Speciation of Chromium and Vanadium in Medicinal Plants

In this study, Cr(VI) and V(V) were determined in medicinal plants collected from the farm located between two smelters. Chromium(VI) and vanadium(V) were leached from medicinal plants with 0.1 M Na2CO3 prior their determination by ETAAS. The concentration of Cr(VI) in medicinal plants varied between 3.1 ± 0.5 μg g–1 and 9.4 ± 0.2 μg g–1 and that of V(V) ranged from 1.1±0.08 μg g–1 to 17±1.7 μg g–1. It was established that element species taken up by plants do not depend on metal content in soil but is a function of plant properties. Results of the determination of water-soluble (hot water) Cr(VI) and V(V) concentrations showed that consumption of three cups of tea prepared from medicinal plants from Zizameleni farm is safe since recommended maximum limits is not exceeded through normal consumption of tea infusion.KEYWORDSSpeciation, leaching, medicinal plants, sodium carbonate, electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry

Effectiveness of Brahmi in Various Illnesses: Review Paper

Plants have been used as treatments for thousands of years, based on experience and folk remedies and continue to draw wide attention for their role in the treatment of mild and chronic diseases. In these eras, focus on plant research has increased all over the world and a large body of evidence has been accumulated to highlight the immense potential of medicinal plants used in various traditional systems of medicine. In various medicinal plants Centella asiatica is one of the most useful plants seen in Ayurveda medicines. Centella asiatica (commonly known as Brahmi in India) is an imperative medicinal drug which possesses significant medicinal properties, especially those involving cognition. It has been extensively known as a brain tonic that promotes cerebrum development. This herb is recommended for the treatment of various skin conditions such as leprosy, lupus, varicose ulcers, eczema, psoriasis, diarrhea, fever, amenorrhea, diseases of the female genitourinary tract and also for relieving anxiety and improving cognition. The present paper reviews Brahmi (Centella asiatica) as a medicinal plant and highlights its benefits in various health problems

Medicinal Plants Used as Galactagogues

The recommended diet for human infants within the first 6 months of life is breast milk. No other natural or artificial formulation has been able to match up to this gold standard. Mothers who have attempted to pursue exclusive breastfeeding can, however, attest to numerous nutritional and non-nutritional challenges mainly resulting in insufficient milk production (hypogalactia) or the absence of milk production (agalactia). There are very few and officially recommended orthodox drugs to increase lactation. The most widely used galactagogues being chlorpromazine, sulpiride, metoclopramide and domperidone are associated with very high incidences of unpleasant side effects including their extra-pyramidal effects in both mother and infant. There is therefore a need to keep searching for more acceptable galactagogues. This section reviews current literature on medicinal plants used within the local Ghanaian community to enhance lactation. Various electronic databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, SciFinder and Google Scholar as well as published books on Ghanaian medicinal plants were searched. A total of 22 plants belonging to 13 families were reviewed with regards to their medicinal values, information on lactation and toxicity

Economic Valuation of Medicinal Plants in Peninsular Malaysia

Medicinal plants are known as important non-timber forest products (NTFPs), besides bamboo and rattan, which have had great demand by rural people and the industries lately. The increasing awareness of herbal remedies and the demand of herbal products have led to crucial requirement of the local resources by the traditional medicine industries. For sustainable management of medicinal plants in the forest, there is a need to place proper values (potential and extracted values) that reveal the importance of these r esources. T hese v alues c ould i ncrease the e nvironmental b enefits, i mportant t o decision-makers, that affect the environment if optimal choices are to be made. By using market price approach, the economic values (residual value) of medicinal plants were estimated at three study sites, namely Gunung Raya, Bukit Perak and Gunung Jerai Forest Reserves at Kedah, Peninsular Malaysia. From the industrial and collectors survey, the status of the total requirement and total collection of the resources was determined. Input-use efficiency in the harvesting activities of medicinal plants was also examined. The study revealed that the average total residual values for medicinal plants per hectare in Gunung Raya Forest Reserve were RM1,654.87, RM3,746.07 at Bukit Perak Forest Reserve and RM964.53 at Gunung Jerai Forest Reserve. The total requirement of local medicinal plants by the industries (476,339 kg) per year were found exceeding the total collection of medicinal plants (103,620 kg) per year, showing the high dependency of traditional medicine industries on the local resources. From the production function analysis, the workers and harvesting tools were insufficiently used during the harvesting session. Without proper monitoring and management, the unbalanced situation of medicinal plants' demand and supply could become more critical in the years to come. Some relevant measures were recommended from this study

STUDY OF MULTIELEMENTAL CONCENTRATIONS AND NANO-MICRO STRUCTURAL MORPHOLOGY IN MYRTACEAE FAMILY MEDICINAL PLANTS BY FIELD EMISSION SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPE-ENERGY DISPERSIVE X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY METHOD

Objective: The essential multielemental analysis was carried out in nano- and microscale surface morphology of two useful selected species of Myrtaceae family medicinal plants such as Eucalyptus and Guava using “field emission scanning electron microscope”–“energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy” (FESEM-EDS). To understand the elemental analysis of medicinal plant used in Bidar, Gulbarga/Kalaburagi and Yadgir districts of the Northeast Karnataka region. Methods: In the present investigation, Myrtaceae family’s medicinal plants selected. The analysis of the samples were thorough nano-micro photograph obtained by using FESEM and specific weight percent of elemental concentration analyzed by EDX/EDS. Results: The elemental concentrations such as C, O, magnesium, Al, Si, S, Cl, K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn were estimated in all the collected medicinal plants and found to be within the World Health Organization (WHO’s) recommended values. FESEM morphology indicates that fine plane irregularly shaped particles, with size an average diameter 200 nm–1 μm, are found in both plants. Conclusion: The Indian Traditional Medicinal Plants have been used as a potential source for general and therapeutic medicinal purposes, including as a home remedy, Ayurvedic, and herbal drugs for the treatment of different types of human diseases. The WHO established maximum permissible limits for the consumption of major, minor, and trace elements to ensure the safe uses of medicinal plants as a drug material so as to cure the diseases. The present investigation suggests that the collected medicinal plants have good alignments of secondary metabolites, functional groups, and intake of trace elements, which are useful for treatment and preparation of new Ayurvedic, herbal, and pharmaceutical drug, pellets of very small size for alignment of different diseases

Medicinal plant cultivation for sustainable use and commercialisation of high-value crops

Many traditional healing systems are based on natural biological resources, and there is a general shift in most parts of the world towards natural medicine, with direct implications on the demand and supply of medicinal plants. This review highlights the economic importance of medicinal plants, their contribution to healthcare systems, and potential opportunities for rural economic development through cultivation.  A systematic literature review with specific search terms related to medicinal plants was used to collect scientific and non-scientific information from peer-reviewed literature and grey literature databases. The findings indicate that trade in medicinal plants is increasing, and although they are considered minor crops compared to major food crops, their value is among the highest in the list of traded plants globally. The trade also serves as a revenue source for many rural livelihoods, with women playing a significant role. Medicinal plants contribute to primary health care in many developing countries, and they are also an essential source of modern drug discovery. Cultivation of medicinal plants offers emerging rural farmers an opportunity to grow these plants as new and alternative crops, thus reducing unsustainable wild harvesting and competition with established commercial farmers who mostly focus on food crops. Furthermore, medicinal plant cultivation should be promoted as one of the options for local economic development and sustainability through job creation, the revival of the rural economy, and income generation for small businesses, such as the transport businesses, involved in the value chain. Land accessibility, financial resources, and direct market access for rural communities can elevate their contribution to the industry. Formalisation of the lower levels of the medicinal plant trade is also recommended. Significance:• Cultivation is a viable option for biodiversity conservation of medicinal plants and ensuring a goodquality supply of plant materials.• Cultivation of medicinal plants – a source of natural products used in product development – can contribute to job creation, income generation, and rural economies in developing countries.• This review underlines the importance of medicinal plants in product development, the contribution of the industry to economies of different countries, and the potential for cultivation

Medicinal plants used for liver disorders based on the ethnobotanical documents of Iran: A review

Liver diseases, still a global health problem, are classified as acute or chronic hepatitis, hepatosis and cirrhosis. A number of medicinal combinations in Iranian traditional medicine are commonly used as tonic for liver. This review article reported the plants used to treat liver diseases according to ethnobotany and traditional culture of different regions of Iran. This review article introduced the plants used to treat liver diseases in ethnobotany and traditional culture of different regions of Iran. The key words consisting of traditional medicine, ethnobotany, ethnomedicine, ethnopharmacology, phytopharmacology, phytomedicine, and Iran, accompanied with liver diseases, liver ailments, liver disorders, antihepatotoxic and hepatitis were used to search for relevant publications in PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Islamic World Science Citation Center, and Magiran. Overall, 26 medicinal plants from 19 families are used to treat liver diseases specifically in Iranian traditional medicine. The most of presented medicinal plants were from Asteraceae family. Because of the extensive use of traditional medicinal plants and wide acceptance of herbal drugs and traditional medicine, large studies are recommended in pharmacy-and pharmacology-related fields to inform pharmaceutical industries. © 2016, Sphinx Knowledge House. All rights reserved

Ethnobotanical evaluation of some plant resources in Northern part of Pakistan

An ethnobotanical study on the medicinal and economic plants of Malam Jabba valley, District Swat was conducted with the aims of documenting the inventory of medicinal plants, examinining the current status of the medicinal plants trade and investigating the linkages in the market chain starting from collectors to consumers. The survey reported 50 species of plants belonging to 33 families as ethnobotanically important. These species are used as drugs for treating diseases in traditional system of medicine. The detailed local uses, recipe preparation along with their local names and diseases treated were recorded for each species. Market survey revealed that the structure of medicinal plant trade is complex and heterogeneous, involving many players. The collectors are often not aware of the high market prices and medicinal values, and most of the collected material is sold to local middlemen at a very low price. There was an increase of 3 to 5 folds in prices from collectors to the national market. Training in sustainable harvesting and post harvesting of wild medicinal plant resource, trade monitoring, equitable sharing of benefits of wild resources, improved control on harvesting and trade for the conservation of resources, enhancement of cultivation efforts, future research into trade in wild harvested plants, community participation in natural resource management and value addition in the herbal products to maximize the benefits are recommended

Ethnobotanical Study of Traditional Medicinal Plants Used for Treatment of Human and Livestock Ailments by Traditional Healers in Goba Woreda, Bale Zone, Oromia, South East Ethiopia

The study of traditional medicinal plants was conducted in Goba woreda from August to October 2018 in three kebeles Kedu, Elasa and Aloshe Tilo. In this woreda, diverse medicinal plants were used to treat human and livestock disease. Among this various medicinal plant only 35 species were collected and identified by using the Flora book of Ethiopia and Eritrea (volume 3, 1989). The data was collected from 21 informants of traditional healer and from these 7 informants healer taken from each kebele and 16 were males and 5 females. The healers were used for treat dermatological, respiratory, ureno-genital, gastro-intestinal, febrile and livestock disease in the study area by using plant part of leaf (58%), root (25%) and other part (17%) to serviceable orally, nasally or dermally. However; these plant species were threatened by the activities of the community like expansion of agriculture, overgrazing, and deforestation of plant was the risk of extinction. To conserve the area and preserve the medicinal plants it was recommended to make aware of the society and to develop in –situ and ex-situ conservation plants. Keywords: Human diseases, Livestock ailments, Traditional healer, Traditional medicinal plants DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/9-10-01 Publication date:May 31st 2019

Ethnobotany among the Gashaka inhabitants of Gashaka Gumti National Park, Taraba State, Nigeria

The study was carried out to investigate use of medicinal plants by the indigenous people of Gashaka enclave to bridge the dearth of information on the indigenous knowledge of the medicinal uses of the existing plant species in the area. The inhabitants of Gashaka village were 300 at the time of this study and 30 were sampled. Simple random sampling technique was employed to select the respondents who were interviewed by the use of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) technique to obtain information on their indigenous knowledge on plant species used for medicinal purpose. All the respondents (100%) claimed that they utilize various parts of plant for treatment of yellow-fever, stomach pain, dysentery, toothache, typhoid, and malaria among other illness. Some species of plants identified to have medicinal uses include Parkia biglobosa, Albizia lebbeck, Prosopis africana, Piliostigma thonninggii, Cassia simea, Daniellia oliverii, Burkea africana, Afzelia africana, Tamarindus indica, Terminalia glaucosens, Terminalia macroptera, Adansonia digitata, Steculia setigera, Bridelia ferruginea, Vitex doniana, Vitelllaria paradoxa, Ficus sycomovus, Nauclea latifolia, Grewia mollis, Anogeissus leiocarpus and Crossopteryx fibriguga. The bark (47%) was most utilized by the majority of the respondents, followed by leaves (23%). The study revealed that medicinal plants form an important component of the natural wealth of Gashaka community of Taraba state, which have been used for treatment various ailments and it has established the fact that various plants were used in one way or the other as medicine. Pragmatic conservation education and strategies should be recommended in order to conserve the rich floral diversity; for further investigation, other ways by which the abundant plant species are utilized in Gashaka Gumti National Park is recommended in other enclaves of the park.Keywords: Gashaka, Indigenous Knowledge, Medicinal Uses, Conservation, National Par