Aqueous Extract of Ficus bengalensis Linn. Bark for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The present study was designed to evaluate the effects of aqueous extract of Ficus bengalensis Linn. bark (AEFB) on inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Effects of AEFB were studied on 2, 4, 6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS, 0.25 ml 120 mg/ml in 50% ethanol intrarectally, on first day only)-induced IBD in rats. Effects of co-administration of prednisolone (2 mg/kg) and AEFB (250, 500 mg/kg) for 21 days were also evaluated. Various physical parameters including body weight, food, and water intake measured on 1st and 21st days. At end of the experiment, various histopathological indexes are assessed. The colon homogenate malondialdehyde (MDA), myeloperoxidase (MPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and nitric oxide (NO) levels and % mast cell protection in mesentery were also measured. In our study, we found that AEFB has a significant protective effect in the inflammatory bowel disease as compared to prednisolone in rats

Conservation ethics versus development: how to obviate the dichotomy?

This paper is an attempt to portray the present 'no-win' situation with respect to conservation and development, and to suggest the means to overcome the predicament. Due to its inherent exclusionist approach, modern science could not incorporate multiple variables that operate in the complex processes of the life supporting systems. Globalization of trade is creating a New World Order of economic colonization. Under the umbrella of globalization, consumerism has become an all-pervasive culture, eroding the pluralistic cultural base of the world. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. Where there are threats of irreversible environmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be used as a reason for postponing precautionary action. Scientific adventurism should give way to holistic wisdom. Solutions to most of the problems lie, not within the boundaries of exclusive specializations, but in the interface of all the disciplines of knowledge. Integration of the traditional ecological knowledge with modern technology could lead to a better understanding of nature and its complex processes. Living within - not against - the logic of the ecosphere, by abandoning affluence and consumptive growth, should be the new paradigm.