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Abstract
The effects of volatile oils of 22 plants from 11 different families and of some of their constituents on tracheal and ileal smooth muscles were investigated. The results were compared with the relaxant effects of catecholamines and phosphodiesterase inhibitors. All of the oils had relaxant effects on the tracheal smooth muscle, the most potent were angelica root, clove, elecampane root, basil and balm leaves oil. 16 oils inhibited the phasic contractions of the ileal myenteric plexus-longitudinal muscle preparation, the most potent were elecampane root, clove, thyme, balm leaves and angelica root oil. 2 oils (anise and fennel) increased the phasic contractions, and 4 oils (bitter orange, caraway, mace, pepper) produced a marked increase in resting force (i.e. contracture). In regard to the relaxant effects, most of the 16 oils were more potent on the ileal than on the tracheal muscle. However, a small group of 4 oils (angelica root, clove, basil, black caraway) had a higher relaxant effect on the tracheal than on the ileal muscle. This was also found to be the case with eugenol, eugenol acetate and cinnamic aldehyde as well as with isoprenaline and phosphodiesterase inhibitors.
... This herb plant contains a variety of secondary metabolites that are very beneficial to human health [51,52]. In traditional medicine, this herb is used to treat headaches, mental disorders, rheumatism and hypersensitivity [53]. [51,52]. ...
... [51,52]. In traditional medicine, this herb is used to treat headaches, mental disorders, rheumatism and hypersensitivity [53]. ...
... The extracted oil from Mentha balsamea is also used as a medicine to treat cancer, colds, sore throats, nausea, toothaches and muscle soreness [57]. tional medicine, this herb is used to treat headaches, mental disorders, rheumatism and hypersensitivity [53]. ...
Medicinal plants have always been studied and considered due to their high importance for preserving human health. However, identifying medicinal plants is very time-consuming, tedious and requires an experienced specialist. Hence, a vision-based system can support researchers and ordinary people in recognising herb plants quickly and accurately. Thus, this study proposes an intelligent vision-based system to identify herb plants by developing an automatic Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). The proposed Deep Learning (DL) model consists of a CNN block for feature extraction and a classifier block for classifying the extracted features. The classifier block includes a Global Average Pooling (GAP) layer, a dense layer, a dropout layer, and a softmax layer. The solution has been tested on 3 levels of definitions (64 × 64, 128 × 128 and 256 × 256 pixel) of images for leaf recognition of five different medicinal plants. As a result, the vision-based system achieved more than 99.3% accuracy for all the image definitions. Hence, the proposed method effectively identifies medicinal plants in real-time and is capable of replacing traditional methods.
... A sedative effect (central nervous depression) has been reported for a number of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, and for essential oils including asafoetida, calamus, elecampane, german chamomile, lavender, maijoram, melissa, nutmeg, valerian and yarrow (Reiter & Brandt, 1985;Tisserand & Balacs, 1995). The sedative properties of valerian have been extensively investigated in both animals and humans, with activity attributed to the essential oil, iridoid components (valepotriates), and possibly to an additional unknown constituent. ...
... A spasmolytic action on both smooth and cardiac muscle has been documented for a number of essential oils, and for monoterpene and sesquiterpene components (Reiter & Brandt, 1985), and has been reviewed by Tisserand & Balacs (1995). The spasmolytic action of essential oils has been linked with antagonism of acetylcholine in smooth muscle (Reiter & Brandt, 1985) and with inhibition of calcium ion flow in cardiac and vascular muscle. ...
... A spasmolytic action on both smooth and cardiac muscle has been documented for a number of essential oils, and for monoterpene and sesquiterpene components (Reiter & Brandt, 1985), and has been reviewed by Tisserand & Balacs (1995). The spasmolytic action of essential oils has been linked with antagonism of acetylcholine in smooth muscle (Reiter & Brandt, 1985) and with inhibition of calcium ion flow in cardiac and vascular muscle. An inhibition of calcium ion channels has been reported for bisabolol, eugenol, ô-carvone, ô-menthol and possibly for trans-anethole. ...
In addition to orthodox Western medicine, a plethora of complementary therapies are available in the UK and these have been steadily gaining in popularity since the 1970's. The key areas in which pharmacists are becoming increasingly involved with complementary therapies are in the sale and supply of homoeopathic products, healthfoods and nutritional supplements, and herbal products. The growing involvement of pharmacists in the supply of herbal medicines is paralleled by a requirement to provide professional advice on the use of these products. As with all medicines, pharmacists should be responsible for supplying herbal medicines of reliable quality, safety and efficacy, and be able to advise patients on such aspects as potential adverse reactions and drug interactions. If pharmacists are to be able to provide professional advice to customers on herbal medicines, then access to reliable information sources is required. However, few pharmacy undergraduate courses provide training on herbal remedies, and the usual reference sources used by pharmacists contain either no or little reference to herbal medicines. In the present work, European herbs commonly sold through pharmacies have been identified by visiting pharmacies in and around the London area, by reference to popular health magazines and to the Chemist and Druggist listing, and by contact with herbal product manufacturers. Details were obtained for 623 different products from 37 manufacturers, involving some 200 herbal ingredients of which 141 were chosen for subsequent study. The information sources utilised in the data collation for the 141 identified herbs are listed and represent pharmacopoeias, scientific and non-scientific sources, primary and secondary literature, and on-line databases. It was determined that pharmacists require clinically-orientated information on herbal remedies. Monographs produced for the 141 herbs therefore include headings such as pharmacological actions, side-effects and toxicity, and contra-indications and warnings. The present work also discusses medicines legislation for herbal remedies, including a historical account of UK legislation and an explanation of the current status of herbal remedies within European legislation. Issues specific to the quality, safety and efficacy assessment of herbal medicines are also discussed. A number of tables and appendixes are included detailing, for example, potential drug/herb interactions, herbs best avoided during pregnancy, and herbs with specific pharmacological actions and constituent types. Finally, a number of recommendations are made regarding the supply of herbal remedies by pharmacists. The present work resulted in a reference source entitled "Herbal Medicines - A Guide for Healthcare Professionals", published by the Pharmaceutical Press in January 1996.
... However, the aqueous extract of this plant did not show any relaxant effect on tracheal smooth muscles. This may be due to the presence of less active metabolites or a larger amount of anethole in the aqueous extract than in the essential oil and the ethanolic extract (Boskabady and Khatami, 2003), because of the evidence for the contractile effect of anethole on smooth muscles (Reiter and Brandt, 1984). ...
... The seeds of N. sativa have also been found to have different therapeutic and pharmacological effects such as anti-asthmatic and anti-dyspnoeic (Boskabady et al., 2007c), antitussive (Boskabady et al., 2004b), hypotensive, anti-nociceptive, anti-fertility, anti-diabetic (Ali and Blunden, 2003), anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory (Salem, 2005), renoprotective (Aziz Dollah et al., 2013), antibacterial (Rakhshandeh and Vahdati-Mashhadian, 2011) and genoprotective effects (Babazadeh et al., 2012). N. sativa and some of its constituents have been shown to have relaxant effects on different smooth muscles including rabbit aorta (Aqel, 1992a), rabbit jejunum (Aqel, 1993) and trachea (Reiter and Brandt, 1984). The relaxant effect of N. sativa on tracheal smooth muscles is of therapeutic importance, especially in the treatment of obstructive pulmonary disorders such as asthma. ...
... The efficacy of Z. multiflora in the treatment of respiratory disorders in chemical warfare victims (Mostafavi, Shasavari, 2005), cough (Afzali et al., 2003), common cold, bronchitis, pertussis, laryngitis and bacterial infections of oral cavity (Zargari, 1990;Mozaffarian, 1996) was also described. The relaxant effect of Z. multiflora on ileal (Reiter and Brandt, 1984;Gharib Naseri, 2003), uterine (Gharib Naseri et al., 2006) and tracheal smooth muscles have also been reported (Boskabady et al., 2009a, 2009b, Windholz and Budavari, 1983. MAE 7,18,26,36 Lipid free MAE 15,44,17,12,16,20 KCl-TSM contraction À 3, À 5, À 8, À 12 Boskabady et al. (2008) Dichloromethane F Meth-TSM contraction À 2, À 8, À 14, À 22 Methanol F À 3, À 9, À 16, À 21 Aqueous F À 1, À 3, À 5, À 1 N-hexane F 1,4,8,12 Dichloromethane F 6,12,17.5,25 Methanol F 8,18,27 In one study, the hydro-alcoholic extract of Z. multiflora was shown to have potent relaxant effects on the tracheal smooth muscles of guinea pigs (Boskabady et al., 2012a). ...
... Platycodins (triterpene saponins) are the possible active components of this species (Takagi;Lee, 1972;Zhu, 1958). The flowers and leaves of Thymus vulgaris (thyme) have an essential oil whose major components are thymol and carvacrol, that are used to treat respiratory tract infections due to antiseptic (Abu-Darwish et al., 2012), antitussive (Gavliakova et al., 2013;Reiter;Brandt, 1985), and expectorant actions (Fig.1) (Marzian, 2007). ...
... Platycodins (triterpene saponins) are the possible active components of this species (Takagi;Lee, 1972;Zhu, 1958). The flowers and leaves of Thymus vulgaris (thyme) have an essential oil whose major components are thymol and carvacrol, that are used to treat respiratory tract infections due to antiseptic (Abu-Darwish et al., 2012), antitussive (Gavliakova et al., 2013;Reiter;Brandt, 1985), and expectorant actions (Fig.1) (Marzian, 2007). ...
... The relaxant effect of this plant on tracheal and ileal smooth muscle has been shown (Meister et al., 1999;Boskabady et al., 2006;Babaei et al., 2008). The relaxant effect of other plants of this family on tracheal and ileal smooth muscle of guinea pigs has also been reported previously (Reiter and Brandt, 1985). ...
... Therefore, the comparison of the relaxant effects of different solutions in precontracted tracheal muscle by two substances is valid. The results of this study confi rmed those of Meister et al. (1999), Boskabady et al. (2006), Babaei et al. (2008 and Reiter and Brandt (1985) indicating relaxant effect of this plant on tracheal and ileal smooth muscles. In our previous study, the relaxant effect of macerated and aqueous (Soxhlet extracted) extracts of the plant was studied (Boskabady et al. 2006). ...
In previous studies, the relaxant effect of Tymus vulgaris has been demonstrated on guinea pig tracheal chains. Therefore, in the present study, the relaxant effects of n-hexane, dichloromethane, methanol and aqueous fractions of Tymus vulgaris on tracheal chains of guinea pigs were examined. The relaxant effects of four cumulative concentrations of each fraction (0.4, 0.8, 1.2 and 1.6 g%) in comparison to saline as negative control and four cumulative concentrations of theophylline (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 mM) were examined for their relaxant effects on precontracted tracheal chains of guinea pig by 60 mM KCl (group 1) and 10 ìÌ methacholine (group 2, n = 7 for each group). In group 1, all concentrations of the n-hexane fraction and theophylline and three last concentrations (0.8, 1.2 and 1.6 g%) of dichloromethane and two higher concentrations (1.2 and 1.6 g%) of methanol fractions showed significant relaxant effects compared to that of saline (p
... The spasmolytic effect of lavender oil was most probably to be transmitted through cAMP and not through cGMP. It has been studied that linalool is one of lavender's major bioactive constituent which has antispasmodic activity [72][73][74]. ...
Numerous medicinal plants have been utilized for the treatment of different types of diseases and disorders including gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. GI diseases are the most common complaints that normally affects the largest proportion of children and adolescents with overlapping clinical manifestation in diagnosis and medical needs. Drugs with antispasmodic effects are normally applied for the symptomatic treatment of contraction and cramping of smooth muscles in gastrointestinal diseases as well as in other critical clinical situations. In alternative system of medicines, the antispasmodic herbs played a significant role in the cure of GI diseases. These medicinal plants and their herbal products are used from generation to generation because of multiple nutritional and therapeutic benefits. The multiple uses might be attributed to the presence on biologically active chemical constitutes. The main aim of this review is to focus on the medicinal potential of plants possessing antispasmodic activities with their proposed mechanism of action. Several databases such as Google Scholar, Cochrane database, Scopus, and PubMed were used to search the relevant literature regarding “plants with antispasmodic activities.” This present study highlights the updated and quantified information on several medicinal plants with antispasmodic activity like Zanthoxylum armatum, Matricaria chamomilla, Foeniculum vulgare, Pycnocycla spinosa, Atropa belladonna, Lavandula angustifolia, Mentha pulegium, Glycyrrhiza ularensis, Anethum graveolens, and Origanum majorana. Moreover, recent studies on other medicinal plant species also have been included in this review article. Additionally, the study also revealed that the active compounds of all these plants possess significant spasmolytic effect which is safest, efficacious, and cost effective as compared to the available synthetic drugs.
... The spasmolytic effect of lavender oil was most probably to be transmitted through cAMP and not through cGMP. It has been studied that linalool is one of lavender's major bioactive constituent which has antispasmodic activity [72][73][74]. ...
Numerous medicinal plants have been utilized for the treatment of different types of diseases and disorders including gastrointestinal (GI) diseases. GI diseases are the most common complaints that normally affects the largest proportion of children and adolescents with overlapping clinical manifestation in diagnosis and medical needs. Drugs with antispasmodic effects are normally applied for the symptomatic treatment of contraction and cramping of smooth muscles in gastrointestinal diseases as well as in other critical clinical situations. In alternative system of medicines, the antispasmodic herbs played a significant role in the cure of GI diseases. These medicinal plants and their herbal products are used from generation to generation because of multiple nutritional and therapeutic benefits. The multiple uses might be attributed to the presence on biologically active chemical constitutes. The main aim of this review is to focus on the medicinal potential of plants possessing antispasmodic activities with their proposed mechanism of action. Several databases such as Google Scholar, Cochrane database, Scopus, and PubMed were used to search the relevant literature regarding “plants with antispasmodic activities.” This present study highlights the updated and quantified information on several medicinal plants with antispasmodic activity like Zanthoxylum armatum, Matricaria chamomilla, Foeniculum vulgare, Pycnocycla spinosa, Atropa belladonna, Lavandula angustifolia, Mentha pulegium, Glycyrrhiza ularensis, Anethum graveolens, and Origanum majorana. Moreover, recent studies on other medicinal plant species also have been included in this review article. Additionally, the study also revealed that the active compounds of all these plants possess significant spasmolytic effect which is safest, efficacious, and cost effective as compared to the available synthetic drugs.
... The volatile oil of Nigella seeds inhibited the spontaneous movements of rat and guinea pig uterine smooth muscle and also the contractions induced by oxytocin stimulation. They finally yielded anti-oxytocic potential effects of the volatile oil of Nigella seeds (Reiter and Brandt, 1985). ...
Background: Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) is a common problem in women. Nigella sativa has been suggested for its anti-inflammation and analgesic effects. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Nigella sativa oil on PMS. Methods: This double-blind clinical trial was conducted on 124 female students within the age range of 18-25 years living in the dormitories of Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences. Participants were randomly divided into two groups. The intervention group (IG) rubbed 1-2 drops of Nigella sativa oil on their fontanels at night for seven days before their three menstrual cycles. The placebo group (PG) rubbed placebo in the same way. After three cycles, pain severity was measured by the visual analog scale. Data analysis was carried out using the Mann-Whitney U test and analysis of covariance. Results: The mean age of participants, the mean age of menarche, and the mean age of PMS onset were 20.55 ± 0.2, 13.52 ± 0.15, and 15.35 ± 0.3 years old, respectively. The results showed that Nigella sativa oil reduced the severity of all PMS symptoms except in terms of depression and abdominal bloating in IG compare to the PG. Conclusion: Nigella sativa oil in women with premenstrual syndrome can be a promising, safe, and easily available analgesic supplement.
... Only articles published in the English language and well-known international Journals were included in this review article. (SM) compared to catecholamines and phosphodiesterase were reported (Reiter & Brandt, 1985). A crude extract of N. sativa seeds including aqueous and macerated extracts induced relaxant effect on isolated guinea pig TSM (Boskabady & Shahabi, 1997;Boskabady, Shirmohammadi, Jandaghi, & Kiani, 2004;Gilani, Aziz, Khurram, Chaudhary, & Iqbal, 2001). ...
Nigella sativa (N. sativa) seed had been used traditionally due to several pharmacological effects. The updated experimental and clinical effects of N. sativa and its constituents on respiratory, allergic and immunologic disorders are provided in this comprehensive review article. Various databases including PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus were used. The preventive effects of N. sativa on pulmonary diseases were mainly due to its constituents such as thymoquinone, thymol, carvacrol and alpha‐hederin. Extracts and constituents of N. sativa showed the relaxant effect, with possible mechanisms indicating its bronchodilatory effect in obstructive pulmonary diseases. In experimental animal models of different respiratory diseases, the preventive effect of various extracts and constituents of N. sativa was demonstrated by mechanisms such as antioxidant, immunomodulatory and antiinflammatory effects. Bronchodilatory and preventive effects of the plant and its components on asthma, COPD and lung disorders due to exposure to noxious agents as well as on allergic and immunologic disorders were also shown in the clinical studies. Various extracts and constituents of N. sativa showed pharmacological and therapeutic effects on respiratory, allergic and immunologic disorders indicating possible remedy effect of that the plant and its effective substances in treating respiratory, allergic and immunologic diseases.
... Anise oil known as a sedative, antispasmodic and antibacterial, and also has attracted attention with its essential oil contents in recent years. It was reported that alcoholic extracts and oils of anise may relax the muscles by antagonist action against contraction of different organs (Reiter and Brandt, 1985). ...
... This action sug-gests a use for fennel in treating bronchial and bronchopul-monary afflictions and in particularly polluted environments (Mueller-Limmroth and Froehlich, 1980). The volatile oil of fennel stimulates the contraction of the smooth muscles of the trachea, an action that could facilitate the expectoration of mucus, bacteria, and other corpuscles extraneous to the respiratory tracts (Reiteran and Brandt, 1985). ...
he present study aimed to investigate the effect of fennel seeds by-product (FSB) at different levels in rabbit feeds. The experiment was carried out at privet farm in Giza, Egypt. Thirty-six unsexed White New Zealand rabbits breed aged 5-6 weeks with average weight of 682.85±3.75g were randomly assigned into four equal groups: the first group was basal diet (R1 control), meanwhile, the other three experimental groups were received diets containing 20, 40 and 60% of FSB for (R 2, R3, and R4), respectively. The feeding period was extended for 56 days. Results showed that the best apparent digestibilities of DM, OM, CP, CF, NFE digestibility were recorded with rabbits fed 40% FSB diet (R3) in comparison with the other tested control diets. All rabbits received diets containing FSB recorded higher (P<0.05) nutritive values expressed as TDN%, serum level of HDL and mean values of HDL-C/LDLC ratio were significant (P<0.05) increase in diets containing FSB diets compared to control, the highest significant values recorded with diet (40%FSB). However, DCP%; serum total protein; albumin and albumin: globulin ratio values were not significant differences between the experimental groups. There was significant decreased (P<0.05) for treated diets of serum (AST) and (ALT), TG, TC, LDL, TC/ HDL and VLDL-C compared to the control group. The lowest significant values recorded with diet 40% FSB. The caecal NH3-N concentration was higher ratios of R3 followed R2 and finally R4, while, the TVFA,s was significant increased in R3 and R4 only compared to the control. Both body weight gain and average daily gain were significantly (P<0.05) improved (by 6.24%, 26.58% and 12.66%) and (by 6.22, 26.55 and 12.64%, in groups fed diets contained 20, 40 and 60% FSB, respectively, compared to those fed the control diet. Inclusion of 40 or 60% FSB in the rabbit diets led to significant (P<0.05) differences in hot carcass weights and dressing percentages compared to the 20% or control FSB groups. Incorporation FSB in rabbit diets significantly (P<0.05) increased the dressing percentage and decreased fat % of carcass boneless compared to control group. Increasing FSB% in the tested diets decreased FSB feed consumption by rabbits compared to control. No mortality was recorded in the rabbits fed diets incorporated 40 and 60% fennel seeds by-product (R3 and R4 diets), while rabbits fed diets containing 0 (control) and 20% FSB (R1 and R2 diets) were recorded 8.3% mortality rate. The major phytochemicals of the fennel seeds by-product are the total antioxidant capacity 183.82 mg/100g (ascorbic acid equivalent), the total phenols 113.96 mg/100g (garlic acid equivalent) and total flavonoid contents 67.10 mg/100 (catechin equivalents) addition of FSB improved feed conversion ratio; total cost, total revenue, net revenue, economic efficiency, relative economic efficiency and feed cost / kg LBW. Rabbits received R3 which content 40% FSB recorded the best total cost. It can be concluded that adding 40% fennel seeds by-product in rabbit diets improved their nutrient digestibility, nutritive values, final body weight, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio and decreased mortality rate, as well as realized the highest value of relative economic efficiency.
... Oppositely, saponins can contract isolated stomach preparations (Mendel et al., 2012) and cardiac glycosides contract the isolated rat jejunum (Botha et al., 2002). Other components, like the alkaloids (Dalziel et al., 2013;Ishizuka et al., 2013;Lo et al., 2011) or the volatile oils (Reiter and Brandt, 1985) have been reported to have both contractile and relaxant effects. ...
Ethnopharmacology relevance:
Cymbopogon schoenanthus (C. schoenanthus) and Helianthemum lippii (H. lippii) are Saharan species found in the South West of Algeria, in the region of Bechar. Both plants are used in traditional medicine to treat gastrointestinal disorders.
Objective:
The aim of our study was to characterize the composition of the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) and n-Butanol (n-BuOH) extracts of C. schoenanthus and H. lippii, and to elucidate and compare their effect on the reactivity of the rat distal colon.
Main methods:
The plants were macerated in a hydroalcoholic solution. After concentration, the aqueous solutions of the residues were submitted to liquid-liquid extractions to obtain EtOAc and n-BuOH extracts. The phenolic and flavonoid content of the extracts was determined by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry with a time of flight analyzer (HPLC-TOF/MS). The effect of the extracts was tested on the rat distal colon, namely on the basal tone and on KCl- and Ach-induced precontracted preparations.
Results:
HPLC-TOF/MS identified 32 phenols and flavonoids in the extracts. The four extracts relaxed the rat distal colon, the effect being noticed on the basal tone and on the KCl- and Ach-induced precontractions. The EtOAc and the n-BuOH extracts of H. lippii decreased the basal tone of the rat distal colon more markedly than the correspondent extracts of C. schoenanthus. Moreover, the n-BuOH extract of C. schoenanthus decreased the basal tone more markedly than the EtOAc extract of this plant but there was no difference between extracts of H. lippii. The EtOAc extracts of both C. schoenanthus and H. lippii totally reverted both the KCl- and the Ach-induced precontraction of the rat distal colon. However, the n-BuOH extracts of the two plants reverted the Ach-precontracted colon but not the colon that has been precontracted with KCl.
Conclusion:
Extracts of H. lippii contain a higher level of phenols compared to the extracts of C. schoenanthus. All extracts of C. schoenanthus and H. lippii caused marked relaxation of the isolated rat distal colon, either when applied directly or when tested over KCl- and Ach-induced precontraction. These results give support to the use of C. shoenanthus and H. lippii in traditional medicine, namely for gastrointestinal diseases.
... Weakness, Chronic bronchitis [46,48,49,50,51,57,58] Anti oxidant, Anti diabetic, Anti inflammatory, Anti pyretic, Analgesic, Anti histaminic, Anti bacterial, anti microbial, Anti convulsant. [101,102,103,104,105,106,107,108] Badranjboya Whole plant [47, 52, Nepeta cataria [53,56] 6 gms [19,47,52,58] Exhilarant, Cardio tonic [48,55,57,58] Cardiac insufficiency [46, 48, Anti inflammatory, Antiviral, Anti 58] 49, 50,51,57,58] microbial, Antioxidant, Antispasmodic, Anti anxiety [109,110,111,112,113,114,115] Mastagi Gum [47,52,58] Pistacia lentiscus [53,56] 4 gms [19,47,52,58] Detergent, Carminative, Antiseptic, Digestive [48,55,57,58] Diarrhoea, Flatulence, Gastric insufficiency [46,48,49,50,51,57,58] Anti microbial, Antioxidant, Antiatherogenic, Hepatoprotective, Anti arthritic, Wound healing [116,117,118,119,120,121,122,123,124] Dana Heel Khurd Fruit [47,52,58] Elettaria cardamomum [53,56] 4-5gms [19,47,52,58] Aromatic, stimulant, carminative, stomachic, analgesic, diuretic, resolvent. [48,55,57,58] Nausea, vomiting, flatulence, anorexia, dyspepsia, bronchitis and halitosis [46,48,49,50,51,57,58] Antioxidant, Gastroprotective,Anti ulcerogenic [125] Zafran ...
Unani System of medicine is one among the oldest systems that prevails till date with its efficient drugs derived from animal, plant and mineral resources. Over 2400 years ago, the father of medicine Hippocrates practiced it; however His medicine included a great deal of ancient Egyptian medicine as well as important components of the ancient Mesopotamian traditions. In modern medicine, Palpitation is described as an uncomfortable awareness of one's own heartbeat and is a clinical entity with varied etiology ranging from benign causes to serious arrhythmias. In Unani system of medicine, the modern equivalent term for palpitation is Khafaqān. A large number of drugs, single and compound formulations, have been mentioned in the context of the treatment of Khafaqān. Dawa ul Misk Motadil Sada is one of the most reputed poly pharmaceutical preparations of Unani system of Medicine used in Khafaqān, as cardiac tonic in arrhythmia and as general tonic.
... Guinea pigs are a rodent specie belonging to Caviidae family and Cavia genus. An ethanol extract of the leaves and essential oil inhibited histamine-and barium-induced contractions of guinea pig ileum in vitro and exhibited smooth muscle relaxant activity in tracheal muscle, while an aqueous extract was inactive (Forster et al., 1980;Reiter and Brandt, 1984). ...
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a perennial herb belonging to mint family (Lamiaceae). It has been cultivated throughout the world and used for thousands of years for food flavoring, oil applications, and in traditional medicine. Mostly, lemon balm contains vitamin C and vitamin B. Other components include terpinene, phenol carbon acid (rosmarinic acid), and flavonglychoside acid in very small amounts. Rosmarinic acid shows excellent antioxidant activity, while caffeic acid has antiviral activity and is useful in treatment of herpes simplex. Caffeic acid also blocks the synthesis of proteins in cancerous cells. Lemon balm has wide applications in food, cosmetics, aromatherapy, and the pharmaceutical industry. Lemon balm is very potent and must be used with great caution. Further research is needed to maximize the yield of lemon balm, especially in developing countries where the methods employed for harvesting and postharvesting processes of this herb are very classical.
... However, effects of M. officinalis are mainly attributed to phenolic compounds and its essential oil. 3 Studies performed with the essential oil of M. officinalis showed a myorelaxant effect on different parts of the small intestine in various species. [16][17][18][19] However, as shown in our phytochemical analysis our extract does not contain essential oil (no terpenes were detected). Therefore, effects observed cannot be attributed to essential oil, but are likely because of rosmarinic acid and/or other phenolic compounds. ...
Melissa officinalis L. (lemon balm) has been used for decades with symptomatic benefits in patients with digestive disorders. However, very little is known on the effects of M. officinalis on the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In this study, the basal and spasmolytic properties of a hydroethanolic leaf extract (HLE) of M. officinalis were assessed ex vivo on different segments of the GI tract of mice after phytochemical characterization of the extract. M. officinalis HLE had site- and dose-dependent effects on the contractile activity of the GI tract, the motility response being impacted in the jejunum and ileum but not in the antrum and colon. The observed effects could be caused by the phenolic compounds (mainly rosmarinic acid) detected in the extract.
... All plants containing carvacrol have shown relaxant effects on different smooth muscles including trachea (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) and have also shown anti-inflammatory effects (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27). The relaxant effect of essential oil from Carum copticumon on tracheal chains has been shown to be mainly due to its fraction 2, which is suggested to be carvacrol (28). ...
... [ Downloaded from ismj.bpums.ac.ir on 2022-[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28] ...
Background: Ethnopharmacology has been seen as a multidisciplinary approach for novel drug discovery by providing valuable data about medicinal plants in different cultures. The aim of this ethnopharmacological study was to identify medicinal plants in the Southwest of Mond Mountain in the North of Persian Gulf.
Materials and Methods: The medical uses of medicinal plants were gathered from 20 local informants by face to face interviews. The relative frequency of citation (FRC) and cultural importance (CI) indices were calculated.
Results: A total of 116 medicinal plants belonging to 65 families were identified. Zataria multiflora, Achillea eriophora DC, Foeniculum vulgare, Teucrium polium, Haplophyllum tuberculatum, Cuminum cyminum, Plantago psyllium, Nigella sativa and Aleo vera had the highest cultural importance indices.
Zataria multiflora, Foeniculum vulgare, Nigella sativa, Cuminum cyminum, and Achillea eriophora DC had the highest FRC indices. The highest medical uses were for gastrointestinal diseases, gynecological diseases, metabolic disorders, respiratory disorders and infectious diseases, respectively.
Conclusion: There is a vast variety of medicinal plants in the Southwest of Mond Mountain. Although most of therapeutic applications of these plants in this region are the same as Iran’s traditional medicine, but the people in the Southwest of Mond Mountain use some of these plants for some diseases which are unique for this region. For example, the native people of this region used Zataria multiflora, Achillea eriophora DC, Foeniculum vulgare and Haplophyllum tuberculatum for abdominal pain, Nigella sativa for postpartum complications, Aleo vera for hyperlipidemia, Plantago psyllium for drainage of abscesses, Haplophyllum tuberculatum for infectious diseases and muscular pain and Foeniculum vulgare for jaundice. Thus, investigation about these plants should be initiated
to discover novel drugs for clinical applications.
Keywords: Ethnopharmacology, traditional medicine ,medicinal plants, Bushehr
... Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil) is applied by the local people for treatment of spasm and ulcer. Both effects are supported by experimental data (Reiter and Brandt, 1985;Mahmood et al., 2007). The second member of the Lamiaceae, Origanum syriacum (Zaatar) is used as analgesic and anti-inflammatory. ...
The use of traditional medicine for treatment of various diseases is a common practise in most of the developing countries including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia especially in rural areas. In this survey, Al Khobah village was selected to study the status of Traditional Medicine. Al Khobah village is located on the Southern boarders of the kingdom and characterized by diverse topography and moderate weather. The plants with medicinal uses were collected, identified and their methods of preparation and uses were recorded. After gathering all these information from the local people, literature survey was conducted on each plant to get information about pharmacological activities and weather they support the traditional use or not. The survey revealed that the uses of some plants are consistent with the experimental data in the literature. Some other plants were studied; however, they still need pharmacological investigation to prove the claimed uses. Other plant did not subject to any scientific investigation.
... L'huile essentielle à une concentration efficace médiane de 46 à 74 mg /L, provoque in vitro la relaxation de la trachée et de l'iléon isolés de cobaye [180]. ...
Les graines de Nigella sativa L., plante herbacée de la famille des Ranunculaceae, sont utilisées depuis la civilisation Sumérienne au Moyen-Orient d'abord comme condiment puis en tant que « médicament ». Par la suite, la même utilisation s'est répandue en Asie et en Afrique du Nord, mais en Occident l'usage est resté alimentaire exclusivement.Avec l'avènement des nouvelles thérapeutiques ciblées sur les plantes, de nombreuses recherches ont été réalisées et les propriétés revendiquées plus de deux milles années auparavant ont été démontrées. Les constituants de la graine de nigelle, actifs pharmacologiquement, thymoquinone, thymohydroquinone, thymol, nigellone et alpha-hédérine ont été isolés et étudiés.D'autres constituants, alcaloïdes, composés phénoliques, saponosides, stérols, protéines, acides aminés, vitamines et minéraux sont présents dans la plante. La combinaison de ces constituants contribue aux différentes activités pharmacologiques. En plus des propriétés sur le système gastro-entéro-hépatique, les graines et leurs constituants sont bénéfiques dans les pathologies inflammatoires, immunitaires, infectieuses, cardiovasculaires, métaboliques, neurologiques et dermatologiques. Ces dernières années, de plus en plus de chercheurs se sont intéressés au constituant majeur de l'huile essentielle, la thymoquinone, dans le but de connaitre son mécanisme d'action et dans l'espoir de traiter de nombreuses maladies. Même si son action moléculaire anti-inflammatoire, anti-oxydante et anticancéreuse n'est pas tout à fait élucidé, des actions sur le cycle cellulaire, l'apoptose et sur le système immunitaire lui sont attribuées. Dans la perspective de passage du statut d'épice à celui de médicament, desessais cliniques et toxicologiques approfondis sont nécessaires.
... Among them, Z. multiflora is the most well known for its use in the treatment of cough. Z. multiflora has the same property as T. vulgaris [8,9]. Z. multiflora of best quality comes from Iran. ...
Cough, as a defensive reflux mechanism, removes foreign objects and secretions from bronchi and bronchioles of airways. Zataria multiflora is a popular plant for treatment of cough in Iranian traditional medicine. The aim of this review was to evaluate the potency of Z. multiflora as an alternative treatment in management of acute cough and its possible mechanisms of action. Here the authors compiled information about Z. multiflora in the treatment of cough from all accessible resources and books. The results of this investigation showed that there were five clinical studies that evaluated the efficacy of Z. multiflora essential oil or extract alone (n = 1), in combination with Althaea officinalis (n = 2) or Foeniculum vulgare essential oil (n = 1), in the form of syrup (n = 3), oral drop (n = 1) and soft capsule (n = 1), for the treatment of acute cough in comparison with placebo or synthetic drugs (bromhexine, dextromethorphan and clobutinol). All clinical studies confirmed the efficacy of Z. multiflora in the amelioration of acute cough in pediatric (n = 1) and adult patients (n = 4) without any adverse effects. Different mechanisms, such as anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, relaxant and immune-enhancement, may be responsible for the efficacy of Z. multiflora in cough relief. Other clinical trials can be performed with Z. multiflora in combination with ivy leaf extract or primrose root extract on patients with cough.
... Many in vitro studies disclosed that N. sativa essential oil and its aqueous extracts exhibited a relaxant effect on various smooth muscle preparations such as the aorta, jejunum and guinea pig isolated tracheal smooth muscle (67)(68)(69)(70). Keyhanmanesh et al. (70) provided an updated review of many of the smooth muscle relaxant effects induced by N. sativa. ...
Nigella sativa (N. sativa, black seeds; or sometimes known by many other names such as the blessed seed by the Arabs, black cumin in the Holy Bible, black caraway and Kalonji in South Asia) has been traditionally used for many years not only as a food but also as complementary drug. It is the objective of this communication to review the evidence-based pre-clinical pharmacological actions of N. sativa as a basis of its existing and potential new human clinical uses. Primary PubMed literature searches and secondary Medline searches were conducted to define N. sativa pre-clinical pharmacological and toxicological actions using a retrospective narrative review of the published studies. The ground seeds, its oil and its various extracts exhibit very broad pharmacological actions in laboratory studies, which are predictive of human clinical efficacy. In laboratory studies, N. sativa possesses anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-diabetic, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-convulsant, anti-microbial, anti-ulcer, anti-hypertensive, anti-asthmatic and anticancer activities. Its mode of action is mediated via several mechanisms, which include anti-oxidant, immunomodulating, cytoprotective and an inhibitory effect on some mediators of inflammation. Although the seeds contain many chemical components, thymoquinone and alpha-hederin are proven to be pharmacologically active. Despite N. sativa broad and worldwide pharmacological characterization, only limited non-clinical safety studies were reported. N. sativa has many potentially important therapeutic applications. The black seeds clearly warrant formal preclinical drug development consideration to investigate the pharmacology of its components, to standardize the contents of the dosage forms, to define the methods of the pharmaceutical preparation, to determine its pharmacokinetics characteristics and its safety profile. It is our opinion that N. sativa should be considered for clinical development initially for unmet therapeutic uses, especially in the fields of oncology, neurology, rheumatology, pulmonary medicine, infectious diseases and endocrinology.
... Thyme is associated also with spasmolytic activity. In in vitro tests, the relaxation effect of thyme extracts, flavonoids and oil on smooth muscles of the trachea and ilea have been observed 167,168) . Of the various fractions tested, the strongest relaxation effect observed was the nhexane fraction (lipophilic, containing essential oil components) and the weakest one with aqueous fraction. ...
Medicinal plants are advantageously used in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases. Upper respiratory tract catarrh is one of the diseases associated with seasonal weakening of immunity, and therefore, plant drugs with a non-specific immunomodulation effect are often used. Such plants include, but are not limited to, EChinacea (EChinacea purpurea) and American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius). In combination with medicinal plants having antibacterial and antiseptic effects, such as thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and pelargonium (Pelargonium sidoides), they can constitute efficient help in the treatment of respiratory tract diseases, shorten the duration of the disease and reduce the need of antibiotic therapy. The text presented summarizes the basic information about these plants, their ingredients, mechanisms of action and clinical tests confirming their effect and monitoring eventual adverse effects.
... Antioxidant (Sharaf-Kandi, 1985), immune-regulatory (Shokri et al., 2006) and anti-inflammatory effects (Hosseinzadeh et al., 2000;Boskabady et al., 2011b;Nakhai et al., 2007), as well as an effect on gastrointestinal disorders (Nakhai et al., 2007;Alireza Ghannadi et al., 2004), have also been reported for this plant. The antispasmodic effect of the plant on smooth muscle (Meister et al., 1999;Reiter and Brandt, 1985;Gharib Naseri et al., 2010) and the relaxant effect of another plant of this family (Thymus vulgaris) on tracheal smooth muscle (Boskabady et al., 2006) were demonstrated. The inhibitory effect of the extract of Z. multiflora and carvacrol on histamine (H 1 ) (Boskabady and Tabanfar, 2011) and muscarinic receptors (Boskabady et al., 2011a(Boskabady et al., , 2012Zahra Jafari et al., 2011) and their stimulatory effect on b-adrenoceptors (Boskabady et al., 2011b) were also documented. ...
... In 1985, Reiter et al. describe the effects of volatile oil of this plant on the relaxation of the tracheal isolated muscles of guinea pig [36] and after them, the antispasmodic effect of anise's compounds was evaluated in several other studies. An example of a latest study on antispasmodic effect was conducted by Tirapelli and coworkers, which demonstrated the reduction of anococcygeus smooth muscle contraction in rat induced by acetylcholine, due to three hidroalcoholic extract of P. anisum at different concentration (40%, 60% and 80%) [37]. ...
The role of dietary active compounds in human nutrition is an important area of investigation in the field of nutritional science. In this perspective, functional foods play a relevant role, offering a new kind of health tool that promises specific effects related to particular food components. Anise plant has a long cultural tradition in various countries all over the world, both as food and as drug. The essential oil of anise, extracted from the dry ripe fruits of Illicium verum and Pimpinella anisum , contains anethole, an active chemical compound that showed several functional properties including antimicrobial, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic and oestrogenic properties.
To date, studies conducted on the properties of anise, demonstrated the efficacy of the plant in the improvement of physiological condition in human and the possibility to exploit the active compounds of anise for the treatment of several chronic diseases. The aim of this review is to collect data on anise in order to evaluate its pharmacological properties.
... Several therapeutic effects have been described for the seeds of N. sativa in medical books including anti-asthma and anti-dyspnea (7), hypotensive, anti-nociceptive, anti-fertility, anti-diabetic (8), anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-tumor, and immunomodulatory properties (9). There is evidence for relaxant effects of the volatile oil from this plant on different smooth muscle preparations including rabbit aorta (10), rabbit jejunum (11), and guinea pig isolated tracheal muscle (12). ...
In previous studies, the relaxant, anticholinergic (functional antagonism) and antihistaminic effects of Nigella sativa have been demonstrated on guinea pig tracheal chains. Therefore in the present study, the relaxant effects of 5 different methanolic extracts (20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100% methanolic fractions) of Nigella sativa on tracheal chains of guinea pigs were examined. The relaxant effects of four cumulative concentrations of each fraction (0.8, 1.2, 1.6 and 2.0 g%) in comparison with saline as negative control and four cumulative concentrations of theophylline (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 mM) were examined by their relaxant effects on precontracted tracheal chains of guinea pig by 60 mM KCl (group 1) and 10 μM methacholine (group 2, n = 7 for each group). In group 1, all concentrations of 100% methanolic extract showed significant contractile effect on guinea pig tracheal chains (p<0.05 to p<0.01). In group 2, all concentrations of theophylline and methanolic extracts showed significant relaxant effects compared to that of saline (p<0.05 to p<0.001). The relaxant effect of different concentrations of al fractions were significantly greater in group 2 compared to group 1 experiments (p<0.001). There were significant positive correlations between the relaxant effects and concentrations for theophylline and all fractions in group2 (p<0.05 to p<0.001). These results showed a potent relaxant effect for 20% methanolic extract and weaker relaxant effect for other fractions from Nigella sativa on tracheal chains of guinea pigs.
... The effect of commercial essential oils of celery, sage, dill, fennel, frankincense and nutmeg on rat skeletal muscles involved a contraction and inhibition of the twitch response to nerve stimulation, at fi nal bath concentrations of 2 × 10 −5 and 2 × 10 −4 g/ml (Lis-Balchin and Hart, 1997). Fennel oil has been demonstrated to increase the resting force of guinea pig tracheal smooth muscle; anethole may be responsible for this positive inotropic effect (Reiter and Brandt, 1985). In another animal study, sweet fennel oil inhibited acetylcholine-induced contractions of ileal and bladder smooth muscles; the mechanism of action is thought to be due to an inhibition of calcium release from intracellular stores and the binding to calcium-binding proteins by constituents in the fennel oil (Saleh et al., 2005). ...
This chapter opens with the description and classifi cation of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare L.), a plant largely grown as a herb or for its fruits and valued for its pleasant aroma, abundant nutritional and medicinal properties. The chapter details the aroma chemicals present in essential oil from herb and seeds. The principal constituents from volatile oil from fruits are 50–60 % anethole and 15–20 % fenchone. Several processed products from fennel fresh herb and fruits for which there is demand in the international market are given. The nutritional and functional properties to which the medicinal uses of fennel are attributed–antimicrobial, antifl atulent, stimulant, carminative and expectorant and a few others – are depicted. Toxicity, allergenicity and adulteration are also mentioned. The quality specifi cations for different fennel products such as whole seed, powdered seed, volatile oil and oleoresins production are given.
Key words: fennel, cultivation, chemical composition, main products, nutritional value, functional properties, medicinal uses, toxicity, adulteration, quality specifi cations
... Essential oil of plant screened for smooth muscle relaxant activity and found active in guinea pig trachea at ED 50 64mg/liter dose and also found inactive in guinea pig ileum at 100mg/liter [27] . Insect Repellent Activity Essential oil screened in India for insect repellent activity in Apis florae. ...
Citrus aurantium L commonly called as bitter orange. Economically, C.aurantium is of appreciable importance as a source of edible fruit and is widely used in folk medicines. The aim of the present review is to present comprehensive information of the ethno medical information, chemical constituents, biological and pharmacological research on C. aurantium which will be presented and critically evaluated. The close connection between traditional and modern sources for ethno pharmacological uses of C.aurantium is especially for treatment against inflammation, malarial fever, diarrhoea, digestive and fever. Essential oil from the whole plant, flower and seeds has conclusively established their mode of action in treatment of various diseases and other health benefits. Strong interdisciplinary programmes that incorporate conventional and new technologies will be critical for the future development of C. aurantium as a promising source of medicinal products. In the present review, attempts on the important findings have been made on whole plant, bark, flower, seed and root of C. aurantium.
... All plants containing carvacrol have shown relaxant effects on different smooth muscles including trachea (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19) and have also shown anti-inflammatory effects (20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27). The relaxant effect of essential oil from Carum copticumon on tracheal chains has been shown to be mainly due to its fraction 2, which is suggested to be carvacrol (28). ...
Objectives:
With regard to pharmacological effects of carvacrol on the respiratory system, its effect on cytokines genes expression in splenocytes of asthmatic mice was examined in this study.
Materials and methods:
Splenocytes were isolated from non-sensitized (control group), sensitized mice to ovalbumin (OVA) (group S), and S animals treated with dexamethasone, and three concentrations of carvacrol. IL-4, IFN-γ, TGF-β, FOXP3, and IL-17 genes expression were carried out in cultured splenocytes using the real-time PCR method.
Results:
Compared to the control group, IFN-γ and FOXP3 genes expression were significantly decreased (P<0.001 for both cases), but IL-4 and IL-17 genes expression were significantly increased in the S group (P<0.001 and P<0.05, respectively). IL-4 gene expression due to treatment of all concentrations of carvacrol, TGF-β gene expression due to its two higher concentrations, and IL-17 gene expression due to its high concentration were significantly decreased compared to group S (P<0.01 to P<0.001). IFN-γ gene expression was significantly increased due to last carvacrol concentration (300 µg/ml, P<0.01), and FOXP3 due to its two last concentrations (150 and 300 µg/ml, P<0.05 and P<0.001, respectively) in treated S splenocytes. Dexamethasone treatment of sensitized splenocytes only showed significant inhibitory effect on IL-4 and TGF-β genes expression (P<0.001 for both cases).
Conclusion:
These results showed the immunomodulatory effect of carvacrol indicating increased IFN-γ and FOXP3 but decreased IL-4, TGF-β, and IL-17 genes expression, which was more selective than the effect of dexamethasone in sensitized mice splenocytes, which indicates its possible therapeutic value in allergy, autoimmunity, and infectious diseases.
... In vitro testing of essential oils, including those of clove, Thymus vulgaris (thyme), angelica, lemon balm, peppermint, and Nepeta cataria (catnip), have demonstrated spasmolytic activity on guinea pig and rabbit intestines (Reiter and Brandt 1985;Gilani et al. 2009;Hills and Aaronson 1991). Mechanisms of action include interference with calcium ion channels in smooth muscle cell membranes (Hills and Aaronson 1991). ...
Foeniculum vulgare Mill., commonly known as fennel, is one of the widespread plants that originated from Southern Europe and Mediterranean regions. This species is an economically important herb that has been used in traditional medicine and as a spice in culinary. The various parts and essential oil of fennel have been used widely in different ailments related to digestive, endocrine, reproductive, and respiratory systems. Based on their traditional uses, numerous pharmacological activities were reported by researchers such as antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, apoptotic, cardiovascular, antitumor, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, and memory-enhancing property. According to phytochemical investigations of F. vulgare, the flavonoids, phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and volatile compounds such as trans-anethole, estragole, and fenchone were reported as the major constituents responsible for various activities. This chapter presents an overview of the origin, distribution, taxonomic position, traditional uses, phytochemical, pharmacological, toxicological properties, and herbal formulations/products of F. vulgare. It also compiles available scientific evidence for the ethnobotanical claims and identifies gaps required to be filled by future research. F. vulgare has emerged as a good source of traditional medicine and provides a remarkable foundation for developing new drugs and the future.KeywordsFennelTraditional medicineCulinarySpicesPhytochemical composition
ABSTRACT
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill) is one of the oldest known spice plants, counted among the world's most important medicinal plants, due to its economic importance and important pharmaceutical industry applications. Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) belonging to the Apiaceae family is used for many traditional therapeutic purposes. Compiled data on their many in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties such as antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antinociceptive, antipyretic, antispasmodic, antithrombotic, apoptotic, cardiovascular, chemo modulatory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and memory-enhancing properties indicate its efficacy.
Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) is widely used as a carminative, digestive, galactagogue, and diuretic, gastrointestinal disorders, and in the treatment of respiratory. It is also used as a galactagogue agent for lactating mothers. Its seeds are used as a flavoring in baked goods, meat and fish dishes, alcoholic beverages, ice cream, and herb mixtures.
Foeniculum vulgare is responsible for its antioxidant activity. In Foeniculum vulgare, volatile aroma compounds make it an excellent flavoring agent. Volatile aroma compounds such as estragole, trans-anethole, and fenchone have been reported as major phytoconstituents of Foeniculum vulgare (fennel ) species. Foeniculum vulgare provides a remarkable foundation in pharmaceutical biology for the development/manufacture of new drugs and future clinical uses.
The purpose of the review is to gather information available in this literature regarding botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, safety, and toxicology of Foeniculum vulgare.
Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill) is one of the oldest known spice plants, counted among the world's most important medicinal plants, due to its economic importance and important pharmaceutical industry applications. Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) belonging to the Apiaceae family is used for many traditional therapeutic purposes. Compiled data on their many in vitro and in vivo pharmacological properties such as antimicrobial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic, antinociceptive, antipyretic, antispasmodic, antithrombotic, apoptotic, cardiovascular, chemo modulatory, antitumor, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, hypolipidemic, and memory-enhancing properties indicate its efficacy. Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) is widely used as a carminative, digestive, galactagogue, and diuretic, gastrointestinal disorders, and in the treatment of respiratory. It is also used as a galactagogue agent for lactating mothers. Its seeds are used as a flavoring in baked goods, meat and fish dishes, alcoholic beverages, ice cream, and herb mixtures. Foeniculum vulgare is responsible for its antioxidant activity. In Foeniculum vulgare, volatile aroma compounds make it an excellent flavoring agent. Volatile aroma compounds such as estragole, trans-anethole, and fenchone have been reported as major phytoconstituents of Foeniculum vulgare (fennel) species. Foeniculum vulgare provides a remarkable foundation in pharmaceutical biology for the development/manufacture of new drugs and future clinical uses. The purpose of the review is to gather information available in this literature regarding botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, safety, and toxicology of Foeniculum vulgare.
Herbal preparations have been utilized in midwifery to facilitate the birthing process. Nevertheless, these preparations are not under the scrutiny of the Food and Drug Administration, and there is a lack of clinical trials to demonstrate their safety and effectiveness. The Angelica genus, including dong quai (Angelica sinensis), Angelica archangelica, and Angelica sylvestris, has been used by midwives to induce uterine contractions. The primary goal of this project was to investigate midwifery claims by measuring the contractile effects of A. sinensis, A. archangelica, and A. sylvestris on isolated Mus musculus uterine horns. All Angelica species, when tested at similar concentrations, produced contractile forces greater than that of the tissue's own spontaneous motility. Of the Angelica species, dong quai yielded the greatest contractile force. In addition, A. archangelica demonstrated concentration dependency when producing contractile forces. The results herein support that the Angelica species reported in midwifery literature do indeed induce contractions at the reduced level of isolated tissues. Future research that would demonstrate the absorption and distribution of the herbal constituents following oral consumption would lend more support to the use of these herbals at the organismal level.
Zusammenfassung
Das ätherische Kümmelöl aus Carum carvi L., Carvi aetheroleum, bestehend überwiegend aus den Terpenen (S)-(+)-Carvon und (R)-(+)-Limonen, wird bei Verdauungsbeschwerden, einhergehend mit Blähungen und Flatulenz, oder sogar bei flatulenzbedingten Koliken angewandt. Überwiegend aktuelle experimentelle Daten geben Hinweise oder bekräftigen die bereits früher postulierten Wirkungen. Zu nennen sind vor allem karminative (entblähende) Wirkungen im Gastrointestinum durch spasmolytische bzw. entkrampfende Eigenschaften, eine mögliche Hemmung der intestinalen Gärungsprozesse durch antimikrobielle (auf pathogene Keime beschränkt) Wirkungen, eine Volumenreduktion durch Hemmung der Schaumbildung von Magen- und Darmsaft und damit eine mögliche Reduktion blähungsbedingter Schmerzen sowie direkte antinozizeptive Eigenschaften. Ergebnisse aus klinischen Untersuchungen und Studien können die Wirkungen z. T. für das Kümmelöl alleine, besser für eine langjährig bewährte Kombination zusammen mit Pfefferminzöl, z. B. in der Anwendung bei typischen Symptomen funktioneller Verdauungsstörungen bestätigen.
Foeniculum vulgare Mill. (Fam. – Apiaceae or Umbelliferae) is an annual, biennial, or perennial aromatic herb; the leaves, stalks, and seeds (fruits) are edible and oblong, ellipsoid, or cylindrical in shape, and greenish or yellowish brown in color, cultivated all over the world. Its herbal drug formulations are used for spasmodic gastrointestinal complaints and catarrh of the upper respiratory tract. The F. vulgare ethanolic and methanolic extracts demonstrated antimicrobial effects against Candida albicans and Mycobacterium species. It has antioxidant, antitumor, chemopreventive, cytoprotective, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, and estrogenic activities. Fennel is used in the raw form as salads and snacks, stewed, boiled, grilled, and even used in the preparation of herbal teas or spirits. The aqueous extract of F. vulgare revealed oculohypotensive and n‐hexane extract and methylene chloride extract exhibited similar antinociceptive activities.
We conducted a double-blind randomized placebo controlled trial to evaluate the impact of Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) on the bleeding and systemic manifestations of menstruation. A total of 90 students were randomly assigned to treatment or placebo group. Bleeding and systemic manifestations were evaluated with a menstrual pictogram and multidimensional verbal scale before and during 2 consecutive menstrual cycles, respectively.
Statistical tests indicated that in both groups, the severity of the systemic symptoms associated with dysmenorrhea significantly decreased (P = 0.001). Among the systemic symptoms, the mean severity of fatigue, the lethargy, and nervous changes in the two groups decreased after the treatment, which was statistically significant. There was no significant difference between the two groups regarding fatigue in the three cycles, but there was a significant difference between the two groups regarding lethargy in the first cycle (P = 0.05) and the second cycle (P = 0.001) after the treatment. The present study demonstrated that Melissa officinalis decreases the severity of the systemic signs associated with menstruation. It showed that the herb does not increase the severity of bleeding and the duration of menstruation. However, it reduces the mean total score of the severity of all the systemic symptoms associated with dysmenorrhea.
Primary dysmenorrhea refers to painful cramps during menstruation with no organic reason. With respect to its high incidence and adverse outcomes in quality of life and some evidences regarding the sedative and antispasmodic effects of Melissa officinailson smooth muscles as an herb, this double-blind clinical trial was conducted to determine the effects of its capsules on severity of dysmenorrhea in the students of Islamic Azad University of Zanjan in 2014.
110 students were matched in terms of dysmenorrhea severity and experience; age; menarche; body mass index (BMI); occupation as well as educational level of parents; and duration, interval as well as amount of bleeding. Then, they were randomly divided into 2 herb (55 subjects) and placebo (55 subjects) groups. The former was given capsules 330 mg of the herb 3 times a day over 3 days at the onset of hemorrhage while the latter was given placebo in similar capsules containing corn starch with the same protocol. Pain severity was evaluated with a visual analogue scale (0 to 10 cm). Different statistical tests were used for data analysis with SPSS package.
No significant difference was found between the means of pain severity in the groups before the intervention. However, the severity was reduced in both groups after the intervention (P<0.001) but the amount of it was more in Melissa group with a significant difference (P<0.05). With respect to the findings, it seems that M. officinalismay decrease dysmenorrhea, which may be related to antispasmodic effects of this herb.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) (Fig. 1) is a perennial plant with fleshy and bent finger-like rhizomes. The rhizomes branch usually up to the 4th order and show negative geotropism (Shah and Raju 1975), and also possess oil cells (Hardman 1972).
A glabrous, branching, erect, and aromatic annual of the COMPOSITAE family. It grows to about 1 m tall with a strong odor when bruised. The leaves, 2 to 3, are pinnately-parted with a narrow, thorny tip. Flow- ers are large, solitary heads on 2 to 8 cm long, grooved peduncles; The ray florets are white or yellowish, later becoming reflexed, disc florets numerous, yellow, tubular; peduncles 2.5 cm long, dark brown or dusk greenish yellow; achenes with 3–5 faint ribs.
Background: Since long lasting administration of anti-seizure drugs produces undesirable side effects, many efforts have been made during recent decades to find and replace the chemical drugs by medicinal plants.
Objective: The aim of present study was to study the antiepileptic (anti-seizure) effects of hydroalcoholic extract of Melissa officinalis on experimental epileptiform seizures, induced by pentylenetetrazol (PTZ) in Wistar rat.
Methods: After normalization, rats in experimental groups 1, 2 and 3 were injected (i.p) 50, 80 and 120 mg/kg hydroalcoholic extract of Melissa officinalis , respectively. Control animals were injected extract solvent as the same manner. After 30 minutes all rats were injected (i.p) 80 mg/kg PTZ and then examined for epileptiform behaviors for the next 60 minutes. The rate of mortality during the next 24 hour was also recorded.
Results: In comparison with control group, in all experimental groups the latent period of tonic-clonic generalized seizure was significantly (P
Seeds are commonly used foods, and several seeds are rich in nutraceuticals. Examples include the seeds of the members of the Apiaceae family, that are used as spices. Seeds are also rich in omega-3-fatty acids, tocotrienols and phytosterols. In addition, there are several unutilized seed species that are rich in nutraceuticals. Consumption of these seeds regularly has been considered to be a health beneficial practice. This chapter provides a comprehensive account of several types of seeds, and their potential influences on health.
The Lychnophora (Vernonieae-Asteraceae) are endemic Brazilian shrubby plants used in folk medicine as beverages and topical agents to relieve injury pain and edema, rheumatism, inflammation, and insect bites. Sesquiterpene lactones and flavonoids are the main classes of secondary metabolites isolated from this genus. Furanoheliangolide-type lactones can be found in almost all investigated Lychnophora species. This review intents to describe the main compounds isolated from Lychnophora species, as well as report the biological activities of some extracts, fractions, and isolated compounds.
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