Diuretic Activity of Extracts from Astydamia latifolia,Forsskaolea angustifolia and Ceterach aureum in Rats

We have confirmed the diuretic properties attributed to three endemic species from the Canary Islands. The plants chosen were Astydamia latifolia (L.f.), Forsskaolea angustifolia (Retz) and Ceterach aureum (Cav.) Buch. and Paronychia canariensis . The results confirm a diuretic activity probably due to high content of potassium salts     

Diuretic activity of Smilax canariensis, an endemic Canary Island species

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Smilax canariensis is an endemic species of the Canary Islands, popularly known as "Zarzaparrilla sin espinas". This species has wide use in folk-medicine practice on the islands, especially as diuretic. So the aim of our study is to evaluate the diuretic activity of an aqueous and a methanol extract of this species. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Three infusions doses (250, 500 and 750mg/kg) and two methanol extract doses (100 and 200mg/kg) were orally administered to laboratory rats. Water excretion rate, pH, density, conductivity, and content of Na(+) and K(+) were measured in the urine of saline-loaded rats. RESULTS: Water excretion rates were significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner by both hot water infusions and the alcohol extract. The electrolytic excretion was also dose-dependent, although potassium excretion was markedly reduced when using the alcohol extract compared with that observed for the infusion. CONCLUSIONS: Smilax canariensis presents a notable diuretic effect which appeared to be related both to its potassium content and to the presence of polar organic compounds. The present results provide a quantitative basis explaining the traditional folk-medicine use of Smilax canariensis as a diuretic agent by the Canary Island population.     

西沙群岛植物资源物种组成及药用植物多样性研究

目的：全面掌握西沙群岛主要岛礁的植物资源物种组成及药用植物多样性。方法：根据第四次全国中药资源普查的调查方法,选择样方和普遍调查相结合开展了西沙群岛18个岛礁的普查工作,收集野生和栽培药用植物资源的标本、分子样品并引种种植特色海岛植株。结果：合计调查到植物物种159种,重要的药用植物资源有68种。普遍调查发现,西沙群岛18个岛礁的植物资源分布存在差异,晋卿岛（71种）、东岛（62种）和赵述岛（66种）的植物资源物种数较多,而盘石屿和全富岛未发现有植物分布;依据样方套的方法得出药用植物资源物种累计较多的主要分布在晋卿岛（45种）、甘泉岛（35种）和东岛（51种）;74个样方套的均匀度（Pielou）指数为0～1.00、香农-威纳（Shannon-Wiener）指数为0～1.50、辛普森（Simpson）指数为0～0.75、逆辛普森（Inverse Simpson）指数为1.00～4.00。结论：西沙群岛18个岛礁的生态系统脆弱,原生物种种类单一且容易灭绝,本次调查有助于了解西沙群岛主要岛屿的植物资源分布状况和药用植物多样性,为三沙市药用植物资源的合理利用和保护提供基础性科学资料。     

Antidepressant activity of some Hypericum reflexum L. fil. extracts in the forced swimming test in mice

We previously reported that oral administration of the methanol extract obtained from the aerial part in blossom of Hypericum reflexum L. fil. was active in the tetrabenazine and forced swimming test. In the present study, the effect of the aqueous, butanol and chloroform fractions obtained from the methanol extract of this species on the central nervous system was investigated in mice, particularly in animal models of depression. Antidepressant activity was detected in the butanol and chloroform fractions of this species using the forced swimming test since both fractions induced a significant reduction of the immobility time, producing no effects or only a slight depression on spontaneous motor activity when assessed in a photocell activity meter. Moreover, these fractions did not alter significantly the pentobarbital-induced sleeping time. On the other hand, the chloroform fraction produced a slight but significant hypothermia and was also effective in antagonizing the ptosis induced by tetrabenazine. Furthermore, the butanol fraction produced a slight potentiation of the head twitches and syndrome induced by 5-HTP. Taken together, these data indicate that the butanol and chloroform fractions from Hypericum reflexum possess antidepressant-like effects in mice, providing further support for the traditional use of these plants in the Canary Islands folk medicine against central nervous disorders.     

Karen and Lawa medicinal plant use: Uniformity or ethnic divergence?

Ethnopharmacological relevance

We here tease apart the ethnopharmacological knowledge of plants in two Thai villages to determine to which degree the uses are particular to individual ethnic groups and to which degree they are part of a generalized and uniform set of widespread medicinal plants used over a large geographic range. We compared Karen and Lawa knowledge of medicinal plants in the Mae Cheam watershed of northern Thailand, where both ethnic groups have settled and share ecological conditions for resource extraction. We were interested in documenting the degree to which these two ethnic groups use the same or different medicinal plant species. The use of the same plant species by the two groups was considered a sign of uniform and cross-cultural local knowledge, whereas the use of different medicinal plants by each group was considered a sign of culturally specific local knowledge that developed within each ethnic group.

Materials and methods

We inventoried the plant species in different habitats around one Karen village and one Lawa village using stratified vegetation plots and using semi-structured questionnaires we interviewed 67 key informants regarding their use of plants for medicine. We then calculated the Fidelity level FL (FL values near 100% for a species indicate that almost all use reports refer to the same way of using the species, whereas low FL values indicate that a species is used for many different purposes) and cultural importance index CI (the sum of the proportion of informants that mention each of the use categories for a given species) to estimate the variation in medicinal plant use. We used Jaccard's Index JI (This index relates the number of shared species to the total number of species) to analyze the similarity of medicinal plant use between the two villages.

Results

A total of 103 species of medicinal plant species in 87 genera and 41 families were identified and they were used to cure 35 ailments. The FL of the medicinal plant species varied from 10% to 100%, was different for each ailment, and differed between the two ethnic groups. The most important medicinal plant species, those with the highest CI value, were not the same in the two villages. Costus speciosus, which is used to treat urinary infections and wounds in animals, had the highest CI value in the Karen village, whereas Sambucus javanica, which is used to treat wounds, fractures, bloat, and edema in humans, had the highest CI value in the Lawa village. Only 17 medicinal species (16.5%) were shared between the two villages. Methods of preparation and application were significantly different between the two villages, whereas the plant parts used, habit, and route of administration were similar.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates that ethnic groups that live in the same geographic area can have significantly different traditional knowledge systems for medicinal plants, at least when it comes to the species used and their preparation and medicinal application. We assume that differences in cultural history and background in the two villages led to differences in medicinal plant use, preparation, and application.     

Medicinal plants of Seberida (Riau Province, Sumatra, Indonesia)

Field enquiries on the plants used to treat diseases in villages of Seberida Municipality indicated that a large number of plant species (at least 100) are being used in therapy. Many of the uses, however, are magical in nature. Those in which a cause-effect relationship may be established (56) are presented in this paper. A review of the ethnomedical and experimental literature showed that medicinal plant uses in Seberida fall into three categories: those for which uses are corroborated by similar medicinal uses for the same plant or different species of the same genus in other cultures, those for which uses of the plant or species of the same genus are corroborated by evidence of relevant pharmacological activity in the experimental literature and those for which the medicinal uses are not corroborated. A discussion of these categories is presented. Taken as a whole, the medicinal uses of plants in Seberida are characterized by a remarkably high proportion of plants used to treat fevers and malaria and by a high proportion of species of which the leaves are used (externally or internally) for medicinal purposes. Comparison with other studies reported in the literature seems to indicate that a high frequency of the use of leaves in therapy may be a part of a larger cultural phenomenon among the tropical forest tribes of Southeast Asia and the southern Pacific Islands. Possible rationales for this type of use are offered.     

Native Americans' choice of species for medicinal use is dependent on plant family: confirmation with meta-significance analysis

We test the hypothesis that the choice by traditional people of species of plants for medicinal use does or does not depend on the families to which those species belong. Our geographic context is continental North America north of the Rio Grande River. Our plant context is flowering plants. Our ethnological context is Native American traditions. Our null hypothesis is that the probability of any species being medicinal is the fraction of all species that are medicinal, no matter the family to which that species may belong. Classical statistical techniques and the experience of ethnobiologists had already made it clear that among very large plant families, most have either very many or very few medicinal species. Here we use intense computation to simulate thousands of data sets to create predictions to compare with the observed data for medium and small families. Our results clearly show that a surprising number of medium and small families also have very many or very few medicinal species. Recent molecular, fossil and cytological studies have confirmed the evolutionary naturalness of most plant families. This suggests that species in the same family may have inherited from common ancestors similar ecological adaptations, such as ways to protect themselves from herbivores, pathogens or decomposers. Some of these adaptations affect the physiology of the attacking organisms, suggesting an explanation for the clear preferences of Native American traditions to choose medicinal species from some families much more than from others, regardless of the size of those families.     

Diuretic activity of Withania aristata: an endemic Canary Island species

This study reports on the pharmacological evaluation of the diuretic activity of an infusion and a methanol extract of Withania aristata Ait. in laboratory rats. Water excretion rate, pH, density, conductivity, and content of Na(+), K(+) and Cl(-) were measured in the urine of rats subjected to hypersaline conditions. Both the infusion and the methanol extract showed a significant diuretic effect compared with non-treated controls, with notable increases in the rates of water and sodium excretion. There was also a potassium retention effect. The diuretic effect did not appear to be related to the potassium content in the material tested, but did have some relation to its content of active polar compounds. The results justify the use of Withania aristata as a diuretic agent in folk medicine of the Canary Islands.     

Brazilian medicinal plants described by 19th century European naturalists and in the Official Pharmacopoeia

Ethnopharmacological relevance

The American flora represents one of the world’s wealthiest sources of material with pharmacological activity due to its biodiversity. Medicinal plants are widely used as home remedies in Brazil but several species used are native of other continents and were introduced here since the colonization, beginning in 1500. The Traditional Medicine Division of the WHO recognizes the importance of plant species used by the Amerindian as medicines, and recommends that their efficacies should be evaluated through pharmacological and toxicological assays.

Aim of the study

To verify which Brazilian medicinal plants, especially those of Amerindian origin, were used in 19th century and have been evaluated by pharmacological studies.

Materials and methods

Data about the use of native plants in traditional medicine were searched in bibliographic material from European naturalists who traveled throughout Minas Gerais in the 19th century.

Results and conclusion

Two hundred and three species were described as useful by these naturalists and thirty-nine of them were also included in the first edition of Brazilian Official Pharmacopoeia (FBRAS) in 1929, showing their use also in conventional medicine. Seventeen species have medicinal properties of Amerindian origin but despite the long tradition of medicinal plant use, only nine have been evaluated by pharmacological studies. That the studies which have been conducted to date have in each case confirmed the traditional uses of the plants examined. We suggest that the remaining species must be regarded as a priority for pharmacological studies, as they have promising phytotherapeutic potential.     

Novel meroditerpenes from the brown alga Cystoseira sp

Five new meroditerpenes have been isolated from a brown alga of the genus Cystoseira collected around the Canary Islands. One, cystoseirone diacetate (3), possesses a new rearranged structure with an unusual ether linkage in the diterpene side chain. Its biogenetic origin was explained as derived from the oxidation of amentol chromane diacetate (2) and subsequent cyclization. Structures were determined through the interpretation of the spectral data and by means of chemical transformations. The relative stereochemistry was proposed on the basis of ROESY correlations.     

Antiquity of medicinal plant usage in two Macro-Mayan ethnic groups (México)

In the biological sciences the use of medicinal plants in indigenous cultures is commonly seen as being based on a long tradition ('traditional medicine'). However, under normal circumstances, ethnobotanical studies cannot provide evidence on the antiquity of specific uses for medicinal plants since oral traditions have a limited historical depth and archaeological evidence does not provide evidence for the specific medicinal use of a certain plant. Here, we provide evidence for the antiquity of medicinal plant use in the Olmec region in Mexico by comparing the pharmacopoeias of the linguistically related Lowland Mixe and Zoque-Popoluca. These cultures, separated for about 2000 years, have cognates for vernacular medicinal plant names in common. For fifteen species such cognate names were detected. Also, a statistically significant segment of the medicinal flora is used for similar purposes. Overall, 123 species are shared between the two groups and of these 62 have a similar usage. In nine cases they also have a similar name. These findings make a transmission of such knowledge since the time of the Olmecs highly likely.     

Antidepressant properties of some Hypericum canariense L. and Hypericum glandulosum Ait. extracts in the forced swimming test in mice

It has been shown in a previous work that the methanol extract obtained from the aerial part in blossom of Hypericum canariense L. and Hypericum glandulosum Ait. was active in the tetrabenazine and forced swimming test. In the present study, the central nervous effect of the aqueous, butanol and chloroform fractions obtained from the methanol extracts of these Hypericum species was investigated in mice, particularly in animal models of depression. It was found that the immobility time in the forced swimming test was significantly reduced by the butanol and chloroform fraction of both species assayed, producing no effects or only a slight depression on spontaneous motor activity when assessed in a photocell activity meter. In this regard, the efficacy of the chloroform extract from Hypericum glandulosum Ait. (500 mg/kg p.o.) in the forced swimming test was comparable to that of the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine (50 mg/kg p.o.). In addition, the Hypericum glandulosum chloroform fraction was also effective in antagonizing the ptosis induced by tetrabenazine. Moreover, Hypericum canariense butanol fraction and Hypericum glandulosum chloroform fraction produced a slight but significant hypothermia. Taken together, these data demonstrate that the butanol and chloroform fractions from Hypericum canariense and Hypericum glandulosum possess antidepressant-like effects in mice, providing further support for the traditional use of these plants in the Canary Islands folk medicine against central nervous disorders.     

An ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants in Marmaris (Muğla,Turkey)

Ethnopharmacological relevance

This study aimed to document traditional uses of medicinal plants in the Marmaris district of south-west Anatolia and to compare this information with our current knowledge of plant medicine in Turkey and the Mediterranean countries.

Materials and methods

We collected the information through semi-structured interviews with 98 informants (51 men and 47 women). In addition, the relative importance value of species was determined and informant consensus factor (FIC) was calculated for the medicinal plants included in the study.

Results

We report the medicinal uses of 64 plant species belonging to 35 families, including the uses of nine essential oils. Most of the medicinal plants used in the Marmaris district belong to the families Lamiaceae (13 species) and Asteraceae (four species). The most commonly used plant species are Salvia fruticosa, Origanum onites, Lavandula stoechas, Mentha pulegium and Satureja thymbra. For the purposes of making essential oils, Salvia fruticosa is the plant species most commonly used. Two of the plants we report on (Liquidambar orientalis, Phlomis lycia) are endemic to Turkey and the East Agean Islands. Sideritis libanotica subsp. linearis is endemic to Turkey, Lebanon and Syria. Thymus cilicicus is endemic to Turkey, East Agean Islands, Lebanon and Syria. For six plant species (Narcissus tazetta, Lagenaria siceraria, Hypericum montbrettii, Phlomis grandiflora var. grandiflora, Polygonum bellardii, Crataegus aronia var. aronia) we report new different ethnobotanical uses not previously reported in Turkey.

Conclusions

Some plants are used for medicinal purposes both in Marmaris and in other parts of Turkey and in the Mediterranean countries, either for the same or for different purposes. This paper helps to preserve valuable information that may otherwise be lost to future generations.     

贵州菊科药用植物新记录种及药用新资源

目的：介绍贵州菊科药用植物地理分布新记录种和药用新资源的种类、地理分布及功效，为合理开发利用资源提供科学依据。方法；采用野外调查、标本采集、分类鉴定及资料考证相结合。结果：发现贵州菊科药用植物地理分布新记录种5种，药用新资源42种。结论：贵州菊科药用新资源种类较多，但部分种的分布区域狭窄，种群数量较少，这些药用新资源具有较高的药用价值和科研价值。应在保护的前提下，进行合理的开发利用。     

Plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge on medicinal use of wild shrub and herbaceous plant species in the Etna Regional Park (Eastern Sicily,Italy)

Ethnopharmacological relevance

This paper illustrates the results of a study carried out in the Etna Regional Park (Eastern Sicily, Italy) concerning the traditional knowledge on medicinal use of wild plant species. It contains the results of a quantitative analysis carried out for the first time. A total of 71 wild species are used for medicinal purposes. Two species, Astracantha sicula (Biv.) Greuter and Trifolium phleoides Willd., are little known as medicinal in the Mediterranean area. The main aim of the study was to understand to what extent current knowledge on the medicinal use of plants is still an element of the culture within the elderly population of the Etna Regional Park. A further aim was to identify species not previously reported as medicinal in the Mediterranean area with a potential agricultural interest.

Methodology

The information was obtained using a semi-structured interview format performed on a sample of 196 people over the age of 60 who were considered experts in rural traditions. The plant uses were compared with other medical-ethnobotanical studies carried out in other areas of Sicily, Italy and various other Mediterranean countries. A number of quantitative indices were also used in order to verify the incidence of the species cited in the study within the culture and traditional medicine.

Results

Local communities currently use a total number of 71 wild species (34 families) as remedies for medicinal purposes. Most of the species were used as treatments against metabolic disorders and for general health. The leaves and the aerial parts of plants are the most-used parts of the plant and the most common preparation methods are decoction and direct application of plant parts. Astracantha sicula and Trifolium phleoides have never been documented as a species with medicinal properties in the Mediterranean literature.

Conclusions

Only very few medicinal uses are widely known by all the informants and, on many occasions, a specific medicinal use is cited by only very few people. The quantitative analysis shows that the level of traditional knowledge on medicinal use of plants in the study area is poor, highlighting a considerably advanced state of cultural erosion.     

新疆厄鲁特蒙古族药用民族植物学的研究

新疆厄鲁特蒙古族对植物的药物利用知识包括对植物种类的选择、植物药用部分的选择、功能和主治的认识、药用方法的实践等4个方面。民间药用植物共有42种,隶属于22科、38属。民间选择的药用部位可分为全草类、根及根茎类、茎类、叶类、花类、果实类、其他类等7个类型,根及根茎类和全草类是药用最多的部位。民间对药用植物功能和主治有着一定的认识,但往往不能明确区分植物药用功能和主治。民间对植物的药用方法有着类似炮制、配方、剂型和用药方法的知识和经验;内服药以水煎服为主,外用药以涂搽和洗浴为主。新疆厄鲁特蒙古族民间药用植物知识对寻找药用植物新种类及其方法提供了线索。     

贵州菊科药用植物新记录种及药用新资源

目的：介绍贵州菊科药用植物地理分布新记录种和药用新资源的种类、地理分布及功效,为合理开发利用资源提供科学依据。方法：采用野外调查、标本采集、分类鉴定及资料考证相结合。结果：发现贵州菊科药用植物地理分布新记录种5种,药用新资源42种。结论：贵州菊科药用新资源种类较多,但部分种的分布区域狭窄,种群数量较少,这些药用新资源具有较高的药用价值和科研价值,应在保护的前提下,进行合理的开发利用。     

Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants from the Humla district of western Nepal

Aim of the study

The present paper documents the uses of plants in traditional herbal medicine for treatment of human and veterinary ailments in four village development committees in the Humla district of western Nepal. It also determines the homogeneity of informant's knowledge on medicinal plants suitable for different ailment categories and the most preferred plant species used to treat each ailment category in the study areas.

Materials and methods

The ethnobotanical information was collected through semi-structured interviews and key informant discussion. The data were analyzed through informant consensus factor (ICF), fidelity level (FL) and use value (UV).

Results

We documented 161 plant species belonging to 61 families and 106 genera used for treating 73 human and 7 veterinary ailments. We also documented culinary uses and additional uses for 67 and 33 species of medicinal plant species respectively. Most medicines were prepared in the form of powder and used orally. Roots were most frequently used plant parts. The uses of 93 medicinal plants were not mentioned in any previous studies. Gastro-intestinal ailments have the highest ICF (0.40) whereas opthalmological uses have the lowest (zero) ICF. Mentha spicata and Rumex hastatus has the highest FL (100% each) both being used for gastro-intestinal ailments and Delphinium himalayai has the lowest (47.4%) for veterinary uses.

Conclusions

ICF values indicated that there was high agreement in the use of plants in gastro-intestinal ailment category among the users. FL or UV values indicated the most preferred plant species used in study areas. These preferred plant species could be prioritized for conservation and subjected to further studies related to chemical screening for their authenticity. Most of the medicinal plants of the region are collected in the wild and are often harvested for trade. Sustainable harvesting methods and domestication of the highly traded species is thus needed in the study areas.     

Traditional herbal drugs of Bulamogi,Uganda: plants,use and administration

We present here an inventory of the medicinal plants of Bulamogi county in Uganda, including their medicinal use, preparation and administration modes. Fieldwork for this study was conducted between June 2000 and June 2001 using semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and participant observation as well as transect walks in wild herbal plant collection areas. We recorded 229 plant species belonging to 168 genera in 68 families with medicinal properties. A large proportion of these plants are herbaceous. The medicinal plants are mainly collected from the wild. Some species, such as Sarcocephalus latifolius (Smith) Bruce, are believed by the community to be threatened by unsustainable intensities of use and patterns of harvesting. Particularly vulnerable are said to be the woody or the slow growing species. Herbal medicines are prepared as decoctions, infusions, powders, or as ash, and are administered in a variety of ways. Other concoctions consist of juices and saps. The purported therapeutic claims await validation. Validation in our opinion can help to promote confidence among users of traditional medicine, and also to create opportunities for the marketing of herbal medicines and generate incomes for the community. The processing, packaging and storage of herbal medicines is substandard and require improvement.