Journal of Medicinal Plants
Year:2003 | Volume:2 | Issue:8|Papers Count:17

Alternative medicine may be a new avenue of treatment for Alzheimer(s) disease. In addition to Ginkgo biloba, old European reference books, such as those on medical herbs, document a variety of other plants such as Salvia officinalis and Melissa officinalis with memory - improving properties. In this article we review some medicinal plants and natural products that are being used in the management of dementia.

Interactions between herbal and conventional drugs have reported in more than 100 cases. One study has considered warfarin as the most common drug, and St. Johns wort as the most common herb implicated in interactions. Other herbs included Ginseng, Garlic and Kava. For example, patients can experience bleeding, bruising and headache if they use ginkgo and antiplatelet or anticoagulants concurrently. Also pharmacokinetic interactions with St. Johns wort leading to a loss of or reduction in the therapeutic activity of the medicines such as: anticonvulsans, digoxin and theophyline. In this article we reviewed some case report interactions between herbs and drugs. Also interactions between 35 herbs with conventional drugs were presented in tables.

We have previously shown that thymoquinone, the major active constituent of Nigella sativa L. seeds, exhibited anticonvulsant effect in pentylenetetrazole model. In the present study, in order to clarify the other actions of thymoquinone, on the CNS, we investigated its hypnotic and muscle relaxant effects using pentobarbital - induced hypnosis and the traction test, respectively. Also, we evaluated the effects of thymoquinone, on locomotors activity and motor coordination using the open - field activity and the rotarod tests respectively. The results showed that thymoquinone, did not show any hypnotic effect but exerted muscle relaxation in 30% of mice treated with the dose of 80 mg/Kg i.p. In rotarod test, thymoquinone, (40 and 80 mg/Kg. i.p.) produced motor incoordination dose denendently. In open - field test, we found that thymoquinone, with lower doses (1 and 2 mg/Kg, i.p.) could suppress locomotor activity and locomotor - associated behaviors. These findings indicate that thymoquinone, has not any hypnotic effect, but produces muscle relaxation, as well as motor incoordination, and reduces the locomotor activity.

Antioxidants are vital substances which possess the ability to protect the body from damage caused by oxidative stress. A variety of antioxidants exist within the body which many of them are derived from dietry sources like fruits, vegetables and teas. This paper describes a test for determination of antioxidants activity of 25 plant seed extracts used in Iranian folk medicine against linoleic acid peroxidation using 1, 3 - diethy 1 - 2 - thiobarbituric acid as reagent. Some plant extracts including Great plantain, Lettuce, Nutmeg, Common purslane, Cucumber, Fennel, Cumin, Bishops weed fruit and Myrobalan showed IC 50 values of 0.67 , 0.57 , 029 , 0.47, 0.05, 0.32, 0.23 , 0.56 and 0.61 µg respectively which are comparable or lower than IC 50 of vitamin E (IC 50 = 0.59) as a positive control.

Considering the high prevalence of Tricomonas vaginalis (TV) in women and the known side effects of metronidazol and given importance to herbal drug therapy in order to reduce side effects in the recent decades, this study with the effect of essential oils of Artemisia aucheri Boiss., Zataria multiflora Boiss. And Myrtus communis L. in TV infection was done invitro condition. This study has been carried out as double blind in test and control groups. The essential oils prepared by hydrodistilation. The parasite was isolated from vagina and determined directly. Samples were callected from vaginal discharge discharge identification was done through direct smear preasite was added to the 5 test tubes containing dorsse medium, metronidazole Dimethyl sulfoxaide (DMSO) and the essenrial oils with concentrations of (0.1, 0.01, 0.001 - 0.004, 0.0002, 0.0001) in order to determine the effect of these concentration within 72 hour. Finding if this study showed that , Trichomonas could be alived in Dorsse medium for 72 hours. In presence of metrinidazole for one hour and in Dorsse medium for 6 hours. The results revealed that, essential oil of Artemisia at concentrations of 0.1, 0.01, 0.001 are effective at the beginning of the inoculation and at concentrations of 0.0004 and 0.0001 after 1 and 2 hours respectively. Essential oil of Zataria at concentration of 0.1, 0.01, 0.001and 0.0004 are effective at the beginning of the inoculation and at concentrations of 0.0002 and 0.0001 after 1 hour. Essential of Myrtus at concentration of 0.1, 0.01 , 0.001 and 0.0004 are effective at the beginning of the inoculation and at concentrations of 0.0002 and 0.0001 after 2 and 4 hours respectively. Considering the significant effect of essential oils of Artemisia, Zataria and Myrtus on trichomona in in vitro condition it is recommended that, the therapeutic effects the substance from this plant be studied in in vitro condition and in case of having positive effect to be used as a drug.

Diabetic rats display exaggerated hyperalgesic behavior in response to noxious stimuli that may resemble and model aspects of painful diabetic neuropathy in humans. This study was designed to investigate the effect of Trigonella foenum - graecum (TFG) on formalin - induced nociceptive responses (standard formalin test) in streptozotocin (STZ) - induced diabetic rats. For this purpose, STZ - diabetic rats received intraperitoneal injection of aqueous leaf extract of TFG (200 mg/kg every other day for a period of one month). Tt was found out that TFG treatment did cause a significant reduction in blood glucose in diabetic rats and TFG - treated diabetic rats exhibited a lower nociceptive score as compared to untreated - diabetic ones. Meanwhile TFG treatment reduced the nociceptive score in both phases of the formalin test. In contrast. Sodium salicylate as positive control only reduced this score in the second phase of the test. The results suggest therapeutic potential of aqueous extract of fenugreek for treating painful diabetic neuropathy.

The subacute toxicity of Elaeagnus angustifolia fruit seeds extract was studied in rats. Separate groups of animals were given intraperitoneal doses of extract at 0.125, 0.25 and 0.5 g/kg daily for two weeks. Blood samples and selected organs were prepared for biochemical, hematological and histological experiments. Significant reduction of RBC, HCT and Hgb were recorded in all doses. Doses of 0.25 and 0.5 g/kg increased ALT, AST, ALP and LDH significantly and induced sever injury to liver and heart, but low effect on kidney. The results indicated that the extract was toxic for liver, heart and kidney and caused normochrome normocyte anemia.

Depression which is thought to result from biochemical changes in the brain, is a common disease of adulthood. Persian traditional medicine proposes antidepessant effect for crocus sativus whereas there is no evidence - based document. Our objective was to compare the efficacy of dried extract of crocus sativus with imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression in a 6 - week double - blind , randomised trial. 30 adult outpatients who met the Diagnosic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition for major depression based on the structured clinical interview for DSM IV participated in the trial. Patients have a baseline Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score of at least 18. In this double - blind , single - center trial, patients were randomly assigned to receive dried extract of crocus sativus 30 mg/day (capsules) Group (A) , imipramine 100 mg/day (capsules) Group (B). In this small preliminary double - blind and randomzed trial, dried extract of crocus sativus was found to be effective compared to imipramine in the treatment of mild to moderate depression (F = 2.91, d. f. = 1, P = 0.09). In the imipramine group anticholinergic effects such as dry mouth was observed more often that was predictable. The main overall finding from this study and a recent reported animal study is that, dried extract of crocus sativus may be of therapeutic benefit in the management of mild to moderate depression. A large - scale trial is justified.

Subject of this study was the evaluation of effect of the total methanolic extract of Phytolacca decandra L. on isolated male rat heart and specialy effect of this extract on electrophysiological properties of AV node. Male rat heart after isolation was infused with Tyrode solution (Longendrofe method) and with electrophysical methods, all heart electrical parameters for example record from atrium and ventricle, measurment of myocardial contraction force and conduction rate in AV node were done. Various protocols for measurment of AV node recovery kinetic. AV conduction time ERP and wenckebach cycle length in presence and absence of extract were done for studing effects of the extract and finding the mechanism of them. The result of this study show that the methanolic of phytolacca decandra L. in a dose dependent model via effect on basic and functional parameters has depressed these parameters and this plant can be useful in supraventricular arrhytmias.