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Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine 2016Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family is one of the biggest plant families on the earth. Iran has a huge diversity of Apiaceae members. This family possesses a range of... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVE
Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) family is one of the biggest plant families on the earth. Iran has a huge diversity of Apiaceae members. This family possesses a range of compounds that have many biological activities. The members of this family are well known as vegetables, culinary and medicinal plants. Here, we present a review of ethnobotanical uses of Apiaceae plants by the Iranian people in order to provide a comprehensive documentation for future investigations.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We checked scientific studies published in books and journals in various electronic databases (Medline, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus and Google Scholar websites) from 1937 to 2015 and reviewed a total of 52 publications that provided information about different applications of these plant species in human and livestock.
RESULTS
As a result of this review, several ethnobotanical usages of 70 taxa, 17 of which were endemic, have been determined. These plants were used for medicinal and non-medicinal purposes. The most commonly used parts were fruits, leaves, aerial parts and gums. The most common methods of preparation were decoction, infusion and poultice.
CONCLUSION
To our knowledge, this paper represents a comprehensive literature search of ethnobotanical uses of Apiaceae reported from Iran. This study highlights the rich traditional knowledge of this family that has remained in Iran. However, most of this knowledge survive only as memories from the past in the minds of the elderly, and will probably vanish in a few decades. Thus, we compiled these scattered data together in a single document for the next scientific works with ethnobotanical interests.
PubMed: 28078243
DOI: No ID Found -
F1000Research 2020Enveloped viruses such as SAR-CoV-2 are sensitive to heat and are destroyed by temperatures tolerable to humans. All mammals use fever to deal with infections and heat... (Review)
Review
Enveloped viruses such as SAR-CoV-2 are sensitive to heat and are destroyed by temperatures tolerable to humans. All mammals use fever to deal with infections and heat has been used throughout human history in the form of hot springs, saunas, hammams, steam-rooms, sweat-lodges, steam inhalations, hot mud and poultices to prevent and treat respiratory infections and enhance health and wellbeing. This paper reviews the evidence for using heat to treat and prevent viral infections and discusses potential cellular, physiological and psychological mechanisms of action. In the initial phase of infection, heat applied to the upper airways can support the immune system's first line of defence by supporting muco-ciliary clearance and inhibiting or deactivating virions where they first lodge. This may be further enhanced by the inhalation of steam containing essential oils with anti-viral, mucolytic and anxiolytic properties. Heat applied to the whole body can further support the immune system's second line of defence by mimicking fever and activating innate and acquired immune defences and building physiological resilience. Heat-based treatments also offer psychological benefits and enhanced mental wellness by focusing attention on positive action, enhancing relaxation and sleep, inducing 'forced-mindfulness', and invoking the power of positive thinking and 'remembered wellness'. Heat is a cheap, convenient and widely accessible therapeutic modality and while no clinical protocols exist for using heat to treat COVID-19, protocols that draw from traditional practices and consider contraindications, adverse effects and infection control measures could be developed and implemented rapidly and inexpensively on a wide scale. While there are significant challenges in implementing heat-based therapies during the current pandemic, these therapies present an opportunity to integrate natural medicine, conventional medicine and traditional wellness practices, and support the wellbeing of both patients and medical staff, while building community resilience and reducing the likelihood and impact of future pandemics.
Topics: Humans; Betacoronavirus; Coronavirus Infections; COVID-19; Hot Temperature; Hyperthermia, Induced; Oils, Volatile; Pandemics; Pneumonia, Viral; SARS-CoV-2; Steam
PubMed: 32742639
DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.23299.2 -
Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic... 2024Finding new compounds to accelerate wound healing is critical today. Humic substances or fulvic acid each have anti-inflammatory properties.
BACKGROUND
Finding new compounds to accelerate wound healing is critical today. Humic substances or fulvic acid each have anti-inflammatory properties.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of poultice 0.5% containing humic and fulvic acids on wound healing in male rats.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
An animal model was arranged by making a full-thickness skin wound was created in each rat. Animals were randomly divided into control, sham, and treatment groups. To investigate the effect of humic and fulvic acids combining poultice, the wound area and histological analyses of the number of inflammatory cells, fibroblasts, and angiogenesis were evaluated for 21 days.
RESULTS
The animals in the treated group showed higher wound healing percentage, angiogenesis, and fibroblast distribution compared with the control ( < 0.001). Moreover, the topical administration of humic and fulvic acids 0.5% poultice decreased the mean number of inflammatory cells significantly than the other groups ( < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
The topical administration of a poultice containing humic and fulvic acid accelerated wound healing by increasing angiogenesis and fibroblast and reducing inflammatory cell distribution in a rat model.
PubMed: 38800815
DOI: 10.4103/JCAS.JCAS_92_23 -
Critical Military Studies Oct 2019The subject of British military medicine during the First World War has long been a fruitful one for historians of gender. From the bodily inspection of recruits and...
The subject of British military medicine during the First World War has long been a fruitful one for historians of gender. From the bodily inspection of recruits and conscripts through the expanding roles of women as medical care providers to the physical and emotional aftermath of conflict experienced by men suffering from war-related wounds and illness, the medical history of the war has shed important light on how the war shaped British masculinities and femininities as cultural, subjective and embodied identities. Much of this literature has, however, focused on the gendered identities of female nurses and sick and wounded servicemen. Increasingly, however, more complex understandings of the ways in which medical caregiving in wartime shaped the gender identities of male caregivers are starting to emerge. This article explores some of these emerging understandings of the masculinity of male medical caregivers, and their relationship to the wider literature around the complex and sometimes contradictory relationship between warfare and medicine. It examines the ways in which the masculine identity of male medical caregivers from the ranks of the Royal Army Medical Corps, namely stretcher bearers and medical orderlies, was perceived and represented both by the men themselves and those they cared for. In doing so it argues that total war played a crucial role in shaping social and cultural perceptions of caregiving as a gendered practice. It also identifies particular tensions between continuity and change in social understandings of medical care as a gendered practice which would continue to shape twentieth-century British society in the war's aftermath.
PubMed: 32984444
DOI: 10.1080/23337486.2019.1677040 -
BioMed Research International 2021Wallflower () is employed as a popular herbal drug in traditional Persian medicine. Topical formulations including cerates, lotions, sitz baths, and poultices for...
Wallflower () is employed as a popular herbal drug in traditional Persian medicine. Topical formulations including cerates, lotions, sitz baths, and poultices for inflammatory disorders such as arthritis, anal fissure, endometriosis, and mastitis are known. However, there is no monograph in current pharmacopoeia for the wallflower drug. The present study is aimed to screen anti-inflammatory activity of wallflower and perform quality control and characterization tests for different organs of the herb. In this regard, albumin denaturation activity, macroscopic and microscopic, phytochemical, HPTLC, and FT-IR characteristics were investigated. Wallflower showed strong anti-inflammatory activity compared to diclofenac sodium. The root (1.25, 2.5, and 5 mg/mL) and flower (10 mg/mL) extract exhibited higher anti-inflammatory activities than that of other plant organs at the same concentrations. Moreover, total ash was found higher in aerial parts (21.52 ± 0.06%) than flower (11.01 ± 0.03%), root (5.03 ± 0.03%), and seed (6.95 ± 0.06%), while water-soluble ash was higher in seed (34.89 ± 0.26%) than flower (5.00 ± 0.03%), aerial parts (7.16 ± 0.06%), and root (5.04 ± 0.01%). Acid-insoluble ash and sulphated ash were higher in root (9.50 ± 0.04%) and aerial part (28.37 ± 0.57%), respectively. In addition, loss on drying was ranged from 2.20 ± 0.20% in flowers to 6.00 ± 0.10% in aerial parts. On the other hand, HPTLC analysis verified cardenolide compounds in all organs of the herb, and quercetin was detected in the flavonoid fingerprint of acid hydrolysed flowers. According to FT-IR results, the observed spectral region at ~3500 cm attributed to -OH stretching vibration. Also, C-H (~2900-2950 cm), isothiocyanate (~2340 cm), -C=O (~1740 cm), conjugated C=C of the aromatic ring (~1650 cm), and structure of the aromatic group (~1200-1000 cm) were monitored. This work is the first study to the best of our knowledge, suggesting wallflower as a potential drug candidate with the basis for a monograph in addition to initial anti-inflammatory data.
Topics: Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Erysimum; Flavonoids; Flowers; Phytochemicals; Plant Extracts; Quality Control; Quercetin; Seeds; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared
PubMed: 34212031
DOI: 10.1155/2021/5526644 -
Journal of Ethnopharmacology Mar 2023Plants have been used in various parts of the world to treat various diseases. The genus Zanthoxylum L. (Rutaceae) is the second largest genus of this family and... (Review)
Review
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
Plants have been used in various parts of the world to treat various diseases. The genus Zanthoxylum L. (Rutaceae) is the second largest genus of this family and comprises approximately 225-549 species distributed in the tropical and temperate regions of the world. Plants of this genus are trees and shrubs with various applications in folklore medicine for food, medicine, construction, and other uses.
AIM OF THE REVIEW
The goal of this review is to give an updated data on the ethnobotanical applications, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of the Zanthoxylum species to investigate their medicinal potential and identify research gaps for future research studies.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Data was obtained through a systematic search of published literature and online databases such as Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, Science Direct, and Sci-Finder. The botanical names were confirmed using the World Flora Online and chemical structures were drawn using the ChemBio Draw Ultra Version 14.0 Software.
RESULTS
The Zanthoxylum species have a wide use in different parts of the continents as a remedy for various diseases such as digestive diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, venereal diseases, respiratory diseases, rheumatism, bacterial diseases, viral, and other diseases. Various parts of the plant comprising fruits, seeds, twigs, leaves, oils, and stems are administered singly or in the form of decoction, infusion, powder, paste, poultice, juice, or mixed with other medicinal plants to cure the disease. More than 400 secondary metabolites have been isolated and characterized in this genus with various biological activities, which comprise alkaloids, flavonoids, coumarins, lignans, alcohols, fatty acids, amides, sesquiterpenes, monoterpenes, and hydrocarbons. The crude extracts, fractions, and chemical compounds isolated from the genus have demonstrated a wide range of biological activities both in vivo and in vitro, including; anti-cancer, antimicrobial, anti-sickling, hepatoprotective, antipyretic, antitumor, and other pharmacological activities.
CONCLUSION
This genus has demonstrated an array of phytoconstituents with therapeutic potential. The ethnobotanical uses of this genus have been confirmed in modern pharmacological research. This genus is a potential source for modern drug discovery and health care products. Further and extensive research is therefore required on the safety approval and therapeutic application of the species of this genus as well as clinical trials and pharmacokinetic studies.
Topics: Ethnopharmacology; Phytotherapy; Zanthoxylum; Rutaceae; Phytochemicals; Ethnobotany; Plant Extracts
PubMed: 36513263
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2022.115895 -
Journal of Ethnopharmacology Apr 2021The genus Lilium (family Liliaceae) is native to China and is mainly distributed in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere such as Eastern Asia, Europe, and... (Review)
Review
ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE
The genus Lilium (family Liliaceae) is native to China and is mainly distributed in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere such as Eastern Asia, Europe, and North America. There are about 109 species of this genus and 55 species in China. In America, the bulbs were used as food. In Europe, the petals and bulbs of Lilium candidum uesd as pectoral poultices, wound-healing remedy and a treatment for mastitis and shingles, the bulbs of L. martagon were used to treat every liver disease. In India, the bulbs are used medicinally as galactagogue, expectorant, aphrodisiac, diuretic, antipyretic and revitalizing tonic. In Asia, bulbs of this genus are often used to treat coughs, lung diseases, burns and swellings.
AIM OF THE STUDY
The aim of this work was to summarize traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicity, which provided a theoretical basis for the further study of Lilium plants and their applications in medicine, food and other industries.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Online scientific databases including Science Direct, American chemical society (ACS), Wiley Online Library, the Web of Science, China national knowledge internet (CNKI) and others were searched to identify eligible studies. More data were obtained from other Chinese medicine books.
RESULTS
The literature survey revealed diverse traditional uses of the genus Lilium, mainly for the treatment of lung deficiency, hemostasis, anxiety, palpitations, asthma and vomiting. Over 180 compounds have been isolated and identified from the genus Lilium, including steroidal saponins, polysaccharides, phenolic glycerides, flavonoids and alkaloids. Different extracts and monomer compounds were so far evaluated for number of pharmacological activities including anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial, immunomodulatory, antidepressant and hepatoprotective activities.
CONCLUSIONS
Lilium spp. are of much significance as ornamental flowers, but also have potential to treat various diseases, especially anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. However, most of the studies on pharmacological effects are still in in vitro, and further studies on mechanism-based pharmacological activities in vivo and in vitro are needed in the future. At present, there are limited researches on its safety and toxicological effects, which should be further explored.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Lilium; Medicine, Traditional; Phytochemicals; Plant Extracts; Plant Structures
PubMed: 33485985
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2021.113852 -
Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic... 2022Chronic and acute skin wounds are an important health concern because they are very frequent during human life and affect millions of people worldwide. Shortening the...
BACKGROUND
Chronic and acute skin wounds are an important health concern because they are very frequent during human life and affect millions of people worldwide. Shortening the wound healing process reduces treatment costs and hospitalization. Therefore, researchers have been looking for new treatment approaches to shorten the wound healing process.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to evaluate the wound healing properties of poultice containing 0.5% fulvic acid.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
In this experimental study, a full-thickness skin wound was created on the dorsal side of 24 male rats. The animals were then randomly assigned to control, sham, and experiment groups. The skin defects were daily bandaged by using sterile gauze dipped in normal saline, carboxymethylcellulose, and 0.5% fulvic acid for 21 days, respectively. The wound healing rate was evaluated grossly and histologically at various time intervals post injury. Both descriptive and statistical analysis methods were applied ( < 0.05).
RESULTS
The wound healing percentage was significantly higher in the poultice treatment group at all time intervals ( < 0.001). The wound was completely closed in this group compared with other groups at the end of week 4 post treatment. The mean numbers of inflammatory cells were statistically lower, and fibroblasts and vessels were higher in the poultice group than in the other groups at various time intervals post injury ( < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
Fulvic acid (0.5%) could be used as an effective therapeutic approach to improve the wound healing process because of its unique anti-inflammatory and neovascularization properties at the skin wound site.
PubMed: 35655645
DOI: 10.4103/JCAS.JCAS_215_20 -
Clinical Rheumatology Jul 2019This randomized controlled intervention study investigated the effect of flaxseed poultice compress application on pain and hand functions in patients with primary... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVES
This randomized controlled intervention study investigated the effect of flaxseed poultice compress application on pain and hand functions in patients with primary interphalangeal hand osteoarthritis (OA).
METHOD
The study sample consisted of 82 patients who met the inclusion criteria in the Rheumatology Outpatient Clinic at a University Hospital between January 15, 2017, and May 15, 2018. Patients included in the sample groups were selected randomly. Three sample groups were formed: intervention group I (flaxseed poultice compress) (n = 33), intervention group II (hot compress) (n = 29), and control group (n = 20). The interventions were applied once a day for 7 days in a row. These patients also continued their routine pharmacological treatment. descriptive characteristics identification form, visual analog scale (VAS), Australian-Canadian (AUSCAN) Osteoarthritis (OA) Hand Index, and side effect evaluation form were used as data collection tools.
RESULTS
The means of VAS scores of patients in the intervention group I were 6.03 ± 0.25 on day 0, 2.2 ± 0.30 on day 8, and 3.39 ± 0.32 on day 15. The means of AUSCAN total scores of patients in the intervention group I were 40.84 ± 1.76 on day 0, 14.03 ± 1.66 on day 8, and 15.78 ± 1.66 on day 15. The present study showed that pain significantly decreased and the hand function efficiency increased in patients treated with flaxseed poultice compress compared with the hot compress and control groups.
CONCLUSIONS
In addition to pharmacological treatment, flaxseed poultice compress intervention is recommended to be used as a nursing intervention for reducing pain and increasing hand functions for patients with hand OA in cooperation with the physicians and other health professionals.
Topics: Administration, Cutaneous; Administration, Topical; Aged; Female; Flax; Gels; Hand; Hand Joints; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Osteoarthritis; Pain; Pain Measurement; Phytotherapy; Plant Preparations; Recovery of Function; Severity of Illness Index; Single-Blind Method; Turkey; Visual Analog Scale
PubMed: 30806856
DOI: 10.1007/s10067-019-04484-7 -
Acta Gastro-enterologica Belgica 2017Known since antiquity, rectal prolapse was first studied systematically by Hippocrates (460-377 BC) who recognized the predisposing factors and proposed several... (Review)
Review
Known since antiquity, rectal prolapse was first studied systematically by Hippocrates (460-377 BC) who recognized the predisposing factors and proposed several therapeutic approaches such as defecation positions, manual retraction and specific herbal or mineral based anti-haemorrhagic and pain-killing poultices. Hippocratic medicine avoided invasive surgical procedures probably due to a lack of knowledge in human anatomy. However, Hippocrates' views astonishingly lasted in time, presenting similarities to current medical theories on rectal prolapse.
Topics: Disease Management; History, Ancient; Humans; Rectal Prolapse
PubMed: 29560672
DOI: No ID Found