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

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

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

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

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

Histological study of different layers of oocyte in stellate sturgeon (Acipenser stellatus)

The present study was conducted on a large number of oocytes collected from 36 female Acipenser stellatus brood fish caught from fishing grounds in the Guilan province and transferred to the Shahid Behesti Sturgeon Breeding Center during 1997-1998. Physiological assessments were carried out on the microscopic sections prepared from these oocytes. Under normal conditions, 9 distinguishable layers were observed in the sections prepared from A. stellatus oocytes that included the follicle, the outer most layer, followed by a jelly coat, an external zona radiata, internal zona radiata, fat layer, pigments, cytoplasm, nucleus and nucleoli. The presence of erythrocytes and micropyle canal in the oocytes indicate normal embryognesis among them