Spear Thistle (Cirsium Vulgare L.) And Ramsons (Allium Ursinum L.), Impressive Health Benefits And High-Nutrient Medicinal Plants

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 168-171
Author(s):  
Mohamad Hesam Shahrajabian
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Cirsium Vulgare ◽  
Allium Ursinum ◽  
High Nutrient

scholarly journals Health benefits of bioactive compounds from cocoa (Theobroma cacao)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahanas E ◽  
Seeja T Panjikkaran ◽  
Sharon C L ◽  
Remya P R
Keyword(s):  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Vascular Function ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Nutrient Content ◽  
Brain Regions ◽  
Bioactive Components ◽  
Cocoa Products ◽  
High Nutrient ◽  
Health Promoting ◽  
The Brain

Cocoa is regarded as a super food due to its high nutrient content and proven health benefits. Cocoa beans are rich in carbohydrate (31%), protein (11%), fat (54%), fibre (16%) and minerals. Cocoa is a good source of bioactive compounds too. The major bioactive components are polyphenols constituted of flavanoids and non flavanoids. The bioactive components with rich antioxidants and anti-inflammatory activities contribute to various health benefits. The flavonoid rich chocolates improve peripheral vascular function. The consumption of cocoa or chocolate are beneficial in inhibiting the complex molecular process leading to cancer. Flavanoids in cocoa increases insulin sensitivity by improving endothelial function and reducing oxidative stress. The cocoa flavonoids also penetrate and accumulate in the brain regions involved in learning and memory. The knowledge on bioactive compounds in cocoa and cocoa products suggests that they could be consumed as a part of wholesome, health promoting nutritional food.

scholarly journals The Potential Therapeutic Value of Medicinal Plants in the Management of Metabolic Disorders

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 2669 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor T. Nyakudya ◽  
Thulani Tshabalala ◽  
Rachael Dangarembizi ◽  
Kennedy H. Erlwanger ◽  
Ashwell R. Ndhlala
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
South African ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Well Being ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Biologically Active ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Impact

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a prevalent, multifactorial and complex disease that is associated with an increased risk of developing diabetes and other major cardiovascular complications. The rise in the global prevalence of MetS has been attributed to genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. The adoption of sedentary lifestyles that are characterized by low physical activity and the consumption of high-energy diets contributes to MetS development. Current management criteria for MetS risk factors involve changes in lifestyle and the use of pharmacological agents that target specific biochemical pathways involved in the metabolism of nutrients. Pharmaceutical drugs are usually expensive and are associated with several undesirable side effects. Alternative management strategies of MetS risk factors involve the use of medicinal plants that are considered to have multiple therapeutic targets and are easily accessible. Medicinal plants contain several different biologically active compounds that provide health benefits. The impact of phytochemicals present in local medicinal plants on sustainable health and well-being of individuals has been studied for many years and found to involve a plethora of complex biochemical, metabolic, and physiological mechanisms. While some of these phytochemicals are the basis of mainstream prescribed drugs (e.g., metformin, reserpine, quinine, and salicin), there is a need to identify more medicinal plants that can be used for the management of components of MetS and to describe their possible mechanisms of action. In this review, we assess the potential health benefits of South African ethnomedicinal plants in protecting against the development of health outcomes associated with MetS. We aim to provide the state of the current knowledge on the use of medicinal plants and their therapeutically important phytochemicals by discussing the current trends, with critical examples from recent primary references of how medicinal plants are being used in South African rural and urban communities.

scholarly journals Phytochemical Omics in Medicinal Plants

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 936
Author(s):  
Jen-Tsung Chen
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
The World

Medicinal plants are used to treat diseases and provide health benefits, and their applications are increasing around the world [...]

scholarly journals Ethnomedicinal Exploration of Plants Utilized by The People of Suryabinayak Municipality in Bhaktapur District, Nepal

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alisha Bhalia ◽  
Sudarshana Shakya ◽  
Bikram Kunwar ◽  
Bikash Baral ◽  
Sujan Chaudhary ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Traditional Knowledge ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Pharmaceutical Research ◽  
Residential Areas ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Rapid Rural Appraisal ◽  
The People ◽  
Rich Diversity ◽  
Rural Appraisal

Ethnomedicine refers to the use of medicinal plants by a society, ethnic group or tribe for health benefits and for the prevention, treatment, and cure of different ailments. The healthy relationship between plants and humans has been continuing since the start of human civilization. The present study aims to document the medicinal information about plants used by ethnic people in different wards of Suryabinyak Municipality, Bhaktapur district, to conserve and utilize the traditional knowledge. Ethnomedicinal data were collected by a Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA) method such as door to door surveys, direct observation. Individual interviews, field visits, and a questionnaire survey with the guidance of key informants. The present study has documented 107 medicinal plant species under 60 families which are used for prevention and treatment of 39 different diseases like Jaundice, diarrhea, dysentery, and cancer and 46 distinct health benefits like cough, cold, anti-bleeding, stomachache, diarrhea, fever, blood pressure, fracture, toothache, etc. Suryabinayak Municipality has a rich diversity in culture, ethnic groups, and medicinal plants, along with a wide geographic and climatic condition. However, with modernization, urbanization, deforestation, and increasing residential areas, the occurrence and use of medicinal plants have been diminished. Thus, documentation of this research is vital for further pharmaceutical research and enhancement and preservation of traditional knowledge of local people living in Suryabinayak Municipality and Nepal.

Pteridophytes: evolutionary boon as medicinal plants

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 328-355 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hit Kishore Goswami ◽  
Kakali Sen ◽  
Radhanath Mukhopadhyay
Keyword(s):  
Native American ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Antibiotic Activity ◽  
American People ◽  
Total Polyphenols ◽  
Specific Chemical

AbstractSelective use of crude plant extracts has been the oldest ritual in ancient Indian Medicinal System ‘Ayurveda’, as well as in Traditional Chinese Medicine system for thousands of years. This has been well documented that herbal medicines of Chinese, Indian, Korean and Native American people had included bryophytes, lichens, lycophytes and ferns. Since antiquity, most of the ferns and fern allies have given many health benefits to ancient civilizations who had used them for food, tea and drugs. Modern approaches have combined multidisciplinary technologies and have specific chemical compounds extracted and identified for producing very particulate medicines from plant parts. Plants, which yield appreciable quality and quantity of polysaccharides, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, alkaloids and antibiotics are suitable for dragging out drugs for many ailments/diseases, including cancer treatments. Modern explorations on the functional activities of pteridophytes for human health by discovering specific compounds and their usage in medicines have widened the scope of pteridophytes by shaping these plants as a great boon for pharmaceutical companies and related industries. Even ‘fern weeds’, which invade our freshwater bodies and reduce the freshwater wealth of a lake, e.g. Azolla, Salvinia, Marsilea, Ceratopteris, etc. can be utilized to produce life saving drugs because they are reservoirs of very many organic compounds that are useful as medicines. Some of the fern genera have a few unique secondary metabolites, which have not been discovered in higher plants. Polyphenols are useful phytochemicals, which provide health benefits such as antioxidants. From experiments on screening of total polyphenol contents of 37 ferns and fern allies, Polystichum lepidocaulon and Polystichum polyblepharum were reported to have more than 13% of total polyphenols from dried materials of both fronds and rhizomes. In addition, fronds of Davallia mariesii and rhizomes of Cyrtomium fortune, Dicranopteris pedata, Athyrium niponicum and Dryopteris nipponensis showed more than 10% of total polyphenols from dried materials. High bioactivities of traditional medicinal ferns have been studied internationally to underscore their roles in medicine. These attempts have confirmed various bioactivities, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antitumor and anti-HIV, etc. The occurrence of antibiotic activity in the extracts of more than 200 species of pteridophytes has been shown to be of prime significance within the period of 1975–2015. The active substances in many cases were found to be antibacterial to penicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, Mycobacterium phlei, Salmonella typhi, Vibrio cholera, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Dryopteris cochleata was active against both bacteria and fungi. Five other species of Dryopteris showed remarkable antibacterial activity. The ferns of ‘Adiantum group’ have been found to be particularly active against Gram-positive bacteria. The polypodiaceous ferns constitute a rich group of which Microsorum alternifolium, Leptochillus decurrens, Polypodium irioides, Pyrrosia mannii and Phymatodes ebenipes deserve special mention. Several thelypteroid, davallioid and athyrioid ferns, in addition to antibiotic activity have also been found to show most useful bioactivity for our life – the antioxidant activity. The latter superb biochemical quality of ferns alone makes most ferns of great advantage to human health. Lycophytes particularly Lycopodium clavatum and Equisetum hyemale and ferns (Dryopteris and Adiantums) have had constituted the backbone of Homeopathic medicines and now many more genera have been added to the network of modern medicinal approaches in the drug industry. These pteridophytes are indispensably integral parts of forests world over. A few of the aquatic ferns (Azolla, Salvinia) serve as excellent bio-fertilizers and bioremediation agents. Medicinal plants are under cultivation and cultured world over. Botanically, say a thousand years ago, these were wild and many of them were weeds. As pteridophytes have survived since Paleozoic, they have undergone series of disruptive adaptive changes of environment than any other vascular plants. These plants most likely, could withstand the tests of geological time on account of their being guarded with genetic capability of possessing many useful oils, phytochemicals (secondary metabolites) such as flavonoids, steroids, alkaloids, phenols, triterpenoid compounds, varieties of amino acids and fatty acids, which in turn offer inherent tolerance and defense system . Additionally, from evolutionary point of view majority of ferns have constituted carpet flora and have worked as ‘cradles’ in natural forests so as to nurture small animals particularly reptiles and mammals. Ferns are denominators of prevalent rich biodiversity in almost every part of the earth. Comparison of evolutionary adaptations and natural innovations illuminate the genetic basis for the development of organisms. It is emphasized that there should be good field stations just in the peripheral region of reserved forests with large green houses to function as ‘Fernariums/ Mossariums/ and/or Lichenariums’ to conserve and maintain rare, endangered and medicinally superlative species found in those areas/forests. Gene networks (DNA stretches) that retain similar wiring diagrams (some or many similar DNA sequences) among related, distantly related or even totally diverse organisms point to the ways in which regulatory regions of the genome have evolved. Indisputably, comparative genomics can help us in deciphering evolvability of gene network and conservation modes during vast geological journey in evolution. We need exhaustive genomics and multidimensional molecular genetic studies on pteridophytes so as to discover unique DNA sequences, which could turn the gates of modern medicine.

scholarly journals The Potential Gastrointestinal Health Benefits of Thymus Vulgaris Essential Oil: A Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (04) ◽  
pp. 1793-1799 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdulaziz Almanea ◽  
Gamal S. Abd El-Aziz ◽  
Mohamed Morsi M. Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Essential Oil ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Food Additives ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Pharmaceutical Preparations ◽  
Flowering Plant ◽  
Thymus Vulgaris ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits

In recent times, medicinal plants have received great attention worldwide due to their effective pharmacological properties and therapeutic benefits. Numerous chemical compounds extracted from various medicinal plants have manifold biological activities. Thymus vulgaris (TV) is a flowering plant with an aromatic odor that has been broadly applied in conventional medicine, food additives, and phyto-pharmaceutical preparations. It is recognized to have promising therapeutic potential for curing various types of diseases. The essential oil extracted from TV, which contains a high quantity of flavonoids, possess antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Consequently, it could be utilized as a good source in developing novel natural antioxidants and antibiotics. This review explores some of the potential health benefits of TV essential oil (TVEO) on the gastrointestinal tract.

scholarly journals ANTIDIABETIC, ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, ANTIBACTERIAL, ANTI-HELMINTHIC, ANTIOXIDANT AND NUTRITIONAL POTENTIAL OF MUSA PARADISIACA

2019 ◽  
pp. 9-13
Author(s):  
OLUWAFEMI OMONIYI OGUNTIBEJU
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Care Delivery ◽  
Parasitic Infection ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Pharmaceutical Products ◽  
Plant Materials ◽  
Musa Paradisiaca ◽  
Anti Inflammatory

The medicinal and economic values of medicinal plants remain vital to the well-being, growth, and development of humans, especially those living in developing countries. It has been shown that due to the availability, less side effects, general acceptance by local people, medicinal plants contribute significantly to improving health-care delivery system by supplying important pharmaceutical and pharmacological ingredients that are affordable to the teaming majority of people. It is estimated that 30% of pharmaceutical products that are sold globally is rich in compounds derived from plant materials. It is also of interest to report that over 80% of the people in developing countries, mostly in Asia and Africa depend heavily on plant products in the treatment and management of various disease conditions. The interest in demand and utilization of medicinal plants has also increased significantly due to the high cost of orthodox medications, lack of good transportation, lack of storage facilities, inadequate availability of health professionals, and lack of the will and political power to provide basic health needs for the citizens of these developing countries. Musa paradisiaca is one of such medicinal plants believed to have multi-faceted health benefits and its health benefits extend to different countries of the world. It is a stable crop found in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America commonly consumed as energy-yielding food but with many medicinal values as well. It is used in the treatment and management of diabetes mellitus, inflammation, parasitic infection, microbial infections, renal, and liver dysfunction. This manuscript focuses on the antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-helminthic, and nutritional values of M. paradisiaca.

scholarly journals An attempt to improve the solubility and stability of Ocimum tenuiflorum aqueous leaves extract

Food Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 357-365
Author(s):  
Rohini J. ◽  
Muhammad Ezzudin R. ◽  
Rabeta M.S.
Keyword(s):  
Medicinal Plants ◽  
Bioactive Compounds ◽  
Solid Dispersion ◽  
Solid Dispersions ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Active Compounds ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Ocimum Tenuiflorum ◽  
The Stability

Medicinal plants have gained attention in recent years due to the presence of various bioactive compounds which promote distinct health benefits and is less toxic. However, the plants face common and serious problems due to their active compounds which are the solubility and stability. Ocimum tenuiflorum, one of the ancient medicinal plants were its medicinal values have been widely studies. Yet, study to improve its quality still lacking. Thus, an effort was taken to study and improve the solubility and stability of the plant. Solid dispersions were prepared with extract and different types of surfactants at different ratio have used to improve the stability. Lecithin (1:1 ratio) have improved the solubility significantly (p<0.05) when compared to extract. Enhancement in solubility, hence improved the stability when stored at 4°C of the solid dispersion of extract. Overall, the study has successfully improved the quality of the extract with lecithin complex whereby the solubility and increases stability.

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