Ancient Drug Research Articles

Withdrawing digoxin —Wortha try

Evidence is accumulating that digitalis is an overprescribed drug and that many elderly patients who may have required a digitalis preparation in the past can tolerate its discontinuation without harmful consequences(I-6). In 1980, digoxin, the most commonly prescribed digitalis glycoside, was the seventh most frequently prescribed drug in the United States(7). Unfortunately, digoxin has a low therapeutic index. This narrow range between a therapeutic and a toxic dose is especially important in the geriatric patient. Digoxin is, of course, an ancient drug. For centuries natives in different parts of the world made arrow poisons from the various plant extracts containing cardiac glycosides. Romans and Egyptians used foxglove plants for their diuretic, cardiac, and emetic effects, and as a rat poison. Digitalis was mentioned in 1250 in writings by Welsh physicians(8).

Olibanum absolute

Incensole and its acetate have shown anti-inflammatory and anti-depression activities due to their ability to activate ion channels in the brain to alleviate anxiety or depression. The natural occurrence of these two structurally and medicinally fascinating 14-membered diterpenoids was reported mainly from the genus Boswellia. Incensole and incensole acetate were detected in and isolated from both essential oils and resins of frankincense. One total synthesis was reported for incensole. Both incensole and its acetate served as precursors for several synthetic transformations. Given the fact that no specific enzymes were isolated from Boswellia trees, the major sources for incensole and incensole acetate, the biosynthetic pathway of these two compounds was only speculated. Recent studies on incensole and incensole acetate including ours have revealed another secret of the ancient drug. Understanding their mode of action will open a door in modern neurobiology and provides new insights on the mysterious diseases of the nervous system. This review interpretatively discusses the natural existence of incensole and incensole acetate, the variation of their percentages in different Boswellia species and other sources, their synthetic modifications, their biosynthesis and their therapeutic potential.

Desert island books: Experiments with ancient drugs

Desert island books: Experiments with ancient drugs

The Presently Known Distribution of Furocoumarins (Psoralens) in Plants

The recent use of psoralen compounds (1) in the treatment of vitiligo and as a means of increasing the tolerance of human skin to solar radiation and increasing the pigmentation which follows exposure to ultraviolet radiation illustrates how ancient medical lore may sometimes be modified to satisfy present-day demands. The furocoumarins, more commonly known as psoralens, are pharmacologic agents which, with modern technics, can be isolated from herbal remedies that have been employed for many centuries (2). Concomitantly with recent progress in the synthesis of new organic molecules for therapeutic purposes, interest in many ancient drugs and herbal concoctions has been revived because some of these medicaments have been found to contain specific pharmacological agents which exert scientifically recognizable therapeutic effects.

Ashwagandha—An ancient Indian drug

Ashwagandha, the root ofWithania somnifera Dunal, is an ancient drug used in India by practitioners of Ayurvedic mediicne and as a household remedy. The drug is now official in the Indian Pharmacopoeia. Results of a survey regarding the cultivation, collection and marketing of this drug are described.

Compound benzoin tincture in treatment of vesiculobullous lesions of mucous membranes.

It often happens that the dermatologist is concerned with vesiculobullous lesions of the mucous membrane of the oral cavity that tax all his skill as a therapeutist. Treatment with compound benzoin tincture has given excellent results in these cases, and, as there are no references to it in recent dermatologic literature, I wish to bring it to the attention of dermatologists. Benzoin is one of the ancient drugs of pharmacy and has enjoyed its popularity under a masquerade of many romantic names, among them Turlington's balsam, friars' balsam, Wade's balsam, balsam de malthe, Jesuit's drops, St. Victor's balsam, Persian balsam, Swedish balsam and Jerusalem balsam. It is official in the United States Pharmacoepeia and the British Pharmacopeia under the title tinctura benzoini composita. It is prepared by the maceration of a mixture of benzoin, aloe in the form of a moderately coarse powder, storax and tolu balsam in strong alcohol

X-ray Studies on the Effect of Opium on the Gastro-intestinal Tract in Man

Introduction IN spite of the fact that opium is an ancient drug and one much used in treating certain bowel conditions, there is little exact knowledge as to the nature of its action on the gastro-intestinal tract, particularly in man. This report contains the results in the study of three normal subjects on whom repeated gastro-intestinal x-ray examinations were conducted during protracted administration of opium. There is also presented a series of control observations on the same subjects at times when they did not receive the drug. The Technic of the Examination.—A drink was made up as follows: This was placed in pint milk bottles and kept in the refrigerator. At mealtime each subject took a bottle of the mixture to the cafeteria and used it as a beverage while eating an ordinary lunch. The night preceding the taking of barium each subject received a dozen or more small pills, tablets, or capsules, the content of which was unknown to him. One of these was taken at bedtime, the second before breakfast,...

A LAST PLEA FOR A USEFUL PHARMACOPEIA.

Shall we have the United States Pharmacopeia up to date and of scientific and therapeutic value, or shall it be a book of ancient drug lore intermixed with drugs of real value? It is now nearly three years since the Pharmacopeial Convention of 1910, and what has been accomplished? Many of the drugs which have been approved have already been announced, and, as it has wisely been determined that a subject of such wide, almost universal, interest as the United States Pharmacopeia should not be made a secret affair—in other words, that its decisions should be public, what follows is not a breach of confidence. The subject, in every detail, is one of public interest, and, therefore, should be of public knowledge. In this age of exposure of patent-medicine frauds, and the age of education as to the danger of some drugs, the uselessness of others, and the limitations of