Plants For Human Health Research Articles

Peer-reviewed research based on the relationship between South African cultures and biodiversity

Understanding past and present relationships of traditional cultures with biodiversity through biocultural research can help inform inclusive conservation policy and planning in a country seeking to undo past injustices such as South Africa. This review of 326 articles published between 1990 and 2019 maps the methodology employed in biocultural research, the focus of this research niche, ethical conduct and research recommendations to understand the state of biocultural research and make recommendations for biocultural research that is representative of South Africa’s diverse cultural landscape. This systematic review of original research articles indexed on the Scopus database found South African biocultural research to exclude Swati and Ndebele cultures while having an unevenly strong focus on plants, human health sciences, rural areas, and three of the country’s nine provinces. Some of this unevenness is likely because of utility of plants in human health and association of traditional practices with rural areas. Using a systematic review approach for this study not only ensured replicability but it also introduced a limitation of the results only being applicable to peer-reviewed articles indexed on the Scopus database.Conservation implications: Biocultural research’s strong focus on utilitarian use could encourage conservation policy that favours utilitarian use of wildlife. An even focus in biocultural research is recommended to avoid the knowledge pool for conservation policy being mostly focussed on utilitarian value.

The Role of Plants in Human Health

Through extensive research, humans have discovered that the best way to achieve good health is by reconnecting with nature. Plants, which surround us, not only fulfill our physical needs for food and medicine but also our spiritual needs. Living in harmony with nature allows us to appreciate its beauty, including the awe-inspiring flowers, trees, and forests that invigorate our souls. Furthermore, the natural environment can have a religious significance, with Islam being a perfect and universal religion that offers a clear life program for the world. The holy book of Islam, the Quran, states that "TABAIENA LEKOLE SHAY IN" encapsulates this program succinctly. The importance of plants in human life cannot be overstated, as they have special effects on our lives in various ways, including helping us comprehend our intellectual relationships with nature. However, while the Quran contains numerous references to plants, there has been little systematic study on their use in human life. In this research, we will examine several verses from the Quran that discuss the effects of plants on the human body and soul.

Medicinal plants for curing human diseases

<p align="justify">Medicinal plants have been playing an essential role in the development of human culture. The role of medicinal plants in human health is clearly enormous. Plant-derived agents are also being used for the treatment of cancer. The use of plants as medicine is increasing worldwide. Some of the plants have been found to possess significant antibacterial, antifungal, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties. Medicinal plants are important source to combat the chronic diseases and infections all over the world. The natural and unique medicinal plants are frequently used to treat various ailments. The significance of medicinal plants in the treatment of diseases increases every day. These plants have healing properties, and the present paper focuses on the medicinal uses of plants. World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 95% of the earth’s population depend upon traditional medicine for their health care needs and most of this therapy involves the use of plant extracts and their active components. Through the recent research studies on herbal plants or medicine, there have been great developments in the pharmacological evaluation of various plants that can be used in medicine.</p>

Plants for human health: Almost gone but will not be forgotten

Using plants to develop therapy or treatment in humans seems to be a potential way to improve patient outcomes. The continuum of plant genetics changing into foods that improve health is an applicable strategy at this present. Horticultural Science, microbial biology, bioprocessing, and nutrition sciences require during the process. Therefore, the role of healthcare professionals including medical doctors, pharmacists, and nurses is needed to discover the benefits and process them into usable objects. Establishing coordinated efforts in the evolution of the resources to address health issues and ensure a successful way with institute initiatives program. Also, clarifying and delivering information to the public can be very useful to counteract the symptoms. In addition, a need for translation research along with innovative technology will reach the objective of this issue.

Importance of Natural Plants in Human Health

Importance of Natural Plants in Human Health

Protection of histomorphology of vital organs by methanolic seed extract of Nigella sativa against cadmium-induced tissue injuries in rats

Background: Chemical-induced organ injuries have been on a fast rise for decades and these injuries have become common causes of mortality and morbidity in the society. Edible plant materials with medicinal properties have been used for treating various diseases for many centuries in folk medicine. Recently, the role of food or medicinal plants in human health has received considerable attention. Traditional uses of N. sativa seed range from soothing wounds to remedying cough, eczema, diabetes, inflammation of the bronchi and tooth aches; and these point to substantial tissue effects.
 Objective: We investigated the protective effects of methanolic seed extract of Nigella sativa (MENS) against cadmium-induced histomorphological alterations in heart, kidney and liver tissues of albino rats.
 Methods: Twenty five (25) male albino rats, weighing (200±20g), were randomly grouped into five groups: A, B, C, D, and E. Group B (Negative Control) received intraperitoneal administration of cadmium chloride (CdCl2, 5mg/kg) only, group C received CdCl2 and low dose MENS (300mg/kg, oral), group D received CdCl2 and high dose MENS (600mg/kg, oral), and group E (Positive control) received CdCl2 and Vitamin C (200mg/kg, oral), for 14 days. Group A (Normal control) received no administration. Heart, kidney and liver were harvested for histopathological analyses.
 Results: Cadmium (CdCl2) induced significant histomorphological changes in the studied organs, and the heart was the most damaged of all the organs studied; however a significantly ameliorative effect by methanolic seed extracts was observed.
 Conclusion: Nigella sativa seed extract is potentially tissue-protective against harmful chemical toxins like cadmium.

Pharmacological activities of differential parts of selected Essential Indian Spices

The role of plants in human health has extensively revealed due to the emergence of numerous advancements in the medicine and nutrition disciplines. The awareness of the benefits of plants in food as wealthy additives poses researchers to pursue for discovering the influence of such ingredients to the health of the human beings. Spices and herbs are well known food ingredients, which enhances the flavour and aroma of the supplemented foods. Botanically, spices are one class of the aromatic plants; they are mainly present in the tropical provinces. Spices play an important role as flavouring agents in the diet and are used throughout the world. Spices refers to dried part of plant that contains volatiles oils or aromatic flavours such as buds (cloves), bark (cinnamon), root (ginger), berries (black pepper), seeds (cumin, coriander). Spices can be used as medicine because they are natural products easily absorbed by our bodies and generally do not have any adverse effects. Herbal remedies are an important source for the discovery of new antibiotics. Highest phenolic content was observed for ethanol extract of Bunium bulbocastanum (374.28±0.22 µg/mg GAE) and highest flavonoid content was observed for ethanol extract of Piper nigrum (123.58±0.32 µg/mg QE). Cuminum cyminum possessed effective inhibition against gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coli and Proteus vulgaris) and the zone of inhibition were found to be 23 mm at 100 µg/mL concentration respectively. The DPPH˙ radical scavenging activity was found to be higher for Syzygium aromaticum among the tested spices with 75.37±0.48% at 120 µg/mL concentration and the IC50 value was 53.54 µg/mL concentration respectively. The Fe3+ reduction was found to be higher for Syzygium aromaticum among the tested spices with 99.14±0.26% at 120 µg/mL concentration and the RC50 value was 12.81 µg/mL concentration respectively. The α-amylase enzyme inhibition was found to be higher for Piper nigrum among the tested spices with 67.47±0.40% at 120 µg/mL concentration and the IC50 value was 44.69 µg/mL concentration respectively.

The basic roles of indoor plants in human health and comfort.

Humans have a close relationship with nature, and so integrating the nature world into indoor space could effectively increase people's engagement with nature, and this in turn may benefit their health and comfort. Since people spend 80-90% of their time indoors, the indoor environment is very important for their health. Indoor plants are part of natural indoor environment, but their effect on the indoor environment and on humans has not been quantified. This review provides a comprehensive summary of the role and importance of indoor plants in human health and comfort according to the following four criteria: photosynthesis; transpiration; psychological effects; and purification. Photosynthesis and transpiration are important mechanisms for plants, and the basic functions maintaining the carbon and oxygen cycles in nature. Above all have potential inspiration to human's activities that people often ignored, for example, the application of solar panel, artificial photosynthesis, and green roof/facades were motivated by those functions. Indoor plants have also been shown to have indirect unconscious psychological effect on task performance, health, and levels of stress. Indoor plants can act as indoor air purifiers, they are an effective way to reduce pollutants indoor to reduce human exposure, and have been widely studied in this regard. Indoor plants have potential applications in other fields, including sensing, solar energy, acoustic, and people's health and comfort. Making full use of various effects in plants benefit human health and comfort.

Use of Plant Extracts in Alternative Medicine.

Plants provide the oxygen required for maintenance of human life. They are essential for human life in terms of food and health. Thousands of years ago, humans explored the therapeutic power of plants and preferred to benefit from them to live healthily. According to the data of the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of plants used for therapeutic purposes is around 20,000. Since the beginning of using plants for human health, the bioactivity characteristics of the plants have been studied in laboratories. There are various bioactive components in plants, the most important of which are secondary metabolites. It is very important how and by which methods the secondary metabolites of plants are characterized as well as their isolation, proper and effective performance of their extraction process and identification of their various biological activities that might be used in alternative medicine. This review examines the usability of supplementary medical support products after the identification of bioactive characteristics of plants by means of various biochemical and molecular biological methods.

Ethnobotanical survey of usage of fresh medicinal plants in Singapore

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThe use of medicinal plants in human health has been documented since ancient times and they provide a useful source of new therapeutics. In Singapore, despite the accessibility to modern healthcare, there still exist pockets of the population who choose to use locally grown fresh medicinal plants for health promotion and even therapeutic purposes. However to date, there is no published report of first-hand account of their usage in Singapore. As land is scarce and rapidly used for re-development, such important knowledge may be lost if not properly documented in time. This work safeguards the local folk knowledge, and provides information on common and scarcely reported fresh medicinal plants. The objective of this study is to gather information regarding the usage of fresh medicinal plants in Singapore through face-to-face interviews. Materials and MethodsInformation on demographic data and plant-use methods were collated via face-to-face interviews of 200 fresh medicinal plant users who have used fresh medicinal plants in the last five years. The survey protocol was approved by the National University of Singapore Institutional Review Board and informed consent was obtained from every participant. ResultsA total of 414 plants represented by 104 plant species from 44 families were reportedly used by the 200 participants. The five most commonly used plants were Clinacanthus nutans (34 users), Strobilanthes crispus (31 users), Pereskia bleo (25 users), Aloe vera (18 users) and Zingiber officinale (16 users). Leaves were the most commonly used plant part while preparing a decoction was the most common method of preparation. The majority of interviewees used plants for general health purposes and to treat diseases related to the respiratory system and cancer. ConclusionsOur survey has successfully documented the rich wealth of traditional usage and knowledge on 414 fresh medicinal plants grown in Singapore through face-to-face interviews with 200 users. This study will serve as a useful resource for identifying promising plants for future drug discovery efforts. Scientific evaluations of these medicinal plants are warranted and should be carried out.

Exploration and characterization of bioactive phytochemicals in native Canadian plants for human health

The boundary between medicine and food is not always clear in many ancient cultures. Many plants have traditionally been used in both culinary and healing practices. Herbs, in particular, have shown this dual functionality. Scientific information on herbal medicines has been limited to exotic plants, and only a few herbal plants native to, or grown in, Canada, such as American ginseng, Echinacea, St. John’s wort and feverfew, have been studied. Thorough investigations have not been carried out, and there is a lack of information about native Canadian plants and their potential as medicinal plants, particularly in terms of their chemical composition, biological activity and potential use for disease prevention. Also, from the marketing point of view, many of the existing herbs have only a small niche in the marketplace, so over production and consequent price depression can easily happen, as seen in the ginseng industry. There is obviously a need for multidisciplinary collaboration among herbalists, botanists, chemists and other scientists, since introducing native plants into mass production requires knowledge of environmental impact, genetic variability and the effects of other factors on the bioactive components. This review is intended to introduce the needs, techniques and challenges of such an approach with an emphasis on chemical and biochemical characterizations. Key words: Phytochemicals, native plants, medicinal plants, aboriginal plants

Metabolic engineering in plants for human health and nutrition

In many cases, multiple pathway enzymes need to be upregulated to produce a significant yield of a desired product. Technical advances in simultaneously manipulating multiple steps in plant metabolic pathways include the use of transcription factors, such as MYB12. By upregulating the genes of an entire pathway, these factors can greatly simplify multienzyme engineering. Furthermore, synthetic zinc-finger protein transcription factors can now be designed to target specific pathway enzymes, such as tocopherol methyltransferases. When multiple steps in a pathway are upregulated, previously unsuspected facets of the pathway might be revealed, such as the newly uncovered bifunctional substrate preference of the key regulatory enzyme in tocopherol (vitamin E) biosynthesis, homogentisate phytyltransferase. The engineering of desired traits, such as long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, can require entirely new pathways to be introduced into a plant. Recent advances in genomics and gene expression technology have made this type of complex metabolic engineering highly feasible.

Plants in Human Health and Nutrition Policy

Plants in Human Health and Nutrition Policy

Plants in Human Health and Nutrition Policy

Plants in Human Health and Nutrition Policy

Report of the International People-Plant Symposium in Sydney, Australia, July 1998

Participants from eight countries met in Australia in July 1998 for the International People-Plant Symposium titled “Towards a New Millennium in People-Plant Relationships.” There were about 75 presentations arranged under three general headings: 1) plants, cultural diversity, and environmental quality, 2) plants for human health and well-being, and 3) plant and horticultural education—community and schools. The symposium represented another step in the dissemination of information and awareness on people-plant relationships.