Showing papers on "Medicinal plants published in 1999"

Medicinal and aromatic plants of Himachal Pradesh

Abstract: India has a rich heritage of use of plants as medicines. Indian systems of medicines utilize 80 per cent of the material derived out of plants. There are over 2500 plant species in India having documented medicinal value, majority of them growing in a wild state; whereas only a few are cultivated.

Development of phytomedicines for liver disease

Abstract: A phytotherapeutic approach to modern drug development can provide many invaluable drugs from traditional medicinal plants. Search for pure phytochemicals as drugs is time consuming and expensive. Numerous plants and polyherbal formulations are used for the treatment of liver diseases. However, in most of the severe cases, the treatments are not satisfactory. Although experimental evaluations were carried out on a good number of these plants and formulations, the studies were mostly incomplete and insufficient. The therapeutic values were tested against a few chemicals-induced subclinical levels of liver damages in rodents. Even common dietary antioxidants can provide such protection from liver damage caused by oxidative mechanisms of toxic chemicals. However, experiments have clearly shown that plants such as Picrorrhiza kurroa, Andrographis paniculata, Eclipta alba, Silibum marianum, Phyllanthus maderaspatensis and Trichopus zeylanicus are sufficiently active against, at least, certain hepatotoxins. Screening plants for antihepatitis activities remains in its infancy. P.kurroa, E. alba, Glycyrrhiza glabra, A. paniculata and P. amarus are likely to be active against Hepatitis B virus. In the case of severe liver damage, most of the liver cells die or turn into fibrotic state. In this case, the treatment should include in addition to the therapeutic agents, agents which can stimulate liver cell proliferation. For developing satisfactory herbal combinations to treat severe liver diseases, plants have to be evaluated systematically for properties such as antiviral activity (Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, etc), antihepatotoxicity* (antioxidants and others), stimulation of liver regeneration and choleretic activity. The plants with remarkable activities for each of the above properties have to be identified. Single plant may not have all the desired activities. A combination of different herbal extracts/'fractions is likely to provide desired activities to cure severe liver diseases. Development of such medicines with standards of safety and efficacy can revitalise treatment of liver disorders. * hepatoprotective activity.

Immunomodulators: a review of studies on Indian medicinal plants and synthetic peptides. Part - I: Medicinal plants

Abstract: In this review we have attempted to highlight the work on immunomodulators carried out in Indian laboratories including both plant extracts and synthetic peptides. The results for plant extracts are reviewed in part I of this review and synthetic peptides in part II. Various Indian plants which have the potential of immunomodulating activity are identified from various sources in the literature. Among these"14 have undergone in vitro and in vivo evalution, mostly in animals and to some extent in humans as well. While the leads are extremely promising for some of them such as Asparagus racemosus. Azadirachta indica, Curcuma longa, Ocimum sanctum, Panax ginseng, Picrorhiza kurroa, Tinospora cordifolia, Withania somnifera etc., considerable work remains to be done for the remainder plants.

Mycotoxins of fungal strains from stored herbal plants and mycotoxin contents of Nigerian crude herbal drugs

Abstract: The ability of fungi isolated from stored herbal drug plants to produce mycotoxins in semisynthetic media was studied. The results obtained show that aflatoxins and ochratoxin A, were produced by Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus and A. ochraceus isolates. The time-production courses of aflatoxins B1, B2, 1 and ochratoxin A in crude herbal drug preparations show that more of these toxins were produced with increase in time of storage of the drugs. The results indicate that the potential exists for the toxigenic strains to elaborate mycotoxins in a large quantity in herbal drug substrates than in semisynthetic media.

Chemistry, Biological and Pharmacological Properties of Medicinal Plants from the Americas

Abstract: Lessons from natural medicines application of LC/MS and LC/NMR in the search for new bioactive compounds from plants of the Americas the quest for new biologically active natural products pharmacochemistry of new compounds from South American plant bioassay methods useful for activity-guided isolation of natural product cancer chemopreventive agents biodiversity conservation and drug development in Suriname antimicrobial activities of phytochemicals from British Columbian medicinal plants bioactive compounds from Panamanian plants bioactive natural products of medicinal and agrochemical interest from selected Mexican medicinal plants the Brazilian folk medicine programme to validate medicinal plants - a topic in new antihypersensitive drug research recent developments in the chemistry and pharmacology of boldo and boldine metabolic engineering - a strategy to improve plant secondary metabolite production.

Effect of different drying methods on concentrations of several phytochemicals in herbal preparation of 8 medicinal plants leaves.

Abstract: The effect of oven drying at 50ᵒC ± 1ᵒC for 9 hour, 70ᵒC ± 1ᵒC for 5 hour and freeze drying on retention of chlorophyll, riboflavin, niacin, ascorbic acid and carotenoids in herbal preparation consisting of 8 medicinal plants was evaluated. The medicinal plants selected were leaves of Apium graveolens (saderi), Averrhoa bilimbi (belimbing buluh), Centella asiatica (pegaga), Mentha arvensis (pudina), Psidium guajava (jambu batu), Sauropus androgynous (cekor manis), Solanum nigrum (terung meranti) and Polygonum minus (kesum ). Results revealed that both type and conditions of the drying treatments affected retention of all phytochemicals analysed. Herbal preparation developed using oven drying was found to have inferior phytochemicals content compared to that obtained by freeze dryer. Nevertheless, the herbal preparation developed using all treatments still retain appreciable amount of phytochemicals studied, especially carotenoids, ascorbic acid, niacin and riboflavin and thus have potential for commercial purposes.

26 – Antioxidants in Herbs: Polyphenols

Abstract: Publisher Summary The herbs discussed in this chapter are medicinal plants of mild activity. They cover a wide range of plants of various origins, applicable to both medicine and food; they exclude those of acute toxicity. The name “herb” is interpreted in several ways. The “herb” in Japan often means some plant rich in aroma, mostly introduced via Europe, and used for perfume and cooking, differentiating it from the other medicinal plants. However, “medicinal plants” comprise, in addition to those of mild effects usable for home treatment, those with acute toxicity, such as aconitum, poppy, and digitalis. Among the most widely and abundantly distributed antioxidant components in this type of herb are a variety of phenolic compounds represented by (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), α-tocopherol, and sesaminol (a lignan), although there are many other antioxidants in herbs. The main subjects of this chapter are polyphenols of numerous chemical structures contained in herbs.

[Sensitive screening of antifungal compounds from acetone extracts of medicinal plants with a Bio-Cell Tracer].

Abstract: Antifungal activity of medicinal plants against Aspergillus niger was evaluated using Bio-Cell Tracer (BCT). By this system enabled the real time determination of hyphal growth rate could be done in the presence or absence of Chinese herbal extracts. Of the 41 herbal extracts with 60% acetone extracts tested by the present method, 26 were found to contain active components against A. niger hyphal growth. In contrast, by conventional methods, no active component was detected from every herbal extract except 3 herbal extracts. From the extract of Anemarrhena asphodeloides, one of active components was isolated and its structure determined by NMR, UV, and mass spectroscopy. The compound was identified as broussonin A (2-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propyl)-5-methoxy-phenol) which was formerly reported as a phytoalexin of Broussonetia papyrifera Vent.

Some progress on chemical studies of saponins from Chinese medicinal plants

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the progress on chemical studies of saponins isolated from Chinese medicinal plants. Clematis chinesis Osbeek is a liana distributed widely in south China. The plant roots are used as a source of the Chinese crude drug “Wei-Ling-Xian.” This drug has commonly been used as an analgesic, diuretic and antiinflammatory agent for ages, and therefore recorded in Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Due to rich saponins contained in the plant roots, the polar fraction of root extracts has been systematically studied. As the results of these studies, more than twenty prosapogenins were isolated from alkaline hydrolysate of its crude saponins and among them six less polar prosapogenins were proved to be present in the root as genuine saponins by HPLC detection. However, the obtained saponins and prosapogenins are all monodesmosides. To promote fundamental research on this Chinese crude drug, scientists have made efforts to elucidate its genuine saponin constituents.

Phytochemical investigations on some medicinal plants from the families euphorbiacea and lamiaceae

Abstract: The dissertation describes the characterization of the chemical constituents of two plants of the genus Euphorbia from the family Euphorbiacear. Euphorbia decipiens Boiss. & Buhse and Euphorbia teheranica Boiss., which are endemic to Iran. And the essential oil of Zataria multiflora Boiss (Lamiaccae) from Pakistan.Investigation of E. decipiens results in five novel diterpenoids with a new parent alcohol skeleton. Named as decipinone (79), isodecipinone (84), decipidone (85), isodecipidone (86) and decipinone A (87), and two noel tetracyclic diterpenoids, decipinol ester A (88) and B(90). Karajinone A(91) and B(94) were identified as two new pentacyclic diterpene esters with a rare carbon skeleton related to lathyrol. The known compounds isolated from this plant included, B-sitosterol (95), cycloeucalenol (96) obtusifoliol (97), cycloart-23-ene-3,25-diol (98), and 24-methylenecycloartan-3B-ol(99).

Screening of the Mutagenicity and Antimutagenicity of the Hot Water Extracts from Medicinal Plants

Abstract: The mutagenicity, antimutagenicity, and cytotoxicity of the hot water extracts of 130 medicinal plants were examined. The results obtained using authentic alkaline phosphatase activity as the growth representative of the indicator cell, E. coli PQ37, demonstrated that the extracts of 14 medicinal plants including, Forsythia koreana Nakai, showed strong toxic effect on the cell growth, however, the extracts of 22 medicinal plants, including Phlomis umbrosa Turcz., were shown to have stimulatory effect on the cell growth. The mutagenicity and antimutagenicity of the medicinal plants were screened using SOS chromotest. The mutagenic activity was detected from 36 kinds of the samples, including Forsythia koreana Nakai and Coptis japonica Nakai. On the contrary, 12 medicinal plants, including Crataegus pinnatifida Bunge, were shown to have a significant antimutagenic activity.

Short communication Screening of medicinal plants used in Lesotho for anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory activity

Abstract: Traditional healers and herbalists from Lesotho were interviewed about plants used in traditional remedies by the Sotho. Plant roots are most often used to make water extracts. Mainly high altitude plants are used, with lowland healers obtaining most of their plant material from the highlands, either by collecting them or buying them from highland gatherers. As a result of ethnobotanical data obtained, leaves and roots of 12 plants were extracted using hexane, methanol and water, respectively and the extracts screened for anti-inflammatory activity using the cyclo-oxygenase bioassay. Six species yielded inhibitory activity above 90%. Hexane and methanol leaf and root extracts were the most active. Leaves and roots of 16 plants were extracted using hexane, methanol and water and the respective extracts screened for anti-bacterial activity using the disc-diffusion assay. Six species displayed very high anti-bacterial activity against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. A number of plant extracts had medium inhibitory activity, mostly against gram-positive bacteria. The activity was mainly found in the root extracts. © 1999 Published by Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.