Tuesday 30 August 2016
Medicinal Plant Tour/ Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Medicinal Plant Tour/ Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Trees
Salix – Willow -- salicylic acid – used as a pain
killer in ancient Sumaria 4000 years ago.
Problmatic side effects --Salicin isolated by Felix Hoffman in 1899 –
leading to Bayer *Asperin
Betulus – Birch – infusion of dried leaves said to
help inappropriate fluid retention. And,
swelling joints.
Sweetgum
– Liquid Amber – sap – Chewing gum -- storax—strong antimicrobial agent
-- *Timiflu for flu prevention.
Tilia –
Lime -- dried flowers and
bracts, mild sedative, antisposmodic, coughs, sore throat
*80% - 20% story
Med
Garden
Euphedra –
Stimulates the brain, increases heart rate, increases blood pressure – a
performance enhancer – possibly the source of Soma in ancient Iran. Meth, chrystal meth, banned by Olympic Committee,
but is basis of *Desoxyn, used for ADHD and weight loss.
Santalina
–
flowers and leaves made into a decoction to expel intestinal parasites
Ginkgo
biloba (dementia), found in fossils 270 million years old. Traditional medicine. Dietary supplement sold to improve cognitive
function. Reasearch re treatment of
Alziemers and dementia.
Palm
House
Madagasgan Periwinkle
– Catharanthus roseus, Vincristine (lukemia) – Vinblastine (hodgkin’s lymphoma)
10% to 90%
Strophantus
–arrow poison – Livingstones– John Kirk –cardiac glycosides
– toothbrush – slower heart rate – stronger contractions – *Ouabain
Aristolochia
– Birthwort – Doctrine of Signatures – expulsion of the placenta – TCM -
dieting pills – kidney failure – cancer of the urinary tract.
Dioscorea
composite – Yams – Mexico -- Chinatec healers -- Oxaca – Russell Marker –
progesterone – used to make cortisone and oral contraceptives.
Banasteriopsis caapi – ayahuasca – cumandero – entheogen --
psychoactive – method for letting the plants themselves identify what they will
cure – contains harmaline, harmine, and tetrahydroharmine. Insurace reinbursement.
On the
Way to Queen’s Garden
Eucalyptus
(common colds, nasal congestion) *Vicks Vapor Rub.
Horse
Chestnut – Aesculus hippocastanum – vericlose viens, ulceration, piles *Aescin
Yew –
Taxus Bacatta
– in 1967, discovery that compounds found in the back of Taxus was an effective
Chemotherapy drug- *Taxol – ovarian,
breast, lung and pancreatic cancer.
Queen’s Garden
Laburnum
– poisonous, but not too. No
known instances of death in last 60 years.
Entire plant is poisonous. Seed
in pods ingested by children
Davos
carota –wild carrot – Queen Anne’s Lace – traditionally used for soothing
the digestive system. Also used as morning
after contraception. Big danger is confusing it with poison hemlock.
Artichoke
Thistle – Cynara cardunculos -- used traditionally for cronic liver and
gall bladder problems. Oakeley: Arm pits and bodily lust.
Hypericum
– St John’s wort – contains two compounds – hyperforin and hypericin. Used for mild to medium depression. A reuptake inhibitor. Originally used for hurts and wounds.
Pulmonaria
– Lungwort – Doctrine of Signatures
Marsh
Mallow – Althaea officinales – softening and healing. Good for irritants of the mucus membrane –
mouth ulcers and gastric ulcers.
Valerianna
officinales
– Root – used as an anti-anxiety agent – a sedative – tranquilizer.
Kew
project, Monique Simmons – traditional remedies.
French
Lilac
– Galega officinales – medieval remedy for
diabetes – and, in fact, the guaridine compounds contained do lower blood sugar
levels. But it was too toxic for
ordinary use, so researchers used the chemistry of its compounds as a roadmap, and
created *Metformin, which has the benefits but not the toxicity.
Artemisia
– Sweet wormwood – Tu Youyou won the nobel prize for developing an
effective antimalarial drug from sweet wormwood. Just in time:
the old Cinchona (Jesuit bark) remedy was loosing effectiveness. Traditionally a love potion – stirs up bodily
lusts.
Artemisia maritina
– Sea wormwood – Bases for *Santonin – gets
rid of worms – and good for hysteria.
Digitalis
– Foxglove
– contains cardiac glycosides – in particular, digoxin. Entire plant is poisonous. !775, Wm. Withering used it for congestive
heart failure. *Acetyidigoxin;
*Desianoside; *Digitalin; *Digitoxin, and
*Gitalin.
Tuesday 23 August 2016
Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by people in Zegie Peninsula, Northwestern Ethiopia
Ethnobotanical
study of medicinal plants used by people in Zegie Peninsula, Northwestern
Ethiopia
An ethnobotanical study was
conducted from October 2005 to June 2006 to investigate the uses of medicinal
plants by people in Zegie Peninsula, northwestern Ethiopia. Information was
gathered from 200 people: 70 female and 130 males, using semistructured
questionnaire. Of which, six were male local healers. The informants, except
the healers, were selected randomly and no appointment was made prior to the
visits. Informant consensus factor (ICF) for category of aliments and the
fidelity level (FL) of the medicinal plants were determined. Sixty-seven
medicinal plants used as a cure for 52 aliments were documented. They are
distributed across 42 families and 64 genera. The most frequently utilized
plant part was the underground part (root/rhizome/bulb) (42%). The largest
number of remedies was used to treat gastrointestinal disorder and parasites
infections (22.8%) followed by external injuries and parasites infections
(22.1%). The administration routes are oral (51.4%), external (38.6%), nasal
(7.9%), and ear (2.1%). The medicinal plants that were presumed to be effective
in treating a certain category of disease, such as 'mich' and febrile diseases
(0.80) had higher ICF values. This probably indicates a high incidence of these
types of diseases in the region, possibly due to the poor socio-economic and
sanitary conditions of this people. The medicinal plants that are widely used
by the local people or used as a remedy for a specific aliment have higher FL
values (Carissa spinarum, Clausena anisata,
Acokanthera schimperi, Calpurnia aurea, Ficus
thonningii, and Cyphostemma junceum) than those that are
less popular or used to treat more than one type of aliments (Plumbago
zeylanicum, Dorstenia barnimiana).
Ethnobotanical study of indigenous knowledge on medicinal plant use by traditional healers in Oshikoto region, Namibia
Background
The objective of this study was to
establish a regional profile of the indigenous knowledge system (IKS) for
medicinal plant use and cultural practices associated with the healing process
of these plants by traditional healers in the Oshikoto region, Namibia.
Methods
An ethnobotanical survey was
undertaken to collect information from traditional healers during September and
October 2008. Data was collected through the use of questionnaires and personal
interviews during field trips in the ten constituencies of the Oshikoto region.
A total of 47 respondents were interviewed with most of them aged 66 and above.
Results
The traditional healers in
Oshikoto region use 61 medicinal plant species that belong to 25 families for
the treatment of various diseases and disorders with the highest number of
species being used for mental diseases followed by skin infection and external
injuries. Trees (28 species) were found to be the most used plants followed by
herbs (15 species), shrubs (10 species) and climbers (4 species). The average
of the informant consensus factor (FIC) value for all ailment
categories was 0.75. High FIC values were obtained for Pergularia daemia, and Tragia
okanyua, which were reported to
treat weakness and dizziness problems, snake bite, swelling and cardiovascular
problems indicating that these species traditionally used to treat these
ailments are worth examining for bioactive compounds.
Conclusions
The traditional healers in
Oshikoto possess rich ethno-pharmacological knowledge. This study allows for
identifying many high value medicinal plant species, indicating high potential
for economic development through sustainable collection of these medicinal
plants.
Use of Complementary and Alternative
Medical Therapies among Racial and Ethnic Minority Adults:
Results from the 2002 National Health
Interview Survey
Understanding Immigrants' Reluctance to Use Mental Health Services: A Qualitative Study from Montreal
Abstract
Objective: Studies suggest that non-European immigrants to
Canada tend to under use mental health services, compared with Canadian-born
people. Social, cultural, religious, linguistic, geographic, and economic
variables may contribute to this underuse. This paper explores the reasons for
underuse of conventional mental health services in a community sample of
immigrants with identified emotional and somatic symptoms.
Method: Fifteen West Indian immigrants in Montreal with
somatic symptoms and (or) emotional distress, not currently using mental health
services, participated in a face-to-face in-depth interview exploring health
care use. Interviews were analyzed thematically to discern common factors
explaining reluctance to use services.
Results: Across participants' narratives, we identified 3
significant factors explaining their reluctance to use mental health services.
First, there was a perceived overwillingness of doctors to rely on pharmaceutical
medications as interventions. Second, participants perceived a dismissive
attitude and lack of time from physicians in previous encounters that deterred
their use of current health service. Third, many participants reported a belief
in the curative power of nonmedical interventions, most notably God and to a
lesser extent, traditional folk medicine.
Conclusion: The above factors may highlight important areas for
intervention to reduce disparities in immigrant use of mental health care. We
present our framework as a model, grounded in empirical data, that further
research can explore.
Use of Traditional Medicine by
Immigrant Chinese Patients
Background
Chinese
immigrants constitute the largest group of foreign-born Asians living in the
United
States.
Knowledge of their use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is limited. A
survey was conducted
to
determine their TCM use and to evaluate physician awareness of these practices.
Methods
Structured
interviews
were conducted with 198 Chinese immigrant patients, and a survey was
administered to 17
physicians
in two federally funded community health clinics.
Results
Nearly
100% of the patients had
used
TCM during the previous year, mostly for musculoskeletal or abdominal pain,
fatigue, and health
maintenance.
Self-medication with herbal products was the most common (93% at least once,
43% weekly).
A
smaller number (23%) had used herbs prescribed by a TCM provider. Use of
acupuncture was less
common
(14%), although higher than the national average. Most patients indicated a
preference to consult
Western
physicians for acute infections. Only 5% reported that their physicians had
ever asked about their
use
of TCM. By contrast, 77% of physicians reported that they “usually or
sometimes” asked about TCM
use.
Conclusions
Results
suggest that these patients used TCM, primarily self-prescribed
over-the-counter
herbal
preparations, for many health problems. Information about use was not shared
with their physi
cians,
nor did patients perceive their doctors as soliciting sufficient information on
TCM use. Physician
education
in this area may be warranted
Saturday 13 August 2016
Medicinal Plants and Traditional Healing in Contemporary Rural South Africa
Medicinal
Plants and Traditional Healing in
Contemporary
Rural South Africa
A review of plants used in divination in southern Africa and their psychoactive effect
Numerous
indigenous healing traditions around the world employ plants with psychoactive
effects to facilitate
divination
and other spiritual healing rituals. Southern Africa has thus far been
considered to have relatively
few
psychoactive plant species of cultural importance, and little has been
published on the subject. This
paper
reports on 85 species of plants that are used for divination by southern
Bantu-speaking people. Of
these, 39
species (45 %) have other reported psychoactive uses, and a number have
established hallucinogenic
activity.
These findings indicate that psychoactive plants have an important role in
traditional healing practices
in
southern Africa.
More
Ritual uses of palms in traditional medicine in sub-Saharan Africa: a review
Ritual uses of palms in traditional medicine in sub-Saharan Africa: a
review
Palms (Arecaceae) are prominent elements in African
traditional medicines. It is, however, a challenge to find detailed information
on the ritual use of palms, which are an inextricable part of African medicinal
and spiritual systems. This work reviews ritual uses of palms within African
ethnomedicine. We studied over 200 publications on uses of African palms and
found information about ritual uses in 26 of them. At least 12 palm species in
sub-Saharan Africa are involved in various ritual practices: Borassus aethiopum, Cocos nucifera, Dypsis canaliculata, D. fibrosa, D. pinnatifrons, Elaeis guineensis,
Hyphaene coriacea, H. petersiana, Phoenix reclinata, Raphia farinifera, R.
hookeri, and R. vinifera. In
some rituals, palms play a central role as sacred objects, for example the
seeds accompany oracles and palm leaves are used in offerings. In other cases,
palms are added as a support to other powerful ingredients, for example palm
oil used as a medium to blend and make coherent the healing mixture. A better
understanding of the cultural context of medicinal use of palms is needed in
order to obtain a more accurate and complete insight into palm-based
traditional medicines.
More:
Traditional Medicines in Africa: An Appraisal of Ten Potent African Medicinal Plants
Traditional Medicines
in Africa: An Appraisal of Ten Potent African Medicinal Plants
The use of medicinal plants as a fundamental component of
the African traditional healthcare system is perhaps the oldest and the most
assorted of all therapeutic systems. In many parts of rural Africa, traditional
healers prescribing medicinal plants are the most easily accessible and
affordable health resource available to the local community and at times the
only therapy that subsists. Nonetheless, there is still a paucity of updated
comprehensive compilation of promising medicinal plants from the African
continent. The major focus of the present review is to provide an updated
overview of 10 promising medicinal plants from the African biodiversity which
have short- as well as long-term potential to be developed as future
phytopharmaceuticals to treat and/or manage panoply of infectious and chronic
conditions. In this endeavour, key scientific databases have been probed to
investigate trends in the rapidly increasing number of scientific publications
on African traditional medicinal plants. Within the framework of enhancing the
significance of traditional African medicinal plants, aspects such as
traditional use, phytochemical profile, in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies
and also future challenges pertaining to the use of these plants have been
explored.
More
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