Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy & Phytopharmacology articles from July 2003

Phytomedicine: International Journal of Phytotherapy & Phytopharmacology archives from July 2003

Antihirsutism activity of Fennel (fruits of Foeniculum vulgare) extract: a double-blind placebo controlled study.
July 1, 2003... Summary Idiopathic hirsutism is defined as the occurrence of excessive male pattern hair growth in women who have a normal ovulatory menstrual cycle and normal levels of serum androgens. It may be a disorder of peripheral androgen...

Comparative efficacy of Keishi-bukuryo-gan and Pentoxifylline on RBC deformability in patients with "oketsu" syndrome.
July 1, 2003... Summary Keishi-bukuryo-gan (Gui-Zhi-Fu-Ling-Wan) (KBG) is one of the prescriptions in Japanese traditional medicine for improving the "oketsu" syndrome, so-called blood stasis syndrome. "Oketsu" syndrome is an important pathological...

Ninjin-yoei-to (Ren-Shen-Yang-Rong-Tang) and Polygalae radix improves scopolamine-induced impairment of passive avoidance response in mice.
July 1, 2003... Summary We investigated the effect of Ninjin-yoei-to (Ren-Shen-Yang-Rong-Tang), a Japanese herbal medicine, and found that 1000 mg/kg p.o. improved the scopolamine-induced impairment of passive avoidance response in mice. Further, the same...

Antiatherogenic effect of Caps HT2, a herbal Ayurvedic medicine formulation.
July 1, 2003... Summary The antiatherogenic effect of a herbal formulation, Caps HT2, was evaluated as antioxidant, anticoagulant, platelet antiaggregatory, lipoprotein lipase releasing, anti-inflammatory and hypolipidaemic activity in rats. The...

Effect of naturally occurring triterpenoids glycyrrhizic acid, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid and nomilin on the immune system.
July 1, 2003... Summary The effect of naturally occurring triterpenoid compounds such as glycyrrhizic acid, ursolic acid, oleanolic acid, and nomilin on the immune system was studied using Balb/c mice. Intraperitoneal treatments with 5 doses of these...

Trypanocidal activity of Lychnophora staavioides Mart. (Vernonieae, Asteraceae).
July 1, 2003... Summary In the continuing search for new compounds with trypanocidal activity for use in blood banks to prevent the transmission of Chagas' disease, a trypanocidal extract of Lychnophora staavioides Mart. (Vernonieae, Asteraceae) was...

Enhancement of neutral endopeptidase activity in SK-N-SH cells by green tea extract.
July 1, 2003... Summary Green tea extract (EFLA [R]85942) is able to induce specifically the neutral endopeptidase (NEP) activity and to inhibit the proliferation of SK-N-SH cells; the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) activity is not influenced under...

Cytotoxic activity of some lichen extracts on murine and human cancer cell lines.
July 1, 2003... Summary Eight lichens were extracted successively with n-hexane, diethyl ether and methanol using a Soxhlet process. The cytotoxic activity of the 24 lichen extracts was evaluated in vitro using two murine (the L1210: lymphocytic...

Virucidal effect of peppermint oil on the enveloped viruses herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in vitro.
July 1, 2003... Summary The virucidal effect of peppermint oil, the essential oil of Mentha piperita, against herpes simplex virus was examined. The inhibitory activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2)...

Antimicrobial activity of some Hypericum species.
July 1, 2003... Summary The crude methanolic extracts of six species of Hypericum [H. caprifoliatum Cham. & Schlecht., H. carinatum Griseb., H. connatum Lam., H. ternum A.St. Hill., H. myrianthum Cham. & Schlecht. and H. polyanthemum Klotzsch ex...

Hydroxyl radical and hypochlorous acid scavenging activity of small Centaury (Centaurium erythraea) infusion. A comparative study with green tea (Camellia sinensis).
July 1, 2003... Summary Small centaury (Centaurium erythraea Rafin.) is a herbal species with a long use in traditional medicine due to its digestive, stomachic, tonic, depurative, sedative and antipyretic properties. This species is reported to contain...

In vitro evaluation of Bacopa monniera on anti-Helicobacter pylori activity and accumulation of prostaglandins.
July 1, 2003... Summary Bacopa monniera is an Indian tratidional medicine widely used to improve intellectual functions. Earlier, we had reported the prophylactic and curative effects of standardized extract of Bacopa monniera (BME) in various gastric...

Antimycobacterial evaluation of Peruvian plants.
July 1, 2003... Summary We present the results of an antimycobacterial screening of 270 Peruvian plant samples representing 216 species from 171 genera in 63 families. Dichloromethane extracts were tested at a concentration of 50 [micro]g/ml for...

Inhibitory activity of xanthine oxidase and superoxide-scavenging activity in some taxa of the lichen family Graphidaceae.
July 1, 2003... Summary Results on the screening of species of the lichen family Graphidaceae for superoxide-scavenging activity (SSA) and xanthine-oxidase inhibitory (IXO) activity have been presented. The potential of the extracts for scavenging of...

Study on the inhibitory effects of Korean medicinal plants and their main compounds on the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical.
July 1, 2003... Summary A 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical-generating system was used to evaluate the antioxidant properties of Korean medicinal plants that have been used widely as folk medicines for several disorders, as well as compounds...

Anti-inflammatory and antiulcerogenic effects of the aqueous extract of Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm.
July 1, 2003... Summary An aqeuous extract of Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm., from which a tea is prepared and consumed as treatment for various diseases in northeastern Turkey, was tested for its anti-inflammatory and antiulcerogenic effects in rats. The...

Wound healing studies of Aristolochia bracteolata Lam. with supportive action of antioxidant enzymes.
July 1, 2003... Summary Aristolochia bracteolata is a perennial herb, the leaves of which are used by the native tribals and villagers of the Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh in India for the rapid healing of cuts and wounds. The ethanol extract of the...

Nantenine alkaloid presents anticonvulsant effect on two classical animal models.
July 1, 2003... Summary The present study investigated the anticonvulsant and convulsant profiles of nantenine, an aporphine alkaloid found in several vegetal species. At lower doses (20-50 mg/kg, i.p) the alkaloid proved to be effective in inhibiting...

Pharmacological and toxicological activity of Heterophyllaea pustulata anthraquinone extracts.
July 1, 2003... Summary Benzenic extracts from both stems and leaves of Heterophyllaea pustulata showed the most significant activity in vivo in the Brine Shrimp Lethally Test (BST), relative to others of different polarity. They were therefore selected...

Inhibitory effect of dibenzoylmethane on mutagenicity of food-derived heterocyclic amine mutagens.
July 1, 2003... Summary Dibenzoylmethane (DBM), a structural analogue of curcumin (a bioactive phytochemical present in a widely used spice turmeric) was screened for its inhibitory effect against seven cooked food mutagens (heterocyclic amines):...

Antitussive activity of the fruit extract of Emblica officinalis Gaertn. (Euphorbiaceae).
July 1, 2003... Summary The antitussive activity of Emblica officinalis Gaertn. (E. officinalis, Fam. Euphorbiaceae) was tested in conscious cats by mechanical stimulation of the laryngopharyngeal and tracheobronchial mucous areas of airways. The results...

Effects of Eurycoma longifolia Jack on sexual qualities in middle aged male rats.
July 1, 2003... Summary The effects of Eurycoma longifolia Jack were studied on the sexual qualities of middle aged male rats after dosing them with 0.5 g/kg of various fractious of E. longifolia whilst the control group received 3 ml/kg of normal saline...

Inhibition of endogenous glucose production accounts for hypoglycemic effect of Spergularia purpurea in streptozotocin mice.
July 1, 2003... Summary The purpose of this study was to determine the underlying mechanism of the hypoglycemic activity of the aqueous extract perfusion of Spergularia purpurea (SP) in diabetic mice and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. The aqueous...

Anti-hyperglycemic effects of ginseng: comparison between root and berry.
July 1, 2003... Summary Previous studies demonstrated that both ginseng root and ginseng berry possess anti-diabetic activity. However, a direct comparison between the root and the berry under the same experimental conditions has not been conducted. In...

Evaluation of the analgesic activity of extracts of Miconia rubiginosa (Melastomataceae).(Short Communication)
July 1, 2003... Summary The analgesic effects of the hexane, methylene chloride and ethanol extracts of Miconia rubiginosa were evaluated in mice and rats using the acetic acid-induced writhing and hot plate tests. The extracts (100, 200 and 300 mg/kg...

Quality aspects of traditional and industrial Kava-extracts.(Short Communication)
July 1, 2003... Summary An aqueous decoction of Piper methysticum has been used since centuries of Pacific Island at social religious-ceremonial and social events without hepatotoxic side effects in contrast to the speculation on industrial Kava...

The quality of clinical trials with Harpagophytum procumbens.(Review)
July 1, 2003... Summary Objective: To examine systematically the quality of the clinical trials investigating the effectiveness of Harpagophytum products. Methods: Literature searches and enquiries to experts identified 20 studies of treatment with...

E/S/C/O/P: traditional herbal medicinal products: an update.(ESCOP Section)
July 1, 2003... At an earlier stage (1), we reported on the development of a new European Directive on traditional herbal medicinal products. This Directive will amend the existing European Directive 2001/83/EC which provides the basic requirements for...

Chrubasik, S. and Roufogalis, B. D. (Eds): Herbal Medicinal Products for the Treatment of Pain.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... 184 p. Southern Cross University Press, Australia 2000. Price: Australian $ 45.00 ISBN 1-875855-47-5. (SC). The genesis of this book was a meeting of the Special Interest Group on Rheumatic Pain of the International Association for the...