Andrew Semotiuk

• Ph.D
• University of California, Riverside

This ethnopharmacological investigation aims to collect, identify, and document distinguishable medicinal plant species and remedies used by the local people for the management of diabetes in the Maidan valley in the district Dir Lower, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The local people of the valley have relied on botanical antidiabetic herbal formula...

Background: Traditional knowledge and practice prevalence is on an overall decline. In this study, we examine preservation strategies reported in the literature, follow-up measures, and categories of traditional knowledge and conservation practices that are being attempted by non-profit organizations. Methods: To answer these questions, we reviewed...

Background: Local people of the Kumrat Valley, district Upper Dir in Northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan rely on wild food plants (WFP) for nutrition, medicine, and monetary value. The present study aimed to accomplish a detailed investigation of local wild food plants and their therapeutic importance to identify innovative organic food products...

Background: Berberis lycium Royle is a well-known medicinal plant, belonging to the family Berberidaceae, and is widely distributed in Lower Dir, Pakistan. Parts of B. lycium like rhizomes and berries are used by the local people as medicine and food. This research work focused on two major aspects regarding B. lycium. Firstly, to determine the var...

Ibervillea sonorae (Cucurbitaceae) has risen to prominence as an empirical treatment for type 2 diabetes in Mexico, where the problem of diabetes is widespread. To further explore possible anti-hyperglycemic mechanisms of I. sonorae, the anti-diabetic reports for Cucurbitaceae tribes indexed in the Web of Knowledge and the empirical practices used...

Aim/Background: Boraginaceae is famous for the production of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) and some of these PAs are carcinogenic and also cause liver failure. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to identify the presence or absence of hepatotoxic pyrrolizidine alkaloids in the tribe Lithospermeae (Boraginaceae). If any are found, it may ind...

Aim/Background: Hypertension is surging around the world and negatively affecting lives and livelihoods along its way. This plight is felt especially hard by the world's rural population in developing nations, where many barriers to medical care exist. These barriers can exhibit themselves as monetary or distance barriers. In Pakistan, where barrie...

The persistence of traditional cultures and modes of land use within rapidly changing, globalized societies is a central issue in understanding ecological and cultural change in the Anthropocene. Located in the heart of the Green Revolution, the Yoreme (Mayo) people of the Mayo Valley in Mexico still obtain a significant proportion of their sustena...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: From early times man has used medicinal plants for the treatment of various ailments and basic health care needs. The use of herbal medicines has increased day by day and with this, so do reports of adverse events, poisoning, and suspected toxicity. Similarly, the indigenous communities of Neelum Valley in Azad Kash...

Many families of the Lower Dir district in Northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan depend on wild food plants for nutrition as well as income. Previous researchers have indicated that wild food plants may be used for projects to support nutrition and livelihoods, but success of these initiatives is elusive. The aim of this study was to identify sign...

Because the adoption of technology into traditional systems has unknown effects, we examined the hypothesis that social media aids shopkeeper selection of herbs or herbal preparations that the public is exposed to. Medicinal plant shopkeepers in southern Sonora, Mexico, were interviewed about their customer base and marketing strategy. The majority...

Recent studies suggest that vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) can modulate smooth muscle phenotype and consequently the composition and function of arteries upstream from the microcirculation where angiogenesis occurs. Given that hypoxia potently induces VEGF, the present study explores the hypothesis that in fetal arteries VEGF contributes...

Chronic hypoxia increases Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) and thereby promotes angiogenesis. The present study explores the hypothesis that hypoxic increases in VEGF also remodel artery wall structure and contractility through phenotypic transformation of smooth muscle. Pregnant and non-pregnant ewes were maintained at sea level (normoxia...

An investigation on the declining use of indigenous language and its impact on traditional Q'eqchi' and Mopán Maya culture in Southern Belize was undertaken. This study assessed student use of the vulnerable Q'eqchi' language and the endangered Mopán language. The ability to speak their indigenous language was viewed as significantly lower among th...