should be considered as a means of lessening the possibility of serious failure or death, although this is not a frequent consideration.In the resemblance of circulatory changes that occur, during delivery and immediately postpartum, to those changes produced by the closure of an arteriovenous shunt or patent ductus arteriosus, lies a suggestion as to some of the causative factors in heart failure during or soon after delivery. Probably of great importance is the decrease in blood volume and hemoconcentration at delivery followed by the return of water to the circulatory system, with consequent transient increase in blood volume, in the postpartum period. Additionally, the rise of venous pressure after use of oxytocic drugs suggests that rapid infusion of blood from an engorged uterus may cause an abrupt and perhaps poorly tolerated hypervolemia.Death by heart failure in pregnancy and the puerperium has become extremely rare in recent years due to the frequent observations, meticulous diagnosis of impending failure and improved care of cardiac patients jointly by the obstetrician and the internist. In addition to digitalis therapy and sodium restriction, patients exhibiting evidence of impending heart failure may require bed rest through the entire third trimester of pregnancy. Oxygen should be administered during labor in such patients and anoxia guarded against during anesthesia.     

Heart disease as a complication of pregnancy; with emphasis on indications for recommending therapeutic abortion or avoidance of conception

Mere diagnosis of a valvular heart lesion without circulatory incapacity is inconsequential in considering the prognosis for a pregnant woman.There are grave dangers of heart failure during pregnancy, labor or the postpartum period in women who have had congestive failure prior to pregnancy or during a previous pregnancy and delivery. Decisions as to whether or not to recommend avoidance of pregnancy or therapeutic abortion should depend not alone upon the prospect of death during gestation or at the time of delivery, but also upon the possibility of increased impairment of heart function and physical incapacity of the mother in the postpartum period. Because of the extensive surgical procedure there are few indications for interrupting pregnancy after the third lunar month; and because the major circulatory loads do not increase after the eighth month, rarely should labor be prematurely induced after that time.The exertion of labor, although generally inconsequential, in some cases may produce sustained oxygen debt. In cases in which labor in a previous pregnancy has been accompanied by heart failure, cesarean section should be considered as a means of lessening the possibility of serious failure or death, although this is not a frequent consideration. In the resemblance of circulatory changes that occur, during delivery and immediately postpartum, to those changes produced by the closure of an arteriovenous shunt or patent ductus arteriosus, lies a suggestion as to some of the causative factors in heart failure during or soon after delivery. Probably of great importance is the decrease in blood volume and hemoconcentration at delivery followed by the return of water to the circulatory system, with consequent transient increase in blood volume, in the postpartum period. Additionally, the rise of venous pressure after use of oxytocic drugs suggests that rapid infusion of blood from an engorged uterus may cause an abrupt and perhaps poorly tolerated hypervolemia. Death by heart failure in pregnancy and the puerperium has become extremely rare in recent years due to the frequent observations, meticulous diagnosis of impending failure and improved care of cardiac patients jointly by the obstetrician and the internist. In addition to digitalis therapy and sodium restriction, patients exhibiting evidence of impending heart failure may require bed rest through the entire third trimester of pregnancy. Oxygen should be administered during labor in such patients and anoxia guarded against during anesthesia.     

Antimicrobial potentials of medicinal plant’s extract and their derived silver nanoparticles: A focus on honey bee pathogen

Infectious (or Communicable) diseases are not only the past but also the present problem in developing as well as developed countries. It is caused by various pathogenic microbes like fungi, bacteria, parasites and virus etc. The medicinal plants and nano-silver have been used against the pathogenic microbes. Herbal medicines are generally used for healthcare because they have low price and wealthy source of antimicrobial properties. Like medicinal plants, silver nanoparticles also have emergent applications in biomedical fields due to their immanent therapeutic performance. Here, we also explore the various plant parts such as bark, stem, leaf, fruit and seed against Gram negative and Gram-positive bacteria, using different solvents for extraction i.e. methanol, ethyl acetate, chloroform, acetone, n. hexane, butanol, petroleum ether and benzene. Since ancient to date most of the countries have been used herbal medicines, but in Asia, some medicinal plants are commonly used in rural and backward areas as a treatment for infectious diseases. In this review, we provide simple information about medicinal plants and Silver nanoparticles with their potentialities such as antiviral, bactericidal and fungicidal. Additionally, the present review to highlights the versatile applications of medicinal plants against honey bee pathogen such as fungi (Ascosphaera apis), mites (Varroa spp. and Tropilaelaps sp.), bacteria (Melissococcus plutonius Paenibacillus larvae), and microsporidia (Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae). In conclusion, promising nonchemical (plant extracts) are innocuous to adult bees. So, we strongly believed that this effort was made to evaluate the status of medicinal plants researches globally.     

Ethnomedicine in Tonga

Local medical practices in this Pacific archipelago are reviewed, the folk taxonomy and medicinal uses of 71 plants are discussed, and the medicinal applications of each species in some other regions of the Pacific are enumerated. Included are the plant parts used, Tongan names, the illnesses, and the preparations of the remedies.