A Mixed Questionnaire Study on Prayer as Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Ghana

Background: Prayer is paramount in the spiritual welfare and development of an individual. Interestingly, prayer is also considered as a form of complementary alternative medicine and is employed in primary healthcare delivery. Aim: The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of prayer in primary healthcare delivery as a form of complementary healthcare. This study also investigates why patients opt for prayer as an alternative to standard medical care and ultimately to review the scientific aspect of prayer in medicine. Methods: The study incorporates a mixed methods study with integrated data analysis. The respondents in this study were selected practitioners of Naturopathic Medicine with pastoral background, who belong to the Association of Naturopathic Medicine Practitioners in Ghana. Results: Patients and complementary and alternative medicine practitioners alike in Ghana believe that prayer is very important to aid recovery and hence, plays an integral role as complementary medicine in healthcare. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that there is a role of prayer as complementary alternative medicine in primary healthcare delivery. We therefore hold the view that, pastors at the prayer camps should be well educated in basic medical sciences to enable an effective referral pathway to the standard medical centers.

The Phytochemistry and Anticarcinogenic Activity of Noni Juice

Noni juice, obtained from the fruit of the noni tree (Morinda citrifolia L.), is a popular commodity in the market, particularly in the South Pacific. It is widely used by consumers for the prevention of several lifestyle diseases. Although there is increasing interest in the potential therapeutic use of noni plants, there are no comparative studies on the various commercialized noni fruit juices available to decipher their phytochemical composition and properties against carcinomas. The present study, therefore, aims to fill this research gap and investigate the juice’s anecdotal use as complementary alternative medicine to manage cancer. Five commercial brands of noni juice were included in this study, namely, Tahitian Organic Noni (TON), Cook Island Noni (CIN), Dynamic Health Noni (DHN), Fijian Noni (FN), and Life Health Noni (LHN). The juice samples were vacuum-filtered and freeze-dried to obtain crystal products for methanolic extraction. Total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant capacity (FRAP—ferric reducing antioxidant power) were determined on the methanolic extracts. The cytotoxicity of the noni juices was also tested on human cervical adenocarcinoma (HeLa cell lines) by dissolving 2 mg of the crystal product in sterile deionized water and diluting to 1000 μg/mL in the media culture. The final concentration of the extracts in the well plate was 500 μg/mL. The MTS cell viability assay was performed after the cells were incubated with the extracts for 48 h at 37 °C with 5% CO2. The DHN and FN extracts were found to have the highest TPC of 5393 ± 298 and 5060 ± 23 mg gallic acid equivalent /100 g dry weight (DW), respectively, whereas the highest antioxidant capacity was seen in the CIN extract (6389 ± 49 mg Trolox equivalent/100 g DW). The CIN extract also showed the most promising effect with only 63 ± 1% cell viability, whilst the other extracts showed lower cytotoxic effects (76–90% cell viability) on the HeLa cell line. It is possible that greater cytotoxicity could be observed over long exposure times. The noni juice samples contain high levels of TP and antioxidant capacity and appear to show some level of cytotoxic activity, which were statistically different from the negative control. Further work involving more extensive in vitro and in vivo studies are necessary to elucidate its anticarcinogenic activities.

Effects of Apricot and Apricot Kernels on Human Health and Nutrition: A Review of Recent Human Research

Plants are one of the most important sources of medicine for humans to face diseases and disorders. Despite some advances in the field of allopathic system of medicine, adverse reactions have not been prevented from being an integral part of modern medicine. Plants are one of the important sources of drug discovery in both modern and traditional medicine systems worldwide. Recent developments in food and nutrition, consumer preferences shifted to foods rich in nutraceuticals. Furthermore 70% of marketed drugs are either natural or semisynthetic materials which derived from plants. Most literature on complementary alternative medicine worldwide either reports the nature of phytocomponents in medicinal plants or shows a mechanistic basis for their pharmacological activities. The medicinal and therapeutic effect of apricot has not been studied so far. In this review, an attempt has been made highlight the importance of apricot and its kernel in human health and nutrition by summarizing the literature reports published to date. Apricot exhibited diversified effects on degenerative diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular and hemostasis, at the same time has many pharmacological effects such as anti-parasitic, anti-aging, anti-atherosclerosis, renoprotective, hepatoprotective and antioxidant have been reported.