Showing papers on "Medicinal plants published in 2005"

Phytochemical constituents of some Nigerian medicinal plants

Abstract: Alkaloids, tannins, saponins, steroid, terpenoid, flavonoids, phlobatannin and cardic glycoside distribution in ten medicinal plants belonging to different families were assessed and compared. The medicinal plants investigated were Cleome nutidosperma, Emilia coccinea, Euphorbia heterophylla, Physalis angulata, Richardia bransitensis, Scopania dulcis, Sida acuta, Spigelia anthelmia, Stachytarpheta cayennensis and Tridax procumbens. All the plants were found to contain alkaloids, tannins and flavonoids except for the absence of tannins in S. acuta and flavonoids in S. cayennsis respectively. The significance of the plants in traditional medicine and the importance of the distribution of these chemical constituents were discussed with respect to the role of these plants in ethnomedicine in Nigeria.

Assessment of Bioactivity of Indian Medicinal Plants Using Brine Shrimp (Artemia salina) Lethality Assay

Abstract: Medicinal plants constitute an important component of flora and are widely distrib- uted in India. The pharmacological evaluation of substances from plants is an established method for the identification of lead compounds which can leads to the development of novel and safe medicinal agents. Based on the ethnopharmacological literature, several species of medicinal plants used in traditional medicine in India were collected. In the present study, aqueous extracts of these medicinal plants were screened for their cytotoxicity using brine shrimp lethality test. Out of the 120 plants tested, Pistacia lentiscus exhibited potent brine shrimp lethality with LC50 2.5μg . Aristolochia indica (Aristolochiaceae), Boswellia serrata (Burseraceae), Ginkgo biloba (Ginkgoaceae), Garcinia cambogia (Clusiaceae), and Semecarpus anacardium (Anacardiaceae) have also showed significant cytotoxicity with LC50 13, 18, 21, 22, and 29.5μg respectively. The present study supports that brine shrimp bioassay is simple reliable and convenient method for assessment of bioactivity of medicinal plants and lends support for their use in traditional medi- cine.

Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of polyphenols from ethnomedicinal plants of Burkina Faso

Abstract: Polyphenols from four medicinal plants of Burkina Faso, Combretum micranthum, Khaya senegalensis, Pterocarpus erinaceus and Sida acuta , were screened for their antioxidant and antimicrobial activities against pathogenic bacteria. The medicinal plants displayed different polyphenols contents and antioxidant activities. The bark of P. erinaceus had the highest antioxidant activity. Some microorganisms were susceptible to polyphenol extracts with minimal bactericidal concentration values between 20 and 2000 mg/ml while other microorganisms appeared to be resistant to the extracts. Microbicide and microbiostatic activities of the extracts were dependent on the type of strains. Results suggest that these plants are not only interesting sources for antimicrobial activities but also potential sources of phenolic antioxidants. Key words : Antioxidants, polyphenols, antimicrobials, medicinal plants. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 4 (8), pp. 823-828

Role of biotechnology in medicinal plants

Abstract: Medicinal plants are the most important source of life saving drugs for the majority of the world's population. The biotechnological tools are important to select, multiply and conserve the critical genotypes of medicinal plants. In-vitro regeneration holds tremendous potential for the production of high-quality plant-based medicine. Cryopreservation is long-term conservation method in liquid nitrogen and provides an opportunity for conservation of endangered medicinal plants. In-vitro production of secondary metabolites in plant cell suspension cultures has been reported from various medicinal plants. Bioreactors are the key step towards commercial production of secondary metabolites by plant biotechnology. Genetic transformation may be a powerful tool for enhancing the productivity of novel secondary metabolites; especially by Agrobacterium rhizogenes induced hairy roots. This article discusses the applications of biotechnology for regeneration and genetic transformation for enhancement of secondary metabolite production in-vitro from medicinal plants. Key words: Bioreactors; genetic transformation; regeneration; secondary metabolites Abbreviations: BA: 6-Benzylaminopurine; TDZ: 1-Phenyl-3-(1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl) urea; NAA: a-Naphthaleneacetic acid; IAA: Indole-3 acetic acid; 2iP: 6-(g-Dimethylallylamino) purine; 2,4-D: 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid; GA3: Gibberellic acid Trop J Pharm Res , December 2003; 2(2): 243-253

The antimicrobial activities of methanolic extracts of Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Terminalia catappa against some pathogenic microorganisms

Abstract: Methanolic extracts of leaves of Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Terminalia catappa were studied for in vitro microbial activities by agar dilution method. The phytochemical analysis of the crude extracts of the medicinal plants revealed the presence of saponin, saponin glycosides, steroid, cardiac glycoside, tannins, volatile oils, phenols and balsam (gum). The methanolic extracts of the two plants inhibited the growth of Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 103207 and Clinical strain respectively) but had no inhibitory effects on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi and Escherichia coli. Candida albicans was inhibited by the crude extracts of E. camaldulensis only. Accelerated gradient chromatography (AGC) gave fractions of the extract of T. catappa that were more active on Candida albicans and Escherichia coli than the crude extract. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the extracts ranged from 1.25�g/ml to 5�g/ml. The results obtained suggest that T. catappa and E. camaldulensis can be used in treating diseases caused by the test organisms.

Plants and their active constituents from South, Central, and North America with hypoglycemic activity

Abstract: There has been marked interest in recent years in the use of plants for the treatment of diabetes. Plants have been found in many countries which have been indicated as having hypoglycemic activity. The present work is an up-to-date review with 178 references of crude plant extracts and chemically defined molecules with hypoglycemic activity from South, Central and North America. The review refers to 224 plants with their families, parts used and type of extract, organism tested and activity. It also includes 40 compounds isolated from those plants. Some aspects of recent research with natural products from plants directed to the treatment of diabetes are discussed.

Ethnopharmacological survey of different uses of seven medicinal plants from Mali, (West Africa) in the regions Doila, Kolokani and Siby

Abstract: An ethnopharmacological survey was carried out to collect information on the use of seven medicinal plants in rural areas in the nearby regions of Bamako, Mali. The plants were Opilia celtidifolia, Anthocleista djalonensis, Erythrina senegalensis, Heliotropium indicum, Trichilia emetica, Piliostigma thonningii and Cochlospermum tinctorium About 50 medical indications were reported for the use of these plants in traditional medicine. The most frequent ailments reported were malaria, abdominal pain and dermatitis. The highest number of usages was reported for the treatment of malaria (22%). The majority of the remedies were prepared from freshly collected plant material from the wild and from a single species only. They were mainly taken orally, but some applications were prepared with a mixture of plants or ingredients such as honey, sugar, salt, ginger and pepper. Decoction of the leaves was the main form of preparation (65%) and leaf powder was mostly used for the preparation of infusions (13%). The part of the plants most frequently used was the leaves. There was a high degree of informant consensus for the species and their medicinal indications between the healers interviewed. The results of this study showed that people are still dependent on medicinal plants in these rural areas of Mali.

Screening of anti-Helicobacter pylori herbs deriving from Taiwanese folk medicinal plants

Abstract: In this study, extracts from 50 Taiwanese folk medicinal plants were examined and screened for anti-Helicobacter pylori activity. Ninety-five percent ethanol was used for herbal extraction. Paederia scandens (Lour.) Merr. (PSM), Plumbago zeylanica L. (PZL), Anisomeles indica (L.) O. Kuntze (AIOK), Bombax malabaricum DC. (BMDC) and Alpinia speciosa (J. C. Wendl.) K. Schum. (ASKS) and Bombax malabaricum DC. (BMDC) all demonstrated strong anti-H. pylori activities. The minimum inhibitory concentration values of the anti-H. pylori activity given by the five ethanol herb extracts ranged from 0.64 to 10.24 mg ml−1. Twenty-six herbs, including Artemisia argvi Levl. et Vant (AALEV), Phyla nodiflora (Linn.) Greene (PNG) and others, showed moderate anti-H. pylori activity. The additional 19 herbs, including Areca catechu Linn. (ACL), Euphorbia hirta Linn. (EHL) and Gnaphalium adnatum Wall. ex DC. (GAWEDC), possessed lower anti-H. pylori effects. About half of the Taiwanese folk medicinal plants tested, demonstrated to possess higher anti-H. pylori activity.

Screening for endophytic fungi with antitumour and antifungal activities from Chinese medicinal plants

Abstract: One hundred and thirty endophytic fungi isolated from 12 Chinese traditional medicinal plants collected at Yuanmou county and Dawei Mountain, Yunnan province, southwest China, were tested for antitumour and antifungal activities by MTT assay on human gastric tumour cell line BGC-823 and the growth inhibition test against 7 phytopathogenic fungi. The results showed that fermentation broths from 9.2% of the isolates exhibited antitumour activity and 30% exhibited antifungal activity, moreover, some of them exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity. The active isolates were identified to 32 taxa. The results indicate that the endophytic fungi of Chinese traditional medicinal plants are promising sources of novel bioactive compounds.

Antimicrobial Activities and Phytochemical Profiles of Endemic Medicinal Plants of Mauritius

Abstract: Medicinal plants are assuming widespread use in the primary health care of individuals and communities. In the current study, we investigated the antimicrobial activities of two endemic plants, Antidesma madagascariense. Lam. and Erythroxylum macrocarpum. O. E. Schulz, which form part of the local pharmacopoeia of Mauritius. Aqueous and methanol extracts of the leaves and twigs of both plants were tested in vitro. against three Gram-negative and five Gram-positive strains of bacteria, including a resistant strain of bacteria. Moreover, they were subjected to antifungal assays against Candida albicans. ATCC 10231 and Aspergillus niger. ATCC 16404, a human and a plant pathogenic microorganism, respectively, known to be good indicators of antifungal activity. It was found that aqueous extracts of both plants possess broad-spectrum antibacterial properties against the test organisms compared to methanol extracts, which gave poor inhibition zones. Moreover, the antibacterial substance within these plan...

Medicinal Herbs with Their Formulations

Abstract: Medicinal herbs with their formulations , Medicinal herbs with their formulations , کتابخانه دیجیتالی دانشگاه علوم پزشکی و خدمات درمانی شهید بهشتی

Pre- and post-harvest processing of medicinal plants

Abstract: Herbal medicine is used worldwide either as a sole treatment method or as part of a comprehensive treatment plan alongside orthodox methods of diagnosis and treatment. A survey reported that, in the USA, nearly one-sixth of women took at least one herbal product in 2000. Despite their widespread use, numerous reports show that the herbal products available to consumers are of variable quality. This disparity in quality of herbal preparations can be attributed to the fact that their production is complicated. To produce high-quality herbal products, attention must be paid to, among others, phytochemical variations due to plant breed, organ specificity, stages of growth, cultivation parameters, contamination by microbial and chemical agents, substitution, adulteration with synthetic drugs, heavy metal contamination, storage and extraction. This review focuses on organ specificity, seasonal variations, the effect of drying and storage, and the extraction of phytochemical constituents. Special emphasis is placed on the four most frequently used herbal products in the USA: echinacea, Ginkgo biloba , ginseng and St John's Wort.

Inhibition of Heinz body induction in an in vitro model and total antioxidant activity of medicinal Thai plants.

Abstract: Herbs have been used for medicinal purposes for centuries and known to possess antioxidant properties that may help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. We screen aqueous extracts from 20 medicinal plants in Thailand that were believed to possess anti-tumor activity, help immune-stimulating property and maintain blood stasis. The antioxidant activities were investigated in two bioassays. Firstly, we demonstrated inhibition of Heinz bodies induction caused by oxidants under in vitro condition. The percentages of Heinz body inhibition activity in plant extracts from Terminalia citrina, Cassia timoriensis, and Derris elliptica were the highest followed by Anamirta cocculus, and Oroxylum indicum respectively. In addition, we investigated total antioxidant activity in plant extracts by improved ABTS radical cation decolorization assay. The total antioxidant activity of the extract from Terminalia citrina was also the highest activity followed by Ficus pubigera, Derris elliptica, Anamirta cocculus, Caesalpinia sappan, and Oroxylum indicum respectively. Our results suggest medicinal Thai plants as valuable sources of antioxidants, which may have a potential anti-carcinogenic activity.

Investigations toward new lead compounds from medicinally important plants

Abstract: Extensive phytochemical investigations on 30 Piper species growing in India and other medicinal plants have revealed the presence of a large number of novel compounds be- longing to different classes. The antiviral activity of several lignans and neolignans belong- ing to different structural types has been evaluated against six different viral strains. Further, the effects of ethanol, chloroform, and hexane extracts of Piper longum and Piper galiatum on TNF-α induced expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) on human um- bilical vein endothelial cells have been studied, a novel aromatic ester was isolated from the most active extract of P. longum. A potential antifungal compound having implications in treating aspergillosis was isolated from an important Indian medicinal plant, Datura metel.

[Preliminary study of antimicrobial activities on medicinal herbs of Thai food's ingredients]

Abstract: To investigate the potential for use of medicinal herbs as natural antimicrobial additives for foods, the following fifteen medicinal herbs were examined for antimicrobial activity: coriander (Coriandrum sativum Linn), shallot (Allium ascalonicum L.), ginger (Zingiber offcinale Roscoe), galangal (Alpinia galanga Swartz), lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus Stapf.), kaffir lime leaves and peels (Citrus hystrix DC), lime peels (Citrus aurantiifolia Swing), bird chili (Capsicum frutescens L.), curcuma (Curcuma longa L.), sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), holy basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn), bitter cucumber (Momordica charantia L.), devil’s fig (Solanum torvum Sw.) and indian malberry (Morinda citriforia L.). Fresh extracts and oil extracts of all medicinal herbs in this study were tested against Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus by using Agar Diffusion Method. Six of them including Zingiber officinale, Allium ascalonicum, Alpinia galanga, Citrus hystrix, and Citrus aurantiforia were shown high activities in the first screening. A second screening for antimicrobial activities of six potential medicinal herbs were performed in duplication. All of six herbs exhibited antimicrobial activities against Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus, and all except Z. officinale exhibited significant activity against Salmonella typhi. Antimicrobial activities of oil extracts were higher than fresh extracts. C. hystrix, A. ascalonicum, and C. aurantiifolium were selected as potential antimicrobial food additives, and the identification of active compounds and suitable purification method in these medicinal plants have been suggested to further studies. INTRODUCTION Traditional Thai food has a very distinctive character because of the special combination of herb and spices in Thai food preparation. These herb and spice ingredients are more than just good taste but they make Thai food more healthful. Recently, the demand for medicinal herb products has begun to grow and gain popularity. Natural antimicrobial agent development from Thai food ingredients may respond to the national drug policy and “Thai Herbs for Health” promotion. The fifteen medicinal herbs of Thai food’s ingredient were selected for antimicrobial screening are: coriander, shallot, ginger, galangal, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, kaffir lime peels, lime peels, bird chili, curcuma, sweet basil, holy basil, bitter cucumber, devil’s fig and indian malberry (Thiengburanathum, 1996; Liangmaneethep, 1997). The objective of this work was to investigate medicinal herbs of Thai food ingredients as natural antimicrobial agents. Proc. WOCMAP III, Vol. 1: Bioprospecting & Ethnopharmacology Eds. J. Bernath, E. Nemeth, L.E. Craker and Z.E.Gardner Acta Hort 675, ISHS 2005 112 MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifteen selected medicinal herbs samples for Thai food’s ingredients were collected from a local market in Bangkok. They were coriander (Coriandrum sativum Linn), shallot (Allium ascalonicum L.), ginger (Zingiber offcinale Roscoe), galangal (Alpinia galanga Swartz), lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus Stapf.) kaffir lime leaves and peels (Citrus hystrix DC), lime peels (Citrus aurantiifolia Swing), bird chili (Capsicum frutescens L.), curcuma (Curcuma longa L.), sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), holy basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn), bitter cucumber (Momordica charantia L.), devil’s fig (Solanum torvum Sw.) and indian mulberry (Morinda citrifolia L.). Each sample was prepared into fresh extracts and oil extract. Twenty grams of each chopped herbs were prepared for each extracts. Fresh extracts were prepared by using a manual extractor and squeezing. The oil extracts were extracted with alcohol by using Soxtec, Tecator model 1043. The preliminary study of antimicrobial activity on fresh and oil extracts of all herbs was performed by using agar diffusion method both in disk diffusion test and cup plate agar diffusion test (Isenberg, 1998; Mohon and Manuselis, 1995; Victor, 1991). The sensitivity of both extracts were tested against Bacillus cereus ATCC25923, Salmonella typhi ATCC19430 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC25923 (TISTR culture collection, 1995). The sensitivity test was performed by using an antibiotic drug as a control. The antimicrobial activity was measured by the inhibition zones produced. All experiments were duplicated. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This investigation of antimicrobial activity was performed on fifteen selected medicinal herbs. Six of them including ginger (Zingiber offcinale Roscoe), galangal (Alpinia galanga Swartz), kaffir lime leaves and kaffir lime peels (Citrus hystrix DC) and lime peels (Citrus aurantiifolia Swing) showed high antimicrobial activity in the first screening step (Table 1). The second screening step in the preliminary study for antimicrobial activity was the Disk Diffusion Test on Agar Diffusion Method. This test was used in order to determine antimicrobial activity of fresh extracts and oil extracts. The diameter of the clear zone indicated the inhibition activity. All of the plants tested showed antimicrobial effect against Bacillus cereus in both fresh and oil extracts (Table 2). For antimicrobial activity against Salmonella typhi, all plants except ginger showed high activity in oil extracts but ginger, galangal and kaffir lime leaves showed no activity in fresh extracts (Table 3). All except ginger in fresh extracts showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (Table 4). The confirmatory step was performed using the Cup Plate Agar Diffusion Method and gave the same results as in the second step (Table 5). It was also shown that the oil extracts exhibited higher antimicrobial activity than fresh extracts. Kaffir lime peels, shallot and lime peels showed high potential on antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus. The results from this study indicated the possibility of using medicinal herbs from Thai food ingredients as natural antimicrobial agents. Appropriate extracting conditions and identification of active compounds through several purification methods should be examined in future studies. CONCLUSIONS Six of the fifteen selected medicinal herbs used as Thai food ingredients, ginger, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, kaffir lime peels and lime peels showed antimicrobial activity against Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhi and Staphylococcus aureus on the first screening step. In the second and confirmatory steps, kaffir lime peels, shallot and lime peels showed high sensitivity for all studied microbials. The oil extracts exhibited higher antimicrobial activity than fresh extracts. The potential of kaffir lime peels, shallot and lime peels as natural antimicrobial agents have been confirmed. Further studies on active compound identification and suitable purification of these medicinal plants are suggested.

In vitro culture and cultivation of Chinese medicinal plants for industrial utilization and genetic resource conservation

Abstract: In China, medicinal plants enjoy an inherent and prominent role in the general health service. Due to excessive collection in the wild of rare and endangered plants, the natural resources of medicinal plants are depleting fast. In order to protect the medicinal plant resources, the Chinese government has implemented Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) programmes to cultivate the main popular medicinal plants in China. Thus far, around 800 GAP cultivation bases have been established nationwide and the total cultivation area of medicinal plants has reached 5000 km2. Besides GAP cultivation of medicinal plants, tissue cultural biotechnology has been applied to serve as an alternative for the supply of medicinal plant materials in China. Thus far, shoot production by tissue culture technology has been successful in medicinal plants such as Anoectochilus formosanus, Dalbergia odorifera, Dendrobium, Momordica grosvenorii, Pseudostellaria heterophylla and Taxus chinensis. In addition, the cell culture of Lithospermum erythrorhizon and Saussurea involucrata has been industrialized in 300–20,000-litre bioreactors. Besides the production of shoot and cell culture in bioreactors, tissue culture technology is also being practised for the conservation of rare medicinal plants.

Herbal nutraceutical formulation for diabetics and process for preparing the same

Abstract: The present invention relates to a herbal nutraceutical formulation for diabetics, and also relates to a process for the preparation of the formulation. The formulation comprises the base product of a microwave roasted seed powder mixture from selected genera of Glycine, Cicer, Phaseolus, Cyamompsis, Mucuna, Hordeum, Amaranthus and Fagopyrum, fortified with herbs/medicinal plants selected from the genera of Gymnema, Momordica, Syzgium, Pterocarpus, Trigonella, Cinnamomum, Withania, Coccinia, Pueraria, Asparagus, Boerhaavia and Aegle. Other ingredients like Piper longum, Chlorophytum tuberosum, Curcuma longa and Elettaria cardamomum are also added to the final nutraceutical product. The nutraceuticals are non toxic, natural herbal plant products, easy to digest that ameliorate the general health and vigor of diabetics.

Promising Phytochemicals from Indian Medicinal Plants

Abstract: The medicinal plants find application in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, agricultural and food industry The use of the medicinal herbs for curing disease has been documented in history of all civilizations With the onset of research, it was concluded that plants contain active principles, which are responsible, for curative action of the herbs Ayurvedic drugs are used in crude forms like expressed juice, powder, decoction or infusion Ancient healers, developed formulations based on medicinal herbs, were probably not aware about the chemical composition of the herbs But the advancement they made despite non-availability of scientific procedures is astonishing Scientific research has proved the utility of time tested remedies The article reviews work done on isolated constituents of rare

Relationships between plant folklore and antitumor activity: an historical review 1

Abstract: The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) record of plants that have shown significant inhibitory effect in experimental tumor systems (active plants), 1960–1974, was compared with species and genera in refe r ences on medicinal folklore, including poisonous plants, to determine whether their percentages of active plants were significantly greater than those screened at random (10.4%). The percent active species in medicinal and/or poisonous references in general were found to be 1.4 to 2.6 times greater, while the number and different kinds of medicinal uses appear related to geographical data of species that also indicate medicinal plants were screened more thoroughly because of their widespread occurrence. The best correlation is seen with poisonous plants, including medicinal plants that suggest a moderate to strong therapeutic effect; their percentages of active species were nearly three (29.3%, anthelmintics) to four times (45.7%, arrow and homicidal poisons) greater than plants screened at random. Selection of plants based strictly on use in folk medicine would probably benefit new (start-up) screening programs, whereas in the long-term, it appears more cost effective to systematically screen the broadest diversity of plants readily available since the common medicinal species would be collected irregardless. A systematic collection strategy could give emphasis to genera that have not been exhaustively studied, especially to species with medicinal uses that indicate toxicity or are considered poisonous.