Herbal medicine : a legal perspective

Although within the European Union, herbal medicines are considered as alternative medicines or are used in adjunct therapies; their use is considered as an important component of the European health care system. This is due to the fact that herbal medicine forms part of the European tradition. In spite of the diversity of options between Member States, herbal medicines used in different therapies should be made available to all European citizens. However, although the efficacy of certain medicines is rather disputable, the European Commission aims at safeguarding the European consumer by ensuring that these medicines are safe and of an adequate quality.peer-reviewe

The safety of herbal medicinal products

The primary aim of the EU, with the registration of herbal medicinal products (HMPs), is the protection of the European citizens from fraudulent and unsafe products. In fact, the EU is rather rigorous on this issue and therefore manufacturers are obliged to deal with safety issues. Although a Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products would have been in circulation for centuries, it is possible that with time, research proves the presence of toxic substances within the product. As herbal remedies are derived from nature, uneven conditions of growth and different varieties of a specific plant species may contribute to the emergence of previously-insignificant plant toxins. This has been also experienced with herbs and plants that are used for culinary purposes. Therefore to ensure the safety of herbal medicines, proof can be demonstrated by employing a battery of in vitro and in vivo tests.peer-reviewe

Herbal medicine : two sides of the coin

A Herbal Medicinal Product (HMP) may be classified either as a herbal with a Well-Established Use/s (WEU) or a Traditional Herbal Medicinal Product (THMP). It status primarily depends on the toxico-pharmacological profile and the way the product is presented on the marketpeer-reviewe

Herbal medicine : drug interactions

In today’s Western world, herbal medicine is used alongside conventional medicine. Herbal medicines may interefere with conventional medicines by several mechanisms.peer-reviewe

A rapid microtitre plate Folin-Ciocalteu method for the assessment of polyphenols

Several methods have been described for the determination of phenolic compounds in animal and plant products using the Folin-Ciocalteu (FC) assay. Most of these methods describe the use of this reagent and sodium carbonate in spectrophotometric methods. The macro FC assay was compared with two micro FC assays carried out on a microplate reader. Excellent correlation was obtained among the three assays with a molar extinction coefficient of 5.228±0.187x103 M-1 cm-1. The micro assay may serve as a high throughput method for the rapid determination of polyphenols in various samples.peer-reviewe

A Micropropagation Protocol for Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich

E. elaterium seeds were obtained from immature fruit collected in the Southern region of Malta. The fruit were washed with tap water for 15 min., surface sterilized with 70% ethanol for 30 sec, soaked in 10% hypochlorite solution for 20 min and rinsed in three changes of sterile distilled water. Seeds were carefully removed under aseptic conditions, and placed on Murashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium (7). Two weeks from germination, node explants were taken for tissue culture. The sectioned node ..peer-reviewe

Rapid detection of cucurbitacins in tissues and in vitro cultures of Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich

Cucurbitacins are highly oxygenated compounds abundantly found in Cucurbitaceous genera such as Citrullus, Cucumis, Cucurbita and Luffa. A relatively common cucurbitacin found in Cucurbitaceous species is cucurbitacin E (CuE). Although cucurbitacins exhibit positive effects both pharmacologically and in protecting the plants from certain diseases, they have a high degree of bitterness even at concentrations lower than 10 ppb. With the emergence of new cultivars, the expression of the genes that favor the production of cucurbitacins can be enhanced leading to the production of an inedible cultivar. To determine the efficacy of a method that detects these cucurbitacins in plant tissues we have selected an “indicator plant” that stores an abundance of these compounds. Locally, the squirting cucumber (Ecballium elaterium) is also being used as a rootstock in general practice to graft cucurbitaceous crops, owing to the disease resistance of the squirting cucumber to several pests and diseases. The reference cucurbitacin, in this study, was CuE.peer-reviewe

Homeopathy and allied therapies : a review

Homeopathy is the basis of several forms of therapies that emerged later on throughout Europe. Homeopathy and these related therapies form part of Europe’s traditional medical history. Several physicians followed Hahnemann’s principles and applied them to their forms of therapies. Such therapies include anthroposophic medicine, gemmotherapy, lithotherapy, organotherapy, Bach’s floral remedies, Schüssler’s tissue salts. However, in the multicultural and modern Europe, there is still a long way for the official recognition and harmonisation of products within the European Union Member States. Due to popularity of these remedies with EU citizens, the European centralised body and individual Member States medicines authorities are obliged to safeguard the general public through the assessment of safety and quality of these medicinal products.peer-reviewe

Habitat studies for the wild stocks of Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich

Ecballium elaterium (L.) A. Rich. (Cucurbitaceae), is a wild Mediterranean medicinal plant which has been described to thrive in drastic environmental conditions. In one study, it has been described to be frost-tolerant as compared to other wild species of the Cucurbitaceae family. This study was conducted on E. elaterium wild stocks growing in Malta (Central Mediterranean), on several soil types in order to determine the soil conditions ideal for the growth of this disease-resistant wild species.peer-reviewe

What about the weeds?

Professor Everaldo Attard is perhaps one of the most eclectic persons Marika Azzopardi has met so far. His many hats are somewhat interlinked to certain facets of his life both professional and not, and yet all are somewhat distinct in character. So much so, this rich interview risked the requirement of a sequel. I meet him at the University of Malta, in his office from where he is not only an Associate Professor in Agricultural Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, but also co-ordinates the Division of Rural Sciences and Food Systems under the umbrella of the Institute of Earth Systems.peer-reviewe