There are several reports in the literature indicating a great variety of pharmacological effects for peganum har-mala or aspand such as sedative anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral and antiprotozoal. Some people believe that can be used for treatment of some organic or psychiatric disorders. We introduce a woman with history of long time constipation that was disappointed in novel medical treatment and decided to use comminuted Aspand to relieve her problem. Two hours after use, the intoxication symptoms manifested as blurred vision, phonophobia, floating feeling, and tinnitus ringing. Here we report the treatment process and outcome of this case.

There has been limited information on the in-vitro propagation of Harmal. In this research, leaf, hypocotyl and embryo samples of this plant were examined for callus formation and regeneration. The present experiment was conducted as factorial based on a completely randomized design with three replications in two separate experiments with different hormonal treatments. In the first experiment, MS medium contained growth with different concentrations of Benzylaminopourine ((BAP) 0, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/L) in combination with Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) at concentrations (0, 0.25 and 0.5 mg/L. In the second experiment, BAP with concentrations (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/L) in combination with 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) with concentrations (0, 25 and 0.5 mg / L). The results of the first experiment showed that the highest callus and regeneration for the Harmal a plant was the combination of BAP hormone (0.5 mg/L) with NAA (0.5 mg/L). In this research, leaf, hypocotyl and embryo samples of this plant were examined for callus formation and regeneration. The results of the second experiment, on the other hand, showed that callus of explants was carried out in most of the BAP and 2,4-D hormonal treatments, and the highest regeneration was observed in the treatment of 1 mg/L BAP with 0.5 mg/L 2,4-D. High BAP concentration in the presence of NAA decreased callus formation and appeared to be better for NAA callus enhancement. The high concentration of BAP in the presence of NAA reduced callus formation and it can be said that NAA was better for increasing callus production. It was found that in the presence of 2,4-D and BAP, leaf explants were more efficient for regeneration and callus formation compared to hypocotyl and embryo explants. In the medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L 2,4-D and 1 mg/L BA for the leaf and hypocotyl explants, Maximum callus induction and shoot regeneration was obtained.

There has been limited information on the in-vitro propagation of Harmal. In this research, leaf, hypocotyl and embryo samples of this plant were examined for callus formation and regeneration. The present experiment was conducted as factorial based on a completely randomized design with three replications in two separate experiments with different hormonal treatments. In the first experiment, MS medium contained growth with different concentrations of Benzylaminopourine ((BAP) 0, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/L) in combination with Naphthalene acetic acid (NAA) at concentrations (0, 0.25 and 0.5 mg/L. In the second experiment, BAP with concentrations (0, 0.5, 1 and 2 mg/L) in combination with 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) with concentrations (0, 25 and 0.5 mg / L). The results of the first experiment showed that the highest callus and regeneration for the Harmal a plant was the combination of BAP hormone (0.5 mg/L) with NAA (0.5 mg/L). In this research, leaf, hypocotyl and embryo samples of this plant were examined for callus formation and regeneration. The results of the second experiment, on the other hand, showed that callus of explants was carried out in most of the BAP and 2,4-D hormonal treatments, and the highest regeneration was observed in the treatment of 1 mg/L BAP with 0.5 mg/L 2,4-D. High BAP concentration in the presence of NAA decreased callus formation and appeared to be better for NAA callus enhancement. The high concentration of BAP in the presence of NAA reduced callus formation and it can be said that NAA was better for increasing callus production. It was found that in the presence of 2,4-D and BAP, leaf explants were more efficient for regeneration and callus formation compared to hypocotyl and embryo explants. In the medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L 2,4-D and 1 mg/L BA for the leaf and hypocotyl explants, Maximum callus induction and shoot regeneration was obtained.

Objective: The present study was conducted to investigate antibacterial properties of fruit and flower of Peganum harmala. Material and Methods: Column chromatography, followed by preparative thin layer chromatography (TLC) was used for final purification. The structure of pure alkaloids was determined using spectroscopic methods ( 1 H-NMR, 13 C-NMR, UV and MS). Smoke and extract of total alkaloids were investigated for antimicrobial activity against five different microorganisms (standards and hospital isolates). The antibacterial activity was evaluated using disc diffusion assay and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by serial dilution methods. Results: Chemical investigation of the chloroform extract of ripe fruit and flower of P. harmala led to identification of three alkaloids in ripe fruit and two alkaloids in the flower and leaves of this plant. Alkaloids identified in ripe fruit were harmine, peganine (vasicine) and harmaline. Two alkaloids, harmine and peganine, were detected in the flower of P. harmala, while harmaline was only found in the ripe fruit. The total alkaloids of flower were compared with total alkaloids of ripe fruit by TLC method. Fruits and flowers had 3. 12 and 3. 27% alkaloid contents, respectively. Conclusion: Our results showed that the alkaloids and smoke were specifically more effective on Candida albicans and Gram-positive bacteria (Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus aureus), while Gram-negative bacteria, especially Pseudomonas aeruginosa, were less sensitive.

Peganum harmala (Zygophyllaceae) is an intriguing herb with a long history of medicinal use. Antifungal activity of P. harmala seed extract against certain fungal species was investigated in vitro. Antifungal activity of the extract of P. harmala seeds was investigated against several fungal species using in vitro agar dilution technique. The fungal species included: Microsporum canis, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Trichophyton rubrum, Trichophyton tonsurans and Fonsecaea pedrosoi. P. harmala extract, diluted 2.5:1000, produced complete inhibition against microsporum and trichophyton species. The extract had a considerable antifungal activity. Further purification and extraction of the active principles (alkaloids) of P. harmala seeds might show a true antifungal activity comparable to standard antifungal drugs