JOURNAL OF HERBAL DRUGS
Year:2011 | Volume:2 | Issue:2|Papers Count:12

Background & Aim: Despite valuable medicinal properties of safflower, breeding new varieties and development of the crop culture area has been limited due to the lack of genetic variation for some crucial characteristics as resistance to diseases and pests like safflower fly. In this study, populations of wild safflower, C. oxyacanthus were collected from western, central and southern regions of Iran to investigate their genetic variation for resistance to safflower fly, Acanthiophilus helianthi. Then mechanisms of plant resistance to safflower fly and effective bio-chemical compounds involved in the resistance were also investigated.Experimental: Germplasm collection of wild safflower, C. oxyacanthus, was carried out from central, southern and western Iran including provinces Fars, Kohgiluyeh, Isfahan, Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari, Markazi, Tehran, Lorestan, Kordestan, Ilam, Kermanshah and Hamadan. In each province, 3 to 5 samples were gathered from collection sites 50-100 km apart from each other. Each accession was composed of seeds from 30 to 50 individual plants in each collection site.Accessions were planted and evaluated in a randomized complete block design with 3 replications for resistance to safflower fly (Acanthiophilus helianthi) in terms of dead larvae frequency.Results & Discussion: Fresh brown-black and white seed coats from immature seeds of C. oxyacanthus were soaked for 48 h in DMF in three replications. The extracted solution was chromatographed on TLC. The compounds isolated by chromatography were dissolved in 1 mL of DMSO-d6 and 1D proton nuclear magnetic resonance (H-NMR) and carbon nuclear resonance (C-NMR) spectra were recorded. The results showed that brown-black seed coat color in C. oxyacanthus is due to the presence in high concentration of a main anthocyanidin. The compound in the seed coats predominantly undergoes polymerization due to desiccation and exposition to atmosphere during ripening and performs as indigestible and anti-nutritional polymers against fly larvae feeding.Industrial and practical recommendations: Safflower varieties with black seeds containing high amount of anthocyanidin may help to overcome or alleviate insects and diseases problems in front of developing safflower production area and to extract novel metabolites for medicinal purposes.

Background & Aim: Milk thistle [Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn] is an annual or biennial plant, native to the Mediterranean area, which has spread in north and south of Iran. A fruit of milk thistle contains a relatively high amount (approx.20%) of oil, which exhibits wound-healing, anti-burn, and hepatoprotective properties.Experimental: I n this research, a pot experiment was conducted using a completely randomized design with seven level of salinities [1.09 (control), 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 dS/m] for two genotypes, Ahvaz wild type and cultivated German origin (Royston).Results & Discussion: At the harvest, the results have showed that both genotypes grow satisfactorily and had a normal size in soils up to salinity of 9 dS/m, compared to the control plants. However, growth parameters such as number of capitula per plant, main shoot capitulum's diameter, and seed yield and yield components per plant was reduced with salinity greater than 9dS/m in both genotypes. The seed oil content reduced with salinity greater than 9 dS/m slightly.Industrial and practical recommendations: Our results suggested that both types of milk thistle could survive salinity up to 15 dS/m and produced seeds but maximum yield seed get in up to 9 dS/m.Growing milk thistle in low fertile soil and under moderate salinity (£9.0 dS/m) conditions could be important not only such as a cover crop against soil erosions but also for producing seeds of greater value for medicinal and nutrition purposes.

Background & Aim: Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province contains several major floristic plant associations of central Zagros Mountains. Kallar species were used for medicines nutrias in this area. However, these valuable species have been threatened and even become at risk of extinction due to habitat fragmentation and disturbance.Therefore, the first step in protecting these species is identify species habitats in particular in those with major plant associations. One of the important centers in the province of Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province is Kallar Mountain; It is an area of approximately 5,086 hectares and, is located at the center of the province. Range of the mountain is between 1900 and 3814 meters above sea level.The average annual rainfall of 511.4 mg and average temperature is 10.45oC.Experimental: Various parts of the mountain were sampled more than 30 times and all the plants species were identified. A-biotic factors were also collected.Results & Discussion: The results showed that Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari province has about 1, 300 species of choromophyta among which about 600 plant species were found in Kallar. There are 91 medical species belong 38 families, 80 geniuses.67 Iranian endemic plant species were found in Kallar among which 28 species medical were identified as medical such as Achillea kellalensis Boiss. & Haus and Satureja kallarica Jamzad. 84 species are listed in Red Data Book of Iran, among which 61 species LR, are 12 species are (vu), 11 species (DD) were identified in Kallar.Industrial and practical recommendations: Most endangered plants are medicinal and endemic by protecting, reproducing and rehabilitation of their habitats; major steps are likely to take in order to conserve pl ant genetic resources.

Background & Aim: Matricaria aure is one of medicinal plants belonging to Asteraceae family. They naturally grow in some regions of the country and have different medical properties and various applications in medicine production and traditional medications. Ecological conditions have a significant impact on growth, performance, and quality of medical plants. The aim of this research is to investigate the effects of two important ecological factors (nitrogen and water) on the growth, performance and essential oil from Matricaria aure.Experimental: The present research has been carried out at the researches center of medical plants in Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, in 2008. In this research, the factorial experiment with completely random bases and three replications were used. Five different levels of nitrogen (0, 500, 1000, 1500, and 2000 mg/pot) and three levels of irrigation (0, 25, and 50% depletion of the soil moisture) were studied.Results & Discussion: The result of analysis of variance of the experiment for Matricaria aurea showed that different levels of nitrogen do have significant impacts on the plant height, chlorophyll content, total dry matter and % essential oil. Also, the impact of different levels of water on all characteristics was significant.Industrial and practical recommendations: The findings of this research indicated that the appropriate nutrition of nitrogen and not receiving drought stress can boost the essence production in Matricaria aure.

Background & Aim: In recent years, Iran and other countries pay special attention to side effects of chemical plants. This interest in plants and their derivatives leads to business of medicinal plants. In Caspian region, in forestry projects there are many plant species with medicinal uses from which the locale indigenous used due to traditional experience without any especial processing in past centuries. In this regard, the forestry projects of the 83th area (series one, two and three) including 25429 hectares locate d at 80 km from south part of Behshahr and the 81th area including 14528 hectares locate d at 70 km from south part of Neka were selected to be studied.Experimental: In order to introduce the species of medicinal and aromatic plants, the collected ones from the region have been identified after transferring to herbarium by using various floras. Then, using the local data obtained from direct interviews and questionnaires and related books, their pharmacological profile were recorded and, the processing and analysis were performed on raw data.Results & Discussion: The results of this study showed that there are 210 species which belong to 47 families in the studied area, among which 30 families have 76 species from which 24 species of rangeland plant and 6 species of tree and shrub are used by local people. This study showed that local people used these plants after converting some useable parts of them into nectars, jams, pickles sauce, or boiled plants. Also, using the green parts of plants as edible vegetables and food flavoring is of great importance.Industrial and practical recommendations: Research on understanding and how to use rangeland medicinal plants can be helpful so to pharmaceutical industry. So the supportive actions to identify preserve and increase the valuable species of medicinal plants in this region are recommended.

Background & Aim: This experiment investigated the effect of foliar application of methanol and ethanol on the biomass yield of medicinal plant Echinacea purpurea. Purple coneflower is an herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae family that is used in therapy of respiratory tract infection and bacterial otitis.Experimental: This experiment was conducted in randomized complete block designed with 15 treatments and 3 replications in institute of medicinal plant (ACECR) in Karaj region in spring in 2010. The following is the treatment of this study: aqueous solution of methanol with levels of (10, 20, 30, 40, 50%), and aqueous solution of ethanol with levels (10, 20, 30, 40, 50%), and aqueous solution of mixed ethanol and methanol with the levels of (5, 15, 25%), and distilled water treatment and control treatment without spraying.Results & Discussion: The result of this study indicated that the effect of treatments on 23 evaluated index has significant difference (p<0.01).Maximum of plants height, stem diameter, capitule diameter, leaf length, leaf width, root fresh weight, root dry weight, stem dry weight, leaf dry weight, length of root, numbers of stem's leaves, fresh plant weight, and dry plant weight related to foliar application of 40% methanol, and the maximum of number of stem' s, shoot antlers of root, leaf area, chlorophyll (SPAD) were obtained by foliar application of 30% methanol, also capitule fresh weight, seed weight, and capitule dry weight was obtained by solution of 50% methanol, and diameter of root and thousand seeds weight was obtained by 50% ethanol, and maximum number of capitule was obtain by foliar application of 40% ethanol.Industrial and practical recommendations: Allgemein in this study can be concluded that foliar application of alcohol solution such as methanol and ethanol source and the bio stimulate can increase the biomass of purple coneflower.

Background & Aim: Medicinal plants are most valuable and useful sources as productive factors of drugs. Production and extraction of secondary metabolites have a huge economical importance in recent years. Carvone is a compound in Bunium persicum fruit and shoot and, it is one of the wide range varieties of valuable and useful secondary metabolites. Due to limited crop production, using appropriate stimulating factors, such as ultrasound is an efficient way in the production of secondary metabolites in plant cell culture.Experimental: In this study, callus in suspension environment influenced by treatments once or twice, with times 0, 5, 20, 35, 50 and 240 seconds by means of ultrasonic bath with a frequency of 38.5 kHz and constant power examined. After extraction of Carvone, the amount of this secondary metabolite was measured by High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method.Results & Discussion: Stimulating effect of ultrasound increased the synthesis of Carvone dramatically. According to the observations, combination of hormone with using the bath for 2 times and each time for 35 seconds, created highest rate of Carvone. By contrast, controlling the all cases showed the lowest level of Carvone.Industrial and practical recommendations: Ultrasound irradiation can act as a potent abiotic elicitor to induce the defense responses of plant cells and to stimulate secondary metabolite production in plant cell cultures.

Background & Aim: Nowadays, tendency to agricultural biotic product sustainable agriculture instead of chemical fertilizers has been going up in all over the world. So, most pharmaceutical industries prefer to use raw material which is produced from organic and stable system. Producing organic medicinal plants, such as peppermint, seems important in economical, ecological and bio environmental aspects.Experimental: Three biological fertilizers effect (Nitroxyn, Supernitroplus, Biosulfore) and urea on qualitative and quantitative character of peppermint is the aim of this project which was done in a farm of Jihad Daneshgahi Institute of Iran during 2008-2009, as a complete randomized block design with 9 treatment fertilizer and 3 replications. Nine treatments were as follows: Azospirillum / Azotobacter (Nitroxin 4 and 8 Kg/ha), Azospirillum / Bacillus subtilis/Pseudomonas fluorescens (Super Nitro Plus 4 and 8 Kg/ha), (Biosulfur 4 and 8 Kg/ha, Urea fertilizer (75 and 100 Kg/ha), and control treatment with no fertilizer.Results & Discussion: The results indicated that all fertilizer treatment (biologic & urea) had a significant increase in most character comparing to control treatment and among biofertilizers, Nitroxin and supernitroplus (8 kg/ha) on par with urea fertilizer had the most effect additive on most characters.Based on this results, the above mentioned biofertilizers increased qualitative and quantitative yield of peppermint.Industrial and practical recommendations: According to the findings of this experiment, biological fertilizers led to increasing the qualitative and quantitative functions of peppermint. Using biofertelizer including Nitroxin and supernitroplus the utilization of nitrogen chemical fertilizers originated from urea can be reduced which is an efficient step in achieving to a stable agriculture and decreasing biochemical pollution.

Background & Aim: In present study, some of the Iranian endemic medicinal plants were used to evaluate potential as well as therapeutic agent and immunostimulants in aquaculture. The essential oils of five species from leaves and inflorescence were used to determinate the effects on immune system in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).Experimental: The experimental in a completely randomized design with 7 treatments and 3 replicates and each replicate fish was divided into 12 pieces. An experiment with 252 fishes with average weight 50±5 g for 8 weeks was conducted. The experimental treatments were: essential oil of 1. Satureja bachtiarica Bunge; 2. Thymus daenensis Celak; 3. Satureja Khuzestanica Jamzad; 4. Dracocephalum multicaule Benth; 5. Mentha longifolia L (1% oil); 6. Normal diet+olive oil; 7. Normal diet (control).Results & Discussion: The results of analysis of variance showed significant different (p£0.05) between almost of factors of immune system and growth of rainbow trout.The results showed the highest levels of immune factors relating to the percentage of phagocytosis and the number and rate of crime phagosite Igm three essential oils of M. longifolia, S. khuzestanica, and D.multicaule. Lymphocytes in the blood and blood heterophile between yourself and the control diet containing the essential oil of Satureja bachtiarica significant difference (p£0.05) was observed. There was no significant difference between some of the factors of immune system and growth of rainbow trout (hematocrit, hemoglobin, monocytes and etc).Industrial and practical recommendations: The use of essential oils and herbs, especially the Mentha longifolia and Satureja bachtiarica can improve the status indicator.

Over the past two decades, the role of intellectual property rights in all areas of science and technology has exploded globally-primarily due to the rules prescribed by the World Trade Organization’s TRIPS and by bilateral/regional trade agreements. The TRIPS agreement obligates all WTO member countries to adopt and enforce minimum standards of intellectual property rights. The TRIPS agreement requires member countries to make patents available for inventions, whether products or processes, in all fields of technology without discrimination, subject to the standard patent criteria (novelty, inventiveness and industrial applicability).During the negotiations on the TRIPS agreement, consensus was not reached on the controversial area of biotechnological inventions. The US and some other developed countries pushed for no exclusions to patentability, while some developing country members preferred to exclude all biological diversity-related inventions from IP laws. For many developing countries the patenting of life forms and exclusive monopoly protection on biological products and processes that originate in developing countries (or that are based on traditional knowledge) continues to be controversial. The major genetic resources are in the southern states and so, many companies are seeking to access to genes, microbes, plants, animals and even native human populations to seize them as a monopoly product. Critics call the establishment of intellectual property rights to these resources for the industrial countries biopiracy and know the obligation of developing nations to pay royalties to wealthy industrial countries for the products that obtained from their own genetic resources and traditional knowledge “biological colonialism”.Pharmaceutical industries are the biggest thieves of genetic and natural resources at the international level. This is the third world countries' responsibility while preserving their vital resources and reserves, ensure optimal use of these natural blessings.