TRADITIONAL, COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE USE IN A COMMUNITY POPULATION IN LAO PDR

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM) use in a community setting in a central province of Lao PDR. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional community survey in 4 urban and 4 rural districts was conducted with the International Complementary and Alternative Medicine Questionnaire (I-CAM-Q). Results: Of the 1600 participants in the survey, the overall prevalence of any TCAM use (providers, products or self-care) was 40.2% (TCAM provider= 14.8%, TCAM products=34.1%, and self-help TCAM=4.5%) in the past 12 months.The most frequently used herbal medicines were Maringa pterygosperma (12.6%), followed by Curcuma longa L. (9.4%), Curcuma xanthorrhiza (9.4%) and Centella asiatica (7.2%). Many of the TCAM products were used for the purpose of health tonic or nourishments and for a number of chronic conditions (gout, dyslipidaemia, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, cancer, migraine, mental disorder, and gastrointestinal disorders). In multivariate logistic regression, lower educational level, rural residence and having chronic conditions was associated with any TCAM use. Conclusions: TCAM use seems to be common in Lao PDR and better knowledge on the use of different TCAM modalities in this population may improve patient management

Taxonomic placement of Paphiopedilum rungsuriyanum (Cypripedioideae; Orchidaceae) based on morphological, cytological and molecular analyses

Additional file 9: Table S4. The comparison of main significant traits between subgenera and sections of Paphiopedilum by Gorniak et al. (2014) and the present study

Ethnobotany of Tuberculosis in Laos

XX, 109 p. 90 illus., 89 illus. in color.online r

Aspidistra laongamensis (Asparagaceae), a new species from Laos

Aspidistra laongamensis C. R. Lin & X. Y. Huang, a new species of the Asparagaceae from Saravan Region, Laos, is described and illustrated. The new species is similar to A. lubae Aver. et Tillich in the perianth shape, but differs by the creeping rhizome, externally yellowish white perianths with internall yellow lobes, and the flat, glabrous stigma.The new species is also similar to A. nankunshanensis Yan Liu & C. R. Lin in the ovate-triangular, internally yellow perianth lobes, but differs by its urceolate perianth with an internally purplish red tube, and stamens inserted in the middle of the perianth tube, and mushroom-shaped pistil. Aspidistra laongamensis is currently known only from Laongam city, southern Laos

Bioactive small-molecule constituents of Lao plants

Laos has a rich plant diversity, and medicinal plants are used extensively in Lao traditional medicine for the treatment of a variety of human diseases. However, only a relatively small number of these plants have been investigated for their major components with potential antitumor, anti-infective, and other types of bioactivities. These species include Asparagus cochinchinensis, Diospyros quaesita, Gongronema napalense, Marsypopetalum modestum, Nauclea orientalis, Rourea minor, Stemona pierrei, and Stemona tuberosa. Thus far, the bioactive compounds isolated from these Lao plants include alkaloids, glycerol esters, phenolic compounds such as lignans and stilbenoids, steroids, and triterpenoids. Of these, the norlignan, nyasol (1b), the triterpenes, pyracrenic acid [3β-O-trans-caffeoylbetulinic acid (3)] and betulinic acid (3b), and the dimeric thiopyridine, dipyrithione (5), were found to show both cancer cell cytotoxicity and anti-infective activity. The present review focuses on examples of promising lead compounds isolated from Lao plants, with their possible development as potential therapeutic agents being discussed. It is hoped that this contribution will provide useful information on higher plants growing in Laos to help stimulate future discoveries of potential agents for the treatment of cancer, infections, and other diseases

Revisiting the linkage between ethnomedical use and development of new medicines: A novel plant collection strategy towards the discovery of anticancer agents.

The Vietnam-Laos International Cooperative Biodiversity Group (ICBG) based at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) catalyzed a country-wide network of medicinal plant preserves (MPP) and medicinal biodiversity preserves (MBP) now established in ten provinces of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), which are relied upon as protected sources of ethnomedicines for local villagers and traditional healers. In collaboration with the Lao PDR's Institute of Traditional Medicine (ITM), our ongoing P01 Program Project (Ohio State University) examined the anticancer bioprospecting potential for two of the most exhaustively inventoried of these sites: the Bolikhamxay MPP and the Xiengkhouang MBP. Guided by prior voucher specimens sourced from these preserves with an overwhelming emphasis on plants employed in traditional medicine, 201 distinct samples from 96 species were collected along with proper herbarium documentation. Aliquots of these plant samples were extracted in azeotropic ethanol and evaporated to dryness for initial biological evaluation. In six samples from six different species (2.99% of the collected samples, 6.25% of taxa) it was observed that extracts exhibited notable cytotoxicity against HT-29 colon adenocarcinoma cells. The wisdom behind the utilization of HT-29 cells in this preliminary biological screen is discussed. Furthermore, comparison of screening results based on longstanding considerations and ideological underpinnings of ethnobotanical vs. "random" biodiversity-based collection approaches is detailed herein. The results of this interdisciplinary study support the hypothesis that, by privileging the initial sample set in terms of human safety and pharmacological activity, ethnobotanically driven collection for biological screening efforts can produce leads unprecedented by the strict traditional usages of plants