Medicinal Plant Use and Health Sovereignty: Findings from the Tajik and Afghan Pamirs

Medicinal plants are indicators of indigenous knowledge in the context of political volatility and sociocultural and ecological change in the Pamir Mountains of Afghanistan and Tajikistan. Medicinal plants are the primary health care option in this region of Central Asia. The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate that medicinal plants contribute to health security and sovereignty in a time of instability. We illustrate the nutritional as well as medicinal significance of plants in the daily lives of villagers. Based on over a decade and half of research related to resilience and livelihood security, we present plant uses in the context of mountain communities. Villagers identified over 58 cultivated and noncultivated plants and described 310 distinct uses within 63 categories of treatment and prevention. Presence of knowledge about medicinal plants is directly connected to their use

Composition, viscosity and solubility of saleps from twenty different orchid (Orchidaceae) species

The quality of salep depends on its chemical composition, especially its glucomannan content, which varies according to the species. Saleps from 20 different orchid species collected from various regions in Turkey were analyzed for dry matter, ash, protein, glucomannan and starch contents. Moreover, viscosity and solubility of these saleps (1% w/v) in water and milk with different sucrose levels (15-25% w/v) were investigated. Starch and glucomannan contents of the species were found between 4.58-43.98 and 7.84-48.54%, respectively. Saleps obtained from Dactylorhizaromana ssp. georgica, Orchis tridentata and Serapiasvomeracea ssp. vomeracea species were identified as the species that contained the highest glucomannan content (42-48%) which could provide the highest viscosity in water and milk solutions. Additionally, despite having relatively lower glucomannan and starch content (36 and 35%), the water solution made with salep from Himantoglossum affine exhibited high viscosity and suggested that a synergistic effect existed between starch and glucomannan. Saleps from nine orchid species contained more than 40% glucomannan but only three of them exhibited good thickening properties and can provide ideal viscosity in water and milk with the addition of sucrose (658-690 cP)

Alkaloids of marine macroalgae

Marine alkaloids have their origins from marine organisms including marine macroalgae. On the other hand, some marine algal alkaloids such as phenylethylamine derivatives were previously isolated from terrestrial plants. The other groups of alkaloids like indole derivatives and halogenated alkaloids are specific for algae. Most of the indole group alkaloids are concentrated in red algae. Green algae are rich of bromine- and chloride-containing alkaloids. These halogenated alkaloids of algae are not present in terrestrial plants and are specific for algae and sea organisms. Marine algae contain 44 alkaloids, consisting of 1 phenylethylamine, 41 indole, and 1 naphthyridine derivates. In the halogenated alkaloid group, there are 25 bromine-containing compounds, among which 7 have chlorine and 5 have sulfur, additionally. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013

Volatile oils from marine macroalgae

Volatile oils of algae contain a variety of compounds. The main group, terpenes, contains acyclic: linalool, geraniol, citronellol; monocyclic: limonene, 1-8-cineol, p-cymene; bicyclic: ?- and ß-pinene, cadinene, aromatic eugenol, and isoeugenol. The others are benzaldehyde, phenol, p-cresol, various acids, alcohols, aldehydes, amines, ketones, sulfur containing and halogenated compounds. When volatile oil components of algae and terrestrial plants are compared, the algae were found to be relatively poor. Importantly, halogenated compounds occur only in algae, but not in terrestrial plants. In this chapter, we present briefly but comprehensively the occurrence of various volatile compounds in different classes of algae. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013

Pharmacology of macroalgae alkaloids

Constituents of marine algae gained importance in the last four decades due to the growing interest in their potential for medicinal use. Till today, 44 alkaloids were isolated from macroalgae; some of which were reported to induce important pharmacological effects. These alkaloids can be classified under four groups as 2-phenylethylamine, indole, halogenated indole, and 2,7-naphthyridine derivatives, and each group displays a relatively distinguished activity profile. Overall, pharmacological effect spectrum of macroalga alkaloids is wide and includes neuromodulation, neurotransmission, growth regulation, cytotoxicity, angiogenesis, antioxidation as well as antibacterial, antifungal, and larvicidal activities. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013