The effects of nutritional and medicinal mastic herb (Pistacia atlantica)

A wide variety of medicinal plants are used as pharmaceutical agents in the treatment of diseases, in Iran. One type of these plants is the mastic. The Genus of mastic is Pistacia and its family is Anacardiaceae. This genus has eleven species, some of them in Asia and the Mediterranean area, have many medical, social and economic importance. The main aim this study we review to present the new achievements in medical, social and economic uses of mastic. The results showed that N. sativa has many therapeutic effects such as antioxidant Activity, analgesic, antiInflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, anticholinesterase, so it can be used as a valuable plant for producing of drugs in treatment of so many disorders and diseases

Identification of medicinal plants of Urmia for treatment of gastrointestinal disorders

The gastrointestinal tract is one of the most important organs of the human body and is vulnerable to different diseases. Available drugs often have low efficacy or are associated with many adverse effects. Therefore, alternative drugs are necessary to treat gastrointestinal complications. This study intended to identify medicinal plants in Urmia, Iran, that can affect common gastrointestinal disorders and diseases. Data was collected from public resources via interviews and questionnaires applied from April to June 2013. Herbarium specimens were collected from the region and authenticated by a botanist. A total of 41 indigenous medicinal plants from the Urmia region, belonging to twenty families, have a traditional medicinal role in the treatment of parasitic and infectious diseases, diarrhea, reflux, gastroenteritis, peptic ulcer, constipation, bloating, among other gastrointestinal tract disorders. Analysis showed that most plants affecting the gastrointestinal tract belonged in the Asteraceae family (24%). The most used part of the plants was the seed at 17%. Decoction at 65% was the most popular form of treatment used. Some of the medicinal plants discussed in this article have new implications presented for the first time. Pharmacological studies on the therapeutic effects of the indigenous plants mentioned in this study are necessary in order to investigate their claimed clinical effects and the use of their effective compounds to produce natural and useful drugs. Currently, there is no data on the herbal plants used to treat gastrointestinal disorders in northwestern Iran. Therefore, these findings are important for the management of gastrointestinal disorders and to conduct future studies on traditional medicine for drug development. (C) 2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Farmacognosia. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved

Study of antibacterial effect of total hydroalcoholic extract of Thymus daenensis and Lavandula officinalis on Listeria monocytogenes, an agent of food spoilage, using microdilution

Background: Listeria monocytogenes is an important bacterial agent of food spoilage and cause of listeriosis. Recently, plants have been increasingly considered as alternatives to chemical drugs for preserving foods. Therefore, it is highly important to study their antibacterial effects. This study was conducted to investigate the antibacterial effect of Thymus daenensis and Lavandula officinalis on L. monocytogenes. Extraction was done by maceration using ethanol and concentration performed by rotary concentrator. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was examined by broth micro-dilution according to McFarland Equivalence (CFU/mL 105). To determine minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), all the wells without opacity were cultured on Mueller-Hinton agar. Total hydroalcoholic extract of T. daenensis and L. officinalis had a positive effect on L. monocytogenes and, at certain concentrations, could inhibit the bacterial growth. The best inhibitory effect on bacterial growth was obtained for T. daenensis extract at 16 μg/mL. Furthermore, this extract had the highest bactericidal effect on L. monocytogenes. Regarding the findings of this study, the extracts of T. daenensis and L. officinalis could be used as antibacterial agents in food and pharmaceutical industries

Phytochemical, pharmacological, and biochemical characteristics of essential oil of some Salvia L. Species

As sciences are advancing, medicinal plants are being increasingly studied for their chemical compounds and the properties of these compounds. Different compounds, with various properties, have been found in plants. The use of the medicinal plants and nature-based compounds in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, health, and food industries worldwide and public attention to the use of medicinal and fragrant plants highlight the need for basic and applied large studies in this area. Salvia L. is a large genus in family Lamiaceae. Different species of this genus have highly various essential compounds and amounts of these compounds. Since plant-based secondary metabolites are widely various, this article reported the significance of Salvia L. genus and some of its species regarding their essential compounds and pharmacologic characteristics. Presenting the latest important findings, this article summarized the scientific findings about the secondary compounds and pharmacologic and biochemical effects of some species of Salvia L

The chemical composition, botanical characteristic and biological activities of Borago officinalis: a review

Borage Borago officinalis) is an annual herb which is cultivated for medicinal and culinary uses, although it is commercially cultivated for borage seed oil. Borage seed oil is the plant rich in the gamma linolenic acid (26%-38%) which is used as dietary or food supplement. Other than seed oil it contains a lot of fatty acids such as linoleic acid (35%-38%), oleic acid (16%-20%), palmitic acid (10%-11%). stearic acid (3.5%-4.5%), eicosenoic acid (3.5%-5.5%) and erucic acid (1.5%-3.5%). It is used for the treatment of various diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, heart diseases, arthritis and eczema. In this study different aspects of borage such as plant characteristics, production, applications in traditional medicine, clinical considerations, its effects on patients' blood and urine biochemistry, and also the effect of the its products on liver and kidney performance tests are presented using published articles in scientific sites

A Review Study on Punica granatum L.

Punica granatum L (pomegranate) is a deciduous shrub, native to Iran. Nowadays, besides its use as a fruit, its medicinal properties have attracted the interest of researchers of many countries. Pomegranate fruit has medicinal properties such as anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities. The pomegranate seed oil has inhibitory effect on skin and breast cancers. The pomegranate seed oil has phytoestrogenic compounds and the fruit is rich in phenolic compounds with strong antioxidant activity. Ellagic acid is one of the main components of pomegranate with phenolic structure and antioxidant activity. This review article presents the recently published findings on different aspects of this plant focusing on its medicinal properties

Oxidative Stress and Parkinson's Disease: New Hopes in Treatment with Herbal Antioxidants

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder due to dopamine deficit in substatia nigra. PD is mainly a sporadic disease with unestablished etiology. However, exposure to environmental toxins, head trauma, inflammation, and free radicals are potential reasons. Recently, the role of oxidative stress in neurological abnormalities, including PD, has been particularly addressed. Antioxidant remedies, particularly herbal antioxidants, have revealed new perspectives of research and therapy as possible preventive and therapeutic approaches for PD. In this paper, we reviewed the recently published papers on the effects of herbal medicines on PD alongside the pathogenesis of PD with regard to oxidative stress

Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used in the management of diabetes mellitus in the Urmia, Northwest Iran

Objective: To collect and document information on anti-diabetic plants traditionally used in the treating of diabetes in Urmia at Northwest Iran because ethnomedicines are considered as valuable sources to find new potential drugs. Methods: We used the method of direct observation and interview (35 traditional healers) along with gathering herbarium specimens mentioned plants in site. Results: There were 30 medicinal plants from 17 families for the treatment of diabetes. The family with most plants was Lamiaceae (20). Leaves (20) are often used and its form is decoction (70). It was also found that Citrullus colocynthis has the most frequency of use among traditional healers. Conclusions: Furthermore, base on current findings many of the mentioned plants have potential active ingredients to influence diabetes. © 2014 Hainan Medical College

A review of the most important native medicinal plants of Iran effective on diarrhea

Diarrhea is an intestinal disease which is developed because of malabsorption of ions, solutes, and water or increased release of electrolytes which leads to water accumulation in duct. Diarrhea also is defined as over 200 g stool per day which is usually reported as decreased consistency of stool from clinical perspective. In this review article, we sought to report the medicinal plants that are used as antidiarrheal agents according to the traditional medicine and ethnobotany of different provinces of Iran. The relevant articles, books, and documents about Iranian traditional medicine were searched for by the words, diarrhea, ethnobotany, and medicinal plants, in domestic and international databases including International Sciences Institute, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Islamic World Science Citation Center. Achillea eriophora DC, Rhus coriaria L, Satureja hortensis, Agrimonia eupatoria L, Geum urbanum L, Artemisia sieberi Besser, Lonicera nummulariifolia, Jaub. & Spach, Rhus coriaria L, Achillea eriophora, Descurainia sophia, Fumaria parviflora, Rhamnus protrata, Amaranthus paniculatus L, Bunuim persicum, Foeniculum vulgare Miller, Phoneix dactylifera L, Ornithogalum persicum, Berberis vulgaris L, Descurainia sophia, Elaeagnus angustifolia L, Organumvulgare L, Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad, Stachis lavandulifolia L, Astragalus adscendens Boiss. & Hausskn, Faba vulgaris Moenchris, Medicago sativa L, Rumex pulcher L, Zizyphus spina-christi L. Willd, Crataegus curvisepala Lindm, Amaranthus retroflexus L, Nigella sativa L, Plantago psyllium L, Conyza canadensis (L) Cronq, Lythrum salicaria L, Sisymbrium irio L, Thymus daenensis celak, Achillea santolina, Chamomilla recutita L, Cydonia blonga Mill, Cuminum cyminum L, Allium cepa L, Elaeagnus angustifolia L, Mentha pulegium L, Viola tricolor L, Rumex crispus L, Punica granatum L, Plantago lanceolata Soejarto, Ocimum basilicum L, Foeniculum vulgare Mill, Rhus coriaria L, Cornus mas L, Urtica dioica L, Salix aegyptiaca L,Gundelia tournefortii L, Quercus brantii Lindl were reported to be some of the antidiarrheal plants of Iran. Because diarrhea may be developed by fungal, bacterial, viral, and non-infectious causes and many of the plants reported in this study contain antioxidant, pharmaceutically bioactive compounds, including flavones, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, tannins, and anthocyanins, then these plants can be investigated in the studies on treatments for diarrhea to produce nature-based and effective drugs used for this common disease with fewer side effects than chemical drugs

Inflammaging and cardiovascular disease: Management by medicinal plants

Background In aging, a host of molecular and cellular changes occur which accelerate alteration and progression of inflammatory diseases. These conditions in the elderly people cause appearance of a phenomenon which has been denoted as “inflammaging”. Understanding the pathogenesis and finding new methods for management of inflammaging are essential. Purpose In this paper we tried not only to explain inflammaging and its treatments with concentrating on medical plants but to collect a sufficient collection of anti-inflammatory plants with focusing on their mechanism of action. Method In this review paper, by searching in indexing cites, desired articles were obtained since 1995 by using keywords of inflammation, inflammaging, inflammation pathophysiology, free radicals and inflammation, aging inflammation, inflammatory disease, and plants or herbal medicine in inflammation. Sections In advanced age the generation of free radicals increases in cardiovascular system. Pathological inflammation is also associated with production of excess free radicals More importantly, chronic inflammation makes aged people susceptible to age-related diseases. Some medicinal plants have been shown promising results in inhibition of inflammaging. Some other sections such as inflammation and inflammaging in cardiovascular diseases, oxidative stress in cardiovascular complications, prevention and treatment strategies are presented. Conclusion The results of published papers show that the symptoms of several inflammatory diseases can be inhibited or treated by active ingredients from medicinal plants