Medicinal Plant Species Research Articles

The complete chloroplast genome of the halophyte flowering plant Suaeda monoica from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

The complete chloroplast genome (plastome) of the annual flowering halophyte herb Suaeda monoica Forssk. ex J. F. Gmel. family (Amaranthaceae) that grows in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was identified for the first time in this study. Suaeda monoica is a medicinal plant species whose taxonomic classification remains controversial. Further, studying the species is useful for current conservation and management efforts. In the current study, the full chloroplast genome S. monoica was reassembled using whole-genome next-generation sequencing and compared with the previously published chloroplast genomes of Suaeda species. The chloroplast genome size of Suaeda monoica was 151,789bp, with a single large copy of 83,404bp, a small single copy of 18,007bp and two inverted repeats regions of 25,189bp. GC content in the whole genome was 36.4%. The cp genome included 87 genes that coded for proteins, 37 genes coding for tRNA, 8 genes coding for rRNA and one non-coding pseudogene. Five chloroplast genome features were compared between S. monoica and S. japonica, S. glauca, S. salsa, S. malacosperma and S. physophora. Among Suaeda genus and equal to most angiosperms chloroplast genomes, the RSCU values were conservative. Two pseudogenes (accD and ycf1), rpl16 intron and ndhF-rpl32 intergenic spacer, were highlighted as suitable DNA barcodes for different Suaeda species. Phylogenetic analyses show Suaeda cluster into three main groups; one in which S. monoica was closer to S. salsa. The obtained result provided valuable information on the characteristics of the S. monoica chloroplast genome and the phylogenetic relationships.

Assessment of raw material reserves of promising medicinal plants in the territory of Western Altai in Eastern Kazakhstan

The results of resource studies of economically valuable species of medicinal plants of the Western Altai (East Kazakhstan region) growing on the territory of 7 forestry municipal state institutions (FMSI) are presented: Zyryanovsk, Ridder, Pikhtovskoye, Cheremshanskoye, Malubinskoye, Verkh-Ubinskoye and Ust-Kamenogorsk. Western Altai occupies the right bank of the Irtysh, includes the interfluve of the Uba, Bukhtarma and Narym and is represented by a system of mountain ranges in the northern part of the Kazakhstan Altai. The operational reserves and volumes of possible procurement of raw materials of 8 species of medicinal plants were taken into account. For specific thickets of sites or model samples, raw material reserves were recorded. Traditional geobotanical methods were used to describe plant communities involving resource objects. For four species, the presence of commercial thickets with a supply of air-dried raw materials was established. from 300 to 2000 tons: Veratrum lobelianum, Sanguisorba officinalis, Filipendula ulmaria, Epilobium angustifolium. For other species, raw material reserves varied from 1 to 65 tons: Aconitum leucostomum, Inula helenium, Achillea millefolium, Bupleurum multinerve. The raw material base of the identified species of medicinal plants in the territory East Kazakhstan region is able to meet the needs of the domestic pharmaceutical industry.

Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Plants in Tehuledere District, Northwest Ethiopia.

Medicinal plants have constituted a fundamental aspect of human health and wellness for millennia. The objective of this study was to document medicinal plants used to treat human and livestock ailments in the Tehuledere District. The data were collected using semistructured interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations with local informants. Preference ranking, direct matrix ranking, and informant consensus factor were used for data analysis. A total of 63 medicinal plant species belonging to 59 genera and 41 families were documented. The predominant families identified were Lamiaceae and Asteraceae, each containing 6 and 5 species, respectively. Of the recorded medicinal plants, 53 (80.95%) species were used for human ailments, whereas 12 (19.05%) species were used for animal health issues. Among the recorded medicinal plant species, shrubs constitute the highest number with 35% species. The most frequently used plant parts were leaves, accounting for 59% of remedies targeting human ailments. The administration of herbal treatments was primarily oral, aimed at addressing various diseases. The most significant threat to these medicinal plants was attributed to agricultural expansion, followed by the collection of firewood. The aim of documenting the use of medicinal plants in the treatment of diseases was to capture traditional practices, with species such as Eucalyptus globulus, Olea europaea subsp. cuspidata, and Lepidium sativum serving as the foundational basis for future pharmacological studies. It is imperative to prioritize the conservation of Laggera tomentosa and Urtica simensis to safeguard biodiversity and the cultural traditions associated with these endangered species. Engaging local communities in the management and conservation of plant resources, along with the preservation of their traditional knowledge, presents a cost-effective and sustainable solution.

Review of Herbal Medicinal Plants Used in the Management of Cancers in the East Africa Region from 2019 to 2023.

In the East African region, herbal plants are essential in the treatment and control of cancer. Given the diverse ecological and cultural makeup of the regional states, it is likely that different ethnic groups will use the same or different plants for the same or different diseases. However, since 2019, this has not been compiled into a single study. The study aimed to compile and record the medicinal plants utilized in East Africa from April 2019 to June 2023 to treat various cancer types. The study examined 13 original studies that included ethnobotanical research conducted in East Africa. They were retrieved from several internet databases, including Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed/Medline, Science Direct, and Research for Life. The study retrieved databases on plant families and species, plant parts used, preparation methods and routes of administration, and the country where the ethnobotanical field surveys were conducted. Graphs were produced using the GraphPad Prism 8.125 program (GraphPad Software, Inc., San Diego, CA). Tables and figures were used to present the data, which had been condensed into percentages and frequencies. A total of 105 different plant species from 45 different plant families were identified, including Asteraceae (14), Euphorbiaceae (12), Musaceae (8), and Apocynaceae (7). Uganda registered the highest proportion (46% of the medicinal plants used). The most commonly mentioned medicinal plant species in cancer management was Prunus africana. Herbs (32%), trees and shrubs (28%), and leaves (45%) constituted the majority of herbal remedies. Most herbal remedies were prepared by boiling (decoction) and taken orally (57%). East Africa is home to a wide variety of medicinal plant species that local populations and herbalists, or TMP, frequently use in the treatment of various types of cancer. The most frequently used families are Asteraceae and Euphorbiaceae, with the majority of species being found in Uganda. The most frequently utilized plant species is Prunus africana. Studies on the effectiveness of Prunus africana against other malignancies besides prostate cancer are required.

An inventory of potential medicinal plants common in Purba and Paschim Medinipur districts of West Bengal, India to Treat leprosy

Present survey reported 66 species (dicots 56, monocots 9 and pteridophyte 01) of medicinal plants under 63 genera (dicots 55, monocots 7 and pteridophyte 01), 38 families (dicots 30, monocots 7 and pteridophyte 01) from different parts of Purba and Paschim Medinipur districts. In ancient times traditionally drugs were extracted from different parts of the plants like roots, stems, barks, bulbs, seeds, fruits, tubers, wood and as a whole from the all parts of a plant. Besides the above mentioned parts, some drugs are also collected from excretory plant products like gums, seed oil, latex, juice/ plant sap etc. as a novel source of active principles for the preparation of medicine as an antidote for their daily life health care management. Mycobacterium leprae, is a bacteria that causes a chronic disease called Leprosy and consequently damages peripheral nervous system and skin. Present investigation recorded 66 plants bearing medicinally active compounds in their different parts ultimately that can be administered for the treatments of leprosy. The botanical name, Bengali name (s), habit, parts used and mode of applications of these compounds under references are also discussed in this paper.

Common autumn crocus in the cultural plantings of South Karelia

In 2024, due to sanctions restrictions, the availability of medical raw materials may be seriously limited, which acutely raises the question of the availability of its own, Russian base of medicinal raw materials. The concept of pharmaceutical safety of the country involves expanding the range of cultivated medicinal plants, primarily in the northern regions, where special soil and climatic conditions (long daylight hours, low temperatures of the growing season, soil conditions) allow plants to accumulate a greater amount of biologically active substances compared to plants cultivated in the southern regions. One of the most valuable, but sparsely distributed species of medicinal plants is the common autumn crocus (Colchicum autumnale), which contains a sparsely distributed alacloid – colchicine. Colchicine is a valuable alkaloid used in medicine and in plant breeding. Previously, it was found that the common autumn crocus containing the alkaloid colchicine tolerates winter in South Karelia and can be used as a local source of colchicine. In this regard, the purpose of our research was to study the features of the introduction of the common autumn crocus on sod-podzolic mineral soils of South Karelia.

Forest vegetation cover in Bu Gia Map National Park, Vietnam

Understanding the composition of tree species is essential for establishing conservation priorities. Bu Gia Map National Park is in the tropical rainforest zone of Southeast Vietnam. This paper is to analyse and assess tree species composition and biodiversity conservation in Bu Gia Map National Park. The diversity of plant species in Bu Gia Map National Park was studied to provide baseline information for conservation and sustainable management processes that will prolong the life of National Park. The results obtained from the study conducted on the plant species composition and forest vegetation in this national park revealed a total of 786 species, spanning 430 genera and 132 families, across three divisions of vascular plants: Polypodiophyta, Pinophyta, and Magnoliophyta. Among these are 300 species of timber plants, 270 species of medicinal plants, 62 species of edible plants, 74 species of ornamental plants, 40 species of industrial plants, 28 species of fiber plants, and 12 species of plants with unknown use. Notably, during the investigation period, Goniothalamus vietnamensis Ban and Myxopyrum smilacifolium Blume were newly recorded in the forest vegetation of Bu Gia Map National Park. The study also describes a variety of forest vegetation in the area, identifying two major forest vegetation types within Bu Gia Map National Park.

Traditionally used Hepatoprotective Herbal Medicine of Ethnic Communities of Sonitpur District, Assam, India

The health system among many ethnic tribes in rural Assam is always heavily reliant on ethno-medicinal plants. The present investigation is regarding the traditional medicinal plants and their uses in liver ailments by the tribal communities of Sonitpur District of Assam, which is situated on the Northern Bank of the mighty Brahmaputra. Rabha, Koch, Mising, Garo and Bodo are the most dominant indigenous tribes of Sonitpur district. The folklore ethnobotanical information was collected through personal interviews with local people. This present investigation provides a total of 30 species of medicinal plants belonging to 29 genera under 23 different families for the treatment of jaundice by the tribal people of Sonitpur district of Assam. Among these, the leaves and whole plants were found to be most useful, followed by fruit, bark, shoot, root, flower and stem. All plant parts tested positive for alkaloids.

Medicinal plant recognition based on Vision Transformer and BEiT

The use of deep learning models for plant identification has garnered significant attention in the research community and has yielded promising results. In this study, we evaluate the performance of four state-of-the-art pre-trained deep learning models, namely EfficientNetBO, EfficientNetV2-S, Vision Transformer (ViT), and Bidirectional Encoder Image Transformer (BEiT), on the VNPlant-200 dataset, a complex dataset that comprises various species of medicinal plants captured in natural settings. Our results show that BEiT achieved the highest accuracy of 99.14%, outperforming the other models evaluated on this benchmark. These findings prove the effectiveness of these models in plant recognition tasks, particularly in the context of medicinal plants.

Sustainable use of economically valuable and conservation of rare plant species in Almaty region

The paper contains the results of the initial cadastral survey and integrated assessment of the components of the flora (plant resources, higher plants and algae) of the Almaty region (2021–2023), which occupies a leading position among the economically developed regions of the country. The reserves of raw materials of 18 plant species demanded by the domestic pharmaceutical industry discovered on the territory of 13 administrative districts are of practical value. Eleven species of medicinal plants can be recommended for industrial harvesting. It is important to note that conservation efforts are required to protect 118 rare species of higher vascular plants and three species of lower plants, such as algae – indicating the vegetation’s current condition in the region. For the first time, the region’s list of rare flora species includes 13 species that have been categorized into IV categories based on the criteria and categories of the Red List of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The results obtained will serve as a scientific basis for regular monitoring and forecasting of effective environmental activities that ensure the sustainable use and conservation of plant resources in the region.

In vitro evaluation against Leishmania amazonensis and Leishmania chagasi of medicinal plant species of interest to the Unified Health System.

Leishmaniasis is a disease of public health relevance that demands new therapeutic alternatives due to the toxicity of conventional treatments. In this study, 27 plants of interest to the Unified Health System (SUS) were evaluated for cytotoxicity in macrophages, leishmanicidal activity and production of nitric oxide (NO). None of the species demonstrated cytotoxicity to macrophages (CC50 >100 μg/mL). Extracts from Chenopodium ambrosioides, Equisetum arvense, Maytenus ilicifolia showed greater efficacy in inducing the death of Leishmania amazonensis amastigotes with IC50 of 68.4, 82.3, 75.7 μg/mL, respectively. The species Cynara scolymus, Punica granatum and Passiflora alata were the most effective in inducing an increase in the indirect concentration of NO (41.31, 29.30 and 28.86 µM, respectively) in cultures of macrophages infected with L. amazonensis. Furthermore, Punica granatum was also the most effective species in inducing an increase in NO in macrophages infected by Leishmania chagasi (19.90 µM). The results obtained so far support the continuation of studies, with the possibility of developing safer and more effective treatments for leishmaniasis, using natural products. The identification of plants that stimulate the production of NO in macrophages infected by Leishmania opens doors for more detailed investigations of the mechanism of action of these natural products.

Medicinal plants with popular names associated with manufactured drugs in Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

Abstract Medicinal plants used by the population in southern Brazil have been observed to be popularly referred to by the names of manufactured drugs. This study aimed to find a connection between the use of medicinal plant species with popular names associated with manufactured drugs and the actual biomedical system. A database regarding such medicinal plants was established based on thirty-four ethnobotanical studies undertaken in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and chemical and pharmacological information was collected from a scientific article database and crossed referenced to determine whether folk information was correlated. Thirty-one species with a total of twenty-five different popular names of manufactured drugs were found. The greatest number of popular names of manufactured drugs was for Alternanthera brasiliana with eight names, followed by Achillea millefolium with six. The therapeutic indication of the species used in the manufactured formulas was found to differ from the indications of popular use. However, the therapeutic indication of both were correlated for digestive disorders, as well as for popularly named phytotherapic species. Cultural adoption of popular names may be influenced by the biomedical system and the flow of knowledge arising from conventional medicine toward popular medicine.

In vitro evaluation of anti-trichomonal potential of Psidium guajava leaf essential oil and its main components against trophozoites of Trichomonas gallinae

Trichomoniasis is a protozoan disease caused by Trichomonas gallinae that mainly affects the upper digestive and respiratory tracts of columbiforms. Metronidazole has been used for many years for the control of trichomoniasis, however, in recent years, there were several reports on resistant T. gallinae strains. Psidium guajava, a well-known medicinal plant species, possesses several biological activities including anti-protozoal effects. Considering growing interest on plant and plant-derived compounds as alternative sources of bioactive chemicals, the present study was performed to evaluate the anti-trichomonal potential of P. guajava leave essential oil (EO) and its main components on T. gallinae trophozoites. EO was extracted from plant fresh leaves by steam distillation using a Clevenger-type apparatus and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was performed for identification of the constituents. In vitro susceptibility assay was done in sterile multiwell plates incubated with the trophozoites and the corresponding concentrations of tested compounds. Metronidazole was used as the standard anti-trichomonal drug. Mortality rates were evaluated by eosin staining and recorded every 12 h for 2 days. The EO composition was dominated by the β-caryophyllene (30.2%) and α-pinene (18.3%). A significant effect of concentration of the tested compound and time of exposure was noted in the toxicity of the EO and its main constituents. Based on the 12 h fifty percent lethal concentrations (LC50), β-caryophyllene was the most potent anti-trichomonal agent, with LC50 of 0.32 µg/mL. Considering the natural source of β-caryophyllene and its reported low cytotoxicity and promising anti-trichomonal efficacy, this compound can be considered as a candidate ingredient for the develop­ment of green antitrichomonal agents.

Preservation of ex-situ gene pool of rare medicinal plant species in Kazakhstan

The approved “List of Medicinal Plants” consists of 278 medicinal plants used in official or traditional medicine. At the same time, 65 species have been listed in the Red Book of Kazakhstan. In the experimental medicinal plant collections located in the foothills of Zailiyskiy Alatau (in the Main Botanical Garden, Almaty), a total of 48 (74%) are indigenous medicinal herbs of Kazakhstan’s flora were grown over different years. A significant number of rare medicinal plant species of Kazakhstan (37 species), which is more than half of all tested ones, can be successfully grown. Eight of them are blooming and bearing fruit regularly and tree crops give real yields. Thirteen species of trees and shrubs have high adaptive abilities and were introduced at the expositions of the botanical garden. Sixteen species could bloom but not all of them produced seeds consistently. Introduction of 13 species are very difficult or unsuccessful, 17 species (26%) of the medicinal flora have not been tested in culture, mainly due to the known futility of cultivation in the open ground.

Evaluation of Free Radical-Scavenging and Nitric Oxide Inhibition Activities of Selected Medicinal Plants

ABSTRACT: The pharmaceutical industry is becoming dependent on plants with medicinal value because of their roles in the prevention and treatment of disease. Ten medicinal plant species namely Phyllanthus embelica, Mentha piperita, Ocimum tenuiflorum, Azadirachta indica, Syzgium aromaticum, Dalbergia sissoo, Allium sativum, Psidium guajava, Syzygium cumini and Allium cepa were evaluated for antioxidant potential using spectrophotometric assays. The results indicated that hyroalcoholic extracts of M. piperita showed the highest antioxidant capacity (202.56 ± 1.98 µgAAE/g) and DPPH radical scavenging activity (94% with IC50 value of 561 ± 1.13 μg /mL). Also, the extract of O. tenuiflorum showed 89 % inhibition at 1000 μg/mL concentration. The presence of phenolic and flavonoid compounds may be responsible for the free radical scavenging and antioxidant properties. The findings of the present study suggest that the plants might be exploited as a source of natural antioxidants. Further investigation is still required to identify the phytochemicals responsible for medicinal properties and to understand the mechanism of action of isolated bioactive compounds.

A Study on Ethnomedicinal Plants Used by Indigenous Tribes of East Godavari Forest Area

Abstract: In the present research, we investigated ethno medical information from the Indigenous people of Rampachodavaram Mandal, East-Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India. We interviewed the tribal people at their residences. As part of the oral interviews, specific questions were asked and the information provided by the informants was noted. For their health, the local tribes were familiar with most of the common diseases like pain, cuts, fever, headaches, wounds, headaches, and sprains. Additional field trips were conducted in different seasons in the same area to gather information and also to confirm the data already collected. A total of 140 ethno medicinal plant species were collected from 125 genera of 62 families used to treat 52 diseases.

An Ethnobotanical Survey of Poisonous Medicinal Plants in the Shouf Biosphere Reserve, Lebanon

Local communities of the Shouf Biosphere Reserve (SBR) have a long history of traditional use of medicinal plants. However, such use has sometimes been accompanied by toxicity symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to document the ethnobotanical knowledge about the toxicity of medicinal plant species used by local people. Ethnobotanical information was collected during 2019-2021 using semi- structured questionnaires and personal interviews involving 133 local informants (68 women and 65 men with an average age of 58 years). The Frequency of Citation (FC) index was calculated from the data collected during the interviews, which allowed the generation of a list of poisonous plant species used to treat different diseases. The toxicity of highly cited species was discussed according to phytochemical profiles reported in the literature. The findings resulted in a list of 31 plant species from 22 botanical families, with Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, and Solanaceae being the most dominant. The most toxic plant species were Ecballium elaterium (L.) A.Rich (FC 11%), Sambucus ebulus L., Ricinus communis L., and Arum palaestinum Boiss. (each of FC 10%). Herbs were the most dominant life form of the cited species. The most toxic parts were the leaves (22% of citations), followed by whole plants and seeds (each 17%), and fruits (11%). Oral ingestion and skin contact were the main routes of toxicity. According to the published literature, toxicity can be primarily attributed to biochemical compounds, such as cucurbitacins, proteaceous glycoprotein, ricin, tropane alkaloids, atropine, cyanogenic glycosides, and pyrrolizidine alkaloids, among other compounds. This work highlights the importance of the traditional knowledge of poisonous plants used in folk medicine and the need for phytochemical and toxicological research. The development of regulatory measures on the use and trade of medicinal plants as well as raising awareness of practitioners and public are also deemed necessary.

South African Medicinal Plants Used in the Treatment of Human Bacterial Infections: An updated Review

Traditional medicine based on the use of medicinal plants plays an important role in the preservation of health and well-being of many people globally. Today herbal medicine application is progressively finding more significance especially with the acknowledgement of the challenges of antibiotic resistance. The aim of this review was to collect literature based on the traditional application of South African medicinal plant species used in South Africa to prevent and treat various pathogenic bacterial infections. The search was carried out using key electronic scientific databases including PubMed, Google Scholar, SpringerLink, ProQuest, Science Direct, Elsevier, BioMed Central. Other sources of literature included scientific articles, book chapters, dissertations, theses and websites. It was found that Bacillus spp., Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most frequently investigated bacterial pathogens which have developed resistance to most of the available standard antibiotics. Organic and aqueous extracts of many South African plants including Acacia karroo, Psidium guajava, Punica granatum, Eucomis autumnalis, Vernonia amygdalina and Cyathula uncinulata have demonstrated potent antibacterial efficacy against the aforementioned pathogens. This review exemplifies that South African medicinal plants have the potential to be considered as new leads for the development of antibacterial agents against resistant pathogens.

Seed dormancy-break and germination of Cynanchum forrestii (Asclepiadaceae), an endemic medicinal species of southwest China

Cynanchum forrestii is an over-harvested medicinal plant species in China. At present, wild resources of this species urgently need to be conserved and cultivated to meet the demand of the pharmaceutical industry. However, information on reproduction and propagation is not available. Here, different treatments were assessed to develop an effective protocol for facilitating seed germination of this species. Once seeds were released from physiological dormancy, using 25/15°C with a 12-hour light period promoted germination. Seeds cold stratified at 4°C for 90 days and 120 days germinated to 87 and 91%, respectively, and mean germination time was 11.53 and 10.52 days, respectively. The combination of 60 days cold stratification and 200 mg L-1 GA3 significantly increased germination from 11% (fresh seeds) to 87%. Among four concentrations used, 200 mg L -1 GA3 was the most effective for promoting germination of 90-day dry-stored seeds. Taken together, cold stratification for 90 days or more is recommended as a practical measure to break innate dormancy of this species.

Development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for the rapid detection of Styphnolobium japonicum (L.) Schott as an adulterant of Ginkgo biloba (L.)

BackgroundSpecies adulteration is a concern in herbal products, especially when plant substitutes of lower economic value replace valuable botanicals. Styphnolobium japonicum is well known as a potential adulterant of Ginkgo biloba, which is one of the most demanded medicinal plants due to its wide use in pharmaceuticals, food supplements, and traditional medicine. Despite bearing some resemblance to ginkgo's flavonol composition, S. japonicum lacks many of G. biloba's desired therapeutic properties. To prevent adulteration practices, it is crucial to implement rigorous quality control measures, including fast and simple diagnostic tools that can be used on-field. PurposeThis study aims to develop for the first time a species-specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for the fast identification of S. japonicum in ginkgo-containing products. MethodsA set of four specific primers (SjF3, SjB3, SjFIP, and SjBIP) and loop primers (SjLF and SjLB) were designed for a LAMP based assay using the 5.8S partial sequence and the internal transcribed spacer 2 of nuclear ribosomal DNA of S. japonicum. ResultsThe successful amplification of the LAMP assay was inspected through visual detection, with the highest intensity recorded at the optimal conditions set at 68 °C for 40 min. The primers showed high specificity and were able to accurately discriminate S. japonicum from G. biloba and 49 other species of medicinal plants. Furthermore, the proposed LAMP assay proved to be fast, selective, and highly sensitive, as demonstrated by the absolute and relative limits of detection, which were reached at 0.5 pg for S. japonicum DNA and 0.01 % S. japonicum in G. biloba, respectively. ConclusionsThis novel approach allows easy identification and discrimination of S. japonicum as a potential adulterant of G. biloba, thus being a useful tool for quality control. Compared to chromatographic or PCR-based methods, the assay proved to be fast, sensitive and did not require expensive equipment, thus offering the possibly usage in field analysis.