Thomas Brendler

Plantaphile

Stevens’ Cure (Umckaloabo) emerged as a patent medicine claiming to treat tuberculosis in the United Kingdom at the beginning of the 20th century. However, due to its identity being shrouded in secrecy, it was never truly accepted by the medical community. It was “rediscovered” in the 1970s and subsequently developed into a very popular and success...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Uzara, Xysmalobium undulatum (L.) W.T.Aiton, a herbal medicine for diarrhoea and smooth-muscle cramps is little-known outside Germany, where it has had a market presence for ∼110 years. The early introduction of this Southern African medicinal plant into Europe and the US was entrepreneurially driven, similar to buc...

This article reviews the traditional and modern uses of plants in the genus Pipturus Wedd. (Urticaceae), specifically the four endemic Pipturus species that are collectively known as “māmaki” and found on the Hawaiian Islands. The little research conducted on mamaki leaves its uses largely uncorroborated. Mamaki is underutilized, yet shows substant...

Pelargonium sidoides DC. (Geraniaceae), also known as ‘African geranium’, is a small perennial, rosette-like plant with crowded leaves and distinctive dark, reddish-purple flowers. The roots of the plant have long been used in South African traditional medicine for the treatment of sore throat, congestion, bronchitis, diarrhoea and dysentery. Pelar...

Herbal tea is a mainstay dosage form in practically all systems of traditional medicine and widely used in modern alternative and complementary medicine. Incorporating botanical extracts into herbal tea formulations is of vital interest to manufacturers as it allows for the use of herbal ingredients that would otherwise not be suitable for the dosa...

Dietary supplement current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) requires establishment of quality parameters for each component used in the manufacture of a dietary supplement to ensure that specifications for the identity, purity, strength, composition, and limits on contaminants are met.* Compliance with botanical extract ingredient specifications...

Today, the term buchu refers to the two species in commerce, Agathosma betulina (P.J.Bergius) Pillans and Agathosma crenulata (L.) Pillans (Rutaceae). Its traditional use in urinary tract infections and related ailments made it a popular remedy, specifically in the US, in 19th century, but with the advent of antibiotics it became largely obsolete....

Aloe and Aloe products have at a long history of use dating back to antiquity. Use and trade were originally dominated by Barbados or Cura¸cao (A. vera), and Socotra aloe (A. perryi). Commercialization of Cape Aloe was initiated by the Dutch East India Company (VOC), likely to add to their existing aloe trade, and Cape Aloe was brought back to Euro...

Devil’s claw (Harpagophytum spp., Pedaliaceae) is one of the best-documented phytomedicines. Its mode of action is largely elucidated, and its efficacy and excellent safety profile have been demonstrated in a long list of clinical investigations. The author conducted a bibliographic review which not only included peer-reviewed papers published in s...

Modern-day regulatory systems governing conditions for how health products enter national markets constitute a barrier of access for traditional herbal medicines on an international level. Regulatory intentions are focused on ensuring consumers are being provided with safe, efficacious and high-quality products that, however, collaterally limit opp...

In times of health crisis, including the current COVID‐19 pandemic, the potential benefit of botanical drugs and supplements emerges as a focus of attention, although controversial efficacy claims are rightly a concern. Phytotherapy has an established role in everyday self‐care and health care, but, since botanical preparations contain many chemica...

Hoodia gordonii (Masson) Sweet ex Decne. is a slow-growing leafless spiny succulent in the family Apocynaceae, originating in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. Hoodia went through a period of fame turned to infamy from approximately 1997 to 2007, shrouded by secrecy over its purported weight-loss effects. While such effects were still being rese...

The juice of the fruit of the American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) is by far the most popular and widely used botanical preparation for the prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections. To date, most of the medical research on cranberry consists of observational clinical trials yielding mixed results or preclinical studies, the l...

The aim of our review is to demonstrate the potential of herbal preparations, specifically adaptogens for prevention and treatment of respiratory infections, as well as convalescence, specifically through supporting a challenged immune system, increasing resistance to viral infection, inhibiting severe inflammatory progression, and driving effectiv...

Astaxanthin (AX)‐containing preparations are increasingly popular as health food supplements. Evaluating the maximum safe daily intake of AX is important when setting dose levels for these products and currently, there are discrepancies in recommendations by different regulatory authorities. We have therefore conducted a review of approved dose lev...

In an investigation into the historical use of various plant species as herbal teas in South Africa and the commercialization of rooibos (Aspalathus linearis), 37 tea samples from a depository of 1933 were analysed. These samples are known as the Nortier collection and were put in the depository by Benjamin Ginsberg. Nortier and Ginsberg were instr...

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Boswellia serrata Roxb. ex Colebr. is a multiple-use tree species used for fodder, timber and is tapped for an oleo-resin known internationally as Indian frankincense or Indian olibanum. The main commercial uses of B. serrata oleo-resin are medicinal, religious, and in cosmetics and perfumery. B. serrata, like other...

Goal: The goal of this bulletin is to provide timely information and/or updates on issues of adulteration of cranberry fruit (Vaccinium macrocarpon) extract to the international herbal products industry and extended natural products community in general. It is intended to present the available data on the occurrence of adulteration , the market sit...

A method was developed for identification and quantification of polyphenols in the leaves of Ximenia caffra using HPLC/UV/MS. Based on analyzing the MS and UV data and in comparison to the authentic standards, a total of 10 polyphenols were identified and quantified, including gallic acid, catechin, quercetin, kaempferol, and their derivatives. The...

Data transmission and reception is one of the more complex parts of LTE. This chapter provides an overview of the transmission and reception procedures that are used in the uplink and downlink. It then focuses on the three main stages of those procedures in turn, namely, the delivery of scheduling messages from the base station, the actual process...

Licensing of herbal medicinal products in the European Union is changing. By 2011, every pharmaceutical company manufacturing herbal medicines that are marketed in the European Union must have obtained a market authorization. The Traditional Herbal Medicinal Product Directive 2004/24/EC (THMPD) was established in 2005. It has since been implemented...

The H.E.R.B.A.L. Guide offers practical advice for clinicians on counseling their patients about herbal and dietary supplements and incorporating them into the treatment and management of common conditions. It also helps to demystify dietary supplement regulation, safety and interactions, and provides clear point-of-care answers about supplement br...

Pelargonium sidoides has a long-standing tradition in the treatment of diseases, starting with ethnobotanical records from the mid 19th century. Pelargonium sidoides is native to the coastal regions of South Africa. In the first half of the 20th century, a product made from the root (Umckaloabo) was successfully used in Europe for the treatment of...

An evidence-based systematic review including written and statistical analysis of scientific literature, expert opinion, folkloric precedent, history, pharmacology, kinetics/dynamics, interactions, adverse effects, toxicology, and dosing.

Licensing of herbal products in the European Union is changing. By 2011, every company selling herbal medicines in the European Union must have applied for registration. As a manufacturer or distributor of such products, you need to know: ’ What type of herbal products are you manufacturing? ’ Are you required to license your herbal products? ’ Wou...

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL CONTEXT: A detailed review of the ethnobotany and commercial history of Pelargonium sidoides is presented, together with a brief summary of pre-clinical and clinical scientific results that support the use of the plant in modern, evidence-based phytomedicines. The aim is to identify the main factors responsible for the success...

Reviewed: Christophe Wiart. 2006. Medicinal Plants of Asia and the Pacific. CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW. Suite 300. Boca Raton, FL. 33487-2742. xx +. 306 (hardcover). US$ 189.95, £109.00. ISBN: 0-8493-7245-3.

An evidence-based ststematic review including written and statistical analysis of scientific literature, expert opinion, folkloric precedent, history, pharmacology, kinetics/dynamics, interaction, adverse effects, toxicology, and dosing.

An evidence-based systematic review including written and statistical analysis of scientific literature, expert opinion, folkloric precedent, history, pharmacology, kinetics/dynamics, interactions, adverse effects, toxicology, and dosing.

An evidence-based systematic review including written and statistical analysis of scientific literature, expert opinion, folkloric precedent, history, pharmacology, kinetics/dynamics, interaction, adverse effects, toxicology, and dosing.

An evidence-based systematic review including written and statistical analysis of scientific analysis of scientific literature, expert opinion, folkloric precedent, history, pharmacology, kinetic/dynamics, interactions, adverse effect, toxicology, and dosing.