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

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

A randomised double blind placebo controlled clinical trial of a standardised extract of fresh Crataegus berries (Crataegisan[R]) in the treatment of patients with congestive heart failure NYHA II.
June 1, 2003... Summary A placebo controlled, randomised, parallel group, multicentre trial conducted in accordance with the guidelines of Good Clinical Practice (GCP) shows the efficacy and safety of a standardised extract of fresh berries of Crataegus...

Acute and chronic antiinflammatory profile of the ivy plant, Hedera helix, in rats.
June 1, 2003... Summary Hedera helix is a plant well-known as ivy or English ivy, and a member of the Araliaceae family. In the present study, we tested the possible antiinflammatory effects of a crude saponin extract (CSE) and a saponin's purified...

Anti-inflammatory activity of shikonin derivatives from Arnebia hispidissima.
June 1, 2003... Summary Arnebia hispidissima ethanolic extract, after chromatography, yielded a number of shikonin derivatives, which were identified as arnebin-5, arnebin-6, teracryl shikonin, arnebinone and acetyl shikonin. All these compounds were...

Anti-inflammatory effect of the hydralcoholic extract of Zingiber officinale rhizomes on rat paw and skin edema.
June 1, 2003... Summary Plant extracts have been used for centuries as a popular mode of treatment for several health disorders. Over the last ten years, the study of those extracts has attracted attention in different fields of the biological sciences....

Cyclooxygenase inhibitory and antioxidant compounds from the fruiting body of an edible mushroom, Agrocybe aegerita.
June 1, 2003... Summary In the search for bioactive natural products from edible mushrooms, we have investigated the fruiting body of Agrocybe aegerita. The methanol extract of this mushroom yielded a fatty acid fraction (FAF), along with palmitic acid...

Effect of Azadirachta indica on paracetamol-induced hepatic damage in albino rats.
June 1, 2003... Summary Azadirachta indica, a plant used widely in Ayurveda, has been reported to have anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory and adaptogenic properties. The present study evaluates its hepatoprotective role. Fresh juice of tender leaves of...

[alpha]-Asarone inhibits HMG-CoA reductase, lowers serum LDL-cholesterol levels and reduces biliary CSI in hypercholesterolemic rats.(cholesterol saturation index)
June 1, 2003... Summary Our results showed that [alpha]-asarone was an inhibitor of hepatic HMG-CoA reductase and that the administration of [alpha]-asarone at 80 mg/kg body wt. for 8 days decreased serum cholesterol by 38% (p < 0.001) in...

Modulatory effect of Urtica dioica L. (Urticaceae) leaf extract on biotransformation enzyme systems, antioxidant enzymes, lactate dehydrogenase and lipid peroxidation in mice.
June 1, 2003... Summary The effects of two doses (50 and 100 mg/kg body wt given orally for 14 days) of an ethanol-water (80%-20%) extract of Urtica dioica L. and butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) were investigated, for phase I and phase II enzymes,...

Extracts from plants used in Mexican traditional medicine activate [Ca.sup.2+]-dependent chloride channels in Xenopus laevis oocytes.
June 1, 2003... Summary The two-electrode voltage-clamp technique was employed to investigate the effects of chloroform-methanol (1:1) extracts derived from five medicinal plants on Xenopus laevis oocytes. When evaluated at concentrations of 1 to 500...

Trypanocidal activity of extracts from Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest plant species.
June 1, 2003... Summary The trypanocidal activity of crude hydro alcoholic extracts and several fractions of 13 plants from Brazilian Atlantic Rain Forest were tested in vitro against epimastigote and trypomastigote forms of Trypanosoma cruzi, the...

Antibacterial property of isoflavonoids isolated from Erythrina variegata against cariogenic oral bacteria.
June 1, 2003... Summary The antibacterial property of 7 compounds, isolated from Erythrina variegata (Leguminosae) by repeated silica gel column chromatography, against cariogenic oral bacteria was investigated. Extensive spectroscopic study revealed that...

An assessment of two Carpobrotus species extracts as potential antimicrobial agents.
June 1, 2003... Summary For centuries, indigenous people in South Africa have used a variety of medicinal herbs to treat chronic infections. This investigation focused on two Carpobrotus species belonging to the family, Aizoaceae, in an attempt to assess...

Kava extracts: safety and risks including rare hepatotoxicity.(Review)
June 1, 2003... Summary Kava is a perennial shrub native to some islands of the South Pacific and has been cultivated for centuries to prepare a psychoactive beverage from its rhizoma by means of extraction. Subsequently, kava extracts are commonly used...

Satyajit, D. Sarker and Yuji Maruyama (Eds.): Medicinal and Aromatic Plants--Industrial Profiles Vol 28: Magnolia.(Book Review)
June 1, 2003... 187 p. Taylor & Francis Inc., London 2002. Price: 65.00 [pounds sterling]; $110.00 ISBN 0-415-28494-5 (HC) Volume 28 of the well-established series Medicinal and Aromatic Plants--Industrial Profiles comprises a treatment of the medicinally...

Meskin, M.S., Bidlack, W.R., Davies, A.J. and Omaye, S.T. (Eds): Phytochemicals in Nutrition and Health.(Book Review)
June 1, 2003... 203 p. CRC Press, Boca Raton 2002. Price $109.95 ISBN 1-58716-083-8 (HC) The contents of the book are a compilation of presentations at the Third International Phytochemical Conference entitled, "Phytochemicals: From Harvest to Health,"...

Van Wyk, Ben-Erik, Gericke, Nigel: People's Plants: a Guide to Useful Plants of Southern Africa.(Book Review)
June 1, 2003... 351 p. Briza Publications, Pretoria, South Africa 2000. Price: $ 60.00 ISBN 1-875093-19-2 (HC) Southern Africa is one of the most interesting areas in the world for the study of ethnobotany because of the combination of extremely rich...