Medicine Texts Research Articles

Mitigating digestive complications and neutropenia in pediatric leukemia through a Persian medicine product of whole wheat-based dietary intervention: a randomized triple-blind placebo-controlled trial.

Leukemia is a prevalent cancer that severely affects children, and standard chemotherapy often leads to severe gastrointestinal symptoms and neutropenia. This study aimed to discover alternative treatments to prevent neutropenia in pediatric leukemia patients and minimize chemotherapy-related complications. This randomized, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 52 children between the ages of 3 and 18years who were suffering from acute leukemia and undergoing chemotherapy. The study included a case and control group. A traditional wheat bran product called "Wheat Saviq" was given to the case group with Jollab syrup, while refined wheat flour and a placebo were given to the control group. For 1month, both groups received a daily dose. Symptoms, weight, and blood cell count were measured before and after the trial. After the intervention, the pain, constipation, and bloating scores in the intervention group were lower than in the control group. Furthermore, the intervention group significantly increased white blood cells (WBC) and red blood cells (RBC). These findings suggest that incorporating wheat bran into the diet of pediatric leukemia patients has great potential in alleviating gastrointestinal symptoms and enhancing immune function. This randomized trial showed that consuming Wheat "Saviq" and Jollab syrup effectively reduced gastrointestinal symptoms and improved certain laboratory findings in children with leukemia undergoing chemotherapy. Furthermore, the results align with traditional Persian medicine (TPM) texts and further support the potential benefits of wheat bran for digestion and immune system health. IRCT registration number: IRCT20220410054474N1. Registration date: 2022-05-24, 1401/03/03.

Ricinus Communis: Unlocking the Potential of a Medicinal Powerhouse

Background: The Euphorbiaceae family comprises over 7,500 species and 300 gen-era, with the castor bean plant, Ricinus communis, being one of the most valuable traditional and medicinal plants. Phytochemical assessments have shown that R. communis possesses a broad variety of chemical compounds with interesting pharmacological properties. This plant exhibits numerous beneficial properties, including effects against implantation failure, anti-fertility, antinociceptive, anticancer, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, anti-diabetic, antimicrobial, antiulcer, insecticidal, molluscicidal and larvicidal, bone regeneration, central analgesic, antihistaminic, antiasthmatic, cytotoxic, lipolytic, anti-inflammatory, and wound healing activities. Objective: The review aims to examine the pharmacological properties, phytochemical com-position, and potential applications of Ricinus communis as a plant source. Given its diverse range of phytochemicals and pharmacological activities, R. communis may be a promising option for the discovery of innovative complementary medicines. Methods: This review will involve an extensive analysis of existing literature on Ricinus com-munis. Sources will include peer-reviewed journals, clinical studies, and traditional medicine texts. The focus will be on identifying the pharmacological properties, therapeutic potential, and safety profile of the plant, along with its phytochemical composition. Result: The pharmacological, therapeutic, and safety potential of Ricinus communis and its phytochemicals as herbal and complementary medicine for treating various illnesses and dis-orders require further investigation through advanced clinical and experimental research. Conclusion: This review underscores the need for continued exploration of R. communis to unlock its full potential as a source of innovative medicinal therapies.

Metaphorical Terminology in Ancient Texts of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Problems of Understanding and Translation

The author's hypothesis proceeds from the position that the ancient treatises of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) describe metaphorically an ethnocultural understanding of neuro-linguistic and psychophysiological processes in the human body from the perspective of communication between large and small. TCM terms are medical concepts that also contain deep philosophical and linguistic-cultural content plans, due to the Wenyan-style in which TCM treatises are written. The purpose of the work is to identify the patterns of the language of these ancient texts in the context of the interpretation presented in them through the hierarchy of 'state and subjects'. The use of methodological holism made it possible to develop a new approach to the texts of traditional Chinese medicine from the standpoint of communication studies and neuropsycholinguistics. The mythologized interpretation of the concepts in the ancient treatises of TCM is associated with the signification of any health problem in the form of an expanded metaphor characterizing the problem as a violation of 'communication' in the body-'state' between 'vassals', 'individual social groups' and their 'leaders'. This positioning of the body's work through the prism of social relations provides an understanding of the interpretation of relationships in ancient Chinese society as a whole.

An Overview of the Osteogenic potential of Indian herb Cissus quadrangularis (Veldt Grape)

Cissus quadrangularis (CQ) is a widely known herb in India and southern part of India in particular. The bone healing ability of CQ is outlined in Ayurvedic medicine and other ancient medical texts. Bone loss in elderly especially osteoporosis is a public health problem across the globe. Bioactive molecules present in medicinal plants like CQ helps not only in bone healing but also in improving overall health. CQ is suggested as a plant herb in treatment of bone fractures and bone loss as it is safe or usage and side effects are not identified so far.However, research on the effect of CQ in humans are few and far. This review attempts to give a clear picture on the available literature that describes the osteogenic role of CQ in improving bone health and healing fractures in general and maxillofacial fractures in particular. Also, the role of CQ in green synthesis of bone scaffolds and its osteogenic potential in regeneration of bone using scaffolds are also discussed.

FLCMC: Federated Learning Approach for Chinese Medicinal Text Classification.

Addressing the privacy protection and data sharing issues in Chinese medical texts, this paper introduces a federated learning approach named FLCMC for Chinese medical text classification. The paper first discusses the data heterogeneity issue in federated language modeling. Then, it proposes two perturbed federated learning algorithms, FedPA and FedPAP, based on the self-attention mechanism. In these algorithms, the self-attention mechanism is incorporated within the model aggregation module, while a perturbation term, which measures the differences between the client and the server, is added to the local update module along with a customized PAdam optimizer. Secondly, to enable a fair comparison of algorithms' performance, existing federated algorithms are improved by integrating a customized Adam optimizer. Through experiments, this paper first conducts experimental analyses on hyperparameters, data heterogeneity, and validity on synthetic datasets, which proves that the proposed federated learning algorithm has significant advantages in classification performance and convergence stability when dealing with heterogeneous data. Then, the algorithm is applied to Chinese medical text datasets to verify its effectiveness on real datasets. The comparative analysis of algorithm performance and communication efficiency shows that the algorithm exhibits strong generalization ability on deep learning models for Chinese medical texts. As for the synthetic dataset, upon comparing with comparison algorithms FedAvg, FedProx, FedAtt, and their improved versions, the experimental results show that for data with general heterogeneity, both FedPA and FedPAP show significantly more accurate and stable convergence behavior. On the real Chinese medical dataset of doctor-patient conversations, IMCS-V2, with logistic regression and long short-term memory network as training models, the experiment results show that in comparison to the above three comparison algorithms and their improved versions, FedPA and FedPAP both possess the best accuracy performance and display significantly more stable and accurate convergence behavior, proving that the method in this paper has better classification effects for Chinese medical texts.

Review on Langhana Karma Mention in Charaka Samhita

Langhana is one of the treatment procedures that mentioned in the main General Medicine text in Ayurveda. In context of Ayurveda health is balance condition of the Vata Pitta and Kapha in internal environment of the body. To maintain the good health this balancing state has to be maintain. Hence all drugs, procedures and behavioural modification which are mentioned in the Ayurveda is mainly based on this concept. There are 10 different measures are included in langhana and all the common in revising lightness in body. Mostly disease due to over nutrition or nourished will subjected to langhana treatment. As per the given criteria Langhana mostly apply on Kapha and Pitta vitiated disease on aggravated state but Vata. In Charaka Samhitha langhana procedure is explained in detail with several chapters. Therefore, applying with understanding of appropriate condition and accurate procedure Langhana might be remarkable treatment in various pathological condition in current world.

Efficacy of a Persian-Based Method of Needling on Clinical Symptoms of Patients with COVID-19: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

COVID-19 is a pandemic viral infection that has become a challenge for health systems worldwide having no definite antiviral treatment yet. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of a Persian-based method of needling (Ghamz with needle) on the clinical symptoms of COVID-19 patients as a pilot study. We conducted a single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial involving hospitalized adult patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19) by rRT-PCR method using a nasal swab. Nineteen patients who met the inclusion criteria were randomly allocated to receive Ghamz with needle in the intervention group and sham treatment group. The procedure was performed in six points (three bilateral), based on traditional Persian medicine (TPM) texts, compatible with LU5, LU7, and SP6 Chinese points with a duration of 20 minutes, every day, till the patients were discharged from the hospital. The clinical symptoms, laboratory data, and radiological findings were evaluated before and after the interventions in both groups. The results revealed that after comparing the values of the change in the study parameters, despite the significant improvement in the dyspnea (p=0.037) and O2 saturation (p=0.044) of the Ghamz group, no statistically significant difference was observed between Ghamz and sham groups using a visual analog scale (dyspnea: MD: -3.66, 95% CI: -6.49 to 0.84 vs MD: -2.20, 95% CI: -4.60 to 0.20, p= 0.217; O2 saturation: (MD: 2.61, 95% CI: -1.97 to 14.02 vs MD:4.50, 95% CI: -0.49 to 9.49, p=0.163). The radiological findings showed a better improvement in the intervention group than in the sham treatment group. In conclusion, Ghamz with needle in the mentioned points was not effective significantly in relieve the symptoms of the patients with COVID-19. However, further studies with larger samples are recommended.

Understanding Harmony: Human-Nature Relationships in the Huangdi Neijing

The Huangdi Neijing, revered as a foundational text in traditional Chinese medicine, represents an extensive compendium of knowledge attributed to the legendary Yellow Emperor, Huangdi. This ancient manuscript, which consists of two parts, the Suwen, and the Lingshu, is central to the medical practices developed over millennia in East Asia. It profoundly explores health's physiological and metaphysical dimensions, emphasizing the interdependent relationship between human beings and the natural environment. This article investigates how Neijing conceptualizes this relationship, using the yin-yang and the Five Elements frameworks to articulate a dynamic balance influenced by environmental factors. The investigation is framed through the microcosm-macrocosm paradigm, which posits that human health reflects the broader cosmic and ecological order. The findings highlight the historical significance of the Neijing and its contemporary relevance. By bridging ancient wisdom with modern health challenges, this analysis underscores the potential of these traditional principles to enhance modern holistic health practices and influence environmental policies, thus supporting broader societal and ecological well-being.

A joint entity Relation Extraction method for document level Traditional Chinese Medicine texts

Chinese medicine is a unique and complex medical system with complete and rich scientific theories. The textual data of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) contains a large amount of relevant knowledge in the field of TCM, which can serve as guidance for accurate disease diagnosis as well as efficient disease prevention and treatment. Existing TCM texts are disorganized and lack a uniform standard. For this reason, this paper proposes a joint extraction framework by using graph convolutional networks to extract joint entity relations on document-level TCM texts to achieve TCM entity relation mining. More specifically, we first finetune the pre-trained language model by using the TCM domain knowledge to obtain the task-specific model. Taking the integrity of TCM into account, we extract the complete entities as well as the relations corresponding to diagnosis and treatment from the document-level medical cases by using multiple features such as word fusion coding, TCM lexicon information, and multi-relational graph convolutional networks. The experimental results show that the proposed method outperforms the state-of-the-art methods. It has an F1-score of 90.7% for Name Entity Recognization and 76.14% for Relation Extraction on the TCM dataset, which significantly improves the ability to extract entity relations from TCM texts. Code is available at https://github.com/xxxxwx/TCMERE.

Characteristics and translation of metaphorical language in traditional Chinese medicine texts

This article is devoted to the study of the characteristics of metaphorical language and its translation in the texts of traditional Chinese medicine. The research subject of this article is metaphorical language in TCM texts. The characteristics of the metaphorical language of TCM texts determine that translation should focus on cross-cultural communication and meaning interpretation. The purpose of the study is to investigate, learn how to accurately decipher metaphorical language and convey the connotation of these metaphorical expressions, so as to promote the effective dissemination of TCM culture in intercultural communication. And also - to reduce misunderstandings caused by cultural and linguistic differences, to improve the quality and accuracy of translations of TCM texts, to build a better linguistic bridge for TCM to the world. In terms of research methodology, this paper uses the method of literature study - extensive collection of relevant information and detailed interpretation of typical metaphorical expressions, as well as the method of comparative analysis - comparing the differences in the use of metaphorical language in different literatures. Scientific novelty is reflected in the in-depth interpretation and translation of TCM metaphors. Through an in-depth study of TCM theories and practices, the scientific principles underlying metaphors are revealed and presented to readers in a clearer and more accurate way. At the same time, innovative translation methods such as the method of literal translation with commentary, the free translation method, etc., allow readers to better understand the unique meaning of TCM metaphors. Through in-depth analysis, it is found that metaphorical language has important characteristics such as imagery, cultural relevance and polysemy, and is an important cognitive approach and tool in Chinese medicine and at the same time not only embodies a special description of physiological phenomena, but also a unique cognitive marker of alternative psychophysiological communication.

The nutrition and therapeutic potential of millets: an updated narrative review.

Millets are ancient small grains grown in arid and semiarid regions of the world. They are staple food for many people in Asia and Africa. They are abundant sources of minerals and vitamins, giving them the name Nutricereals. Moreover, millets contain valuable phytochemicals that impart therapeutic properties for various disorders and diseases, thus giving them nutraceutical value. A wide array of biochemical compounds are present in the plant parts as well as the grains. In the oldest texts of medicine in India and China, millets are mentioned for use for their medicinal value. There has been expanding interest and emerging facts about millets and their therapeutic uses. Ample evidence shows that consumption of millets amounts to correction of life style and metabolic disorders. Therapeutic properties of millets can be viewed in two ways, supplementary nutrition through minerals and vitamins, and therapeutic value through the presence of phytochemicals and specialty compounds that include flavonoids, phenolics, anthocyanidins and others that have antioxidant potential. Millets are gluten free, have low glycemic index and the phytochemicals aid in correction of lifestyle disorders and prevention of ailments like carcinogenesis. Supplementary benefits include treatment of anemia and calcium deficiency especially for pregnant women and young children. With the improvements in analytical methods for detection of various compounds, it is possible to identify the compound-specific genotypes in millets that can cater to the pharmacy industry. End-use specific genotypes can be bred to meet the demand. Millets being climate resilient, can contribute to a healthier life and better world through economic usage of natural resources.

Egyptian Dynasties to Biologics: A Historical Review of Nasal Polyposis.

The history of nasal polyposis originates even before Hippocrates described a nasal mass that he likened to a sea polyp. References to sinonasal disease and treatment can be found in ancient texts, such as the Ebers Papyrus and the Edwin Smith Papyrus of Ancient Egypt, as well as in the foundational texts of Ayurvedic medicine. Greek philosophers marked a significant shift away from the belief that illness was a result of divine intervention and embraced medical theory. Over the subsequent millennia, the understanding of nasal polyposis expanded, resulting in notable progress in surgical procedures and medical treatments. However, the complex pathophysiology of this condition remained enigmatic until breakthroughs in basic science and immunology. This historical journey takes us from the tomb of the first rhinologist in 2500 BC to the development of immune-modulating biologics.

AI-assisted literature exploration of innovative Chinese medicine formulas.

Objective: Our study provides an innovative approach to exploring herbal formulas that contribute to the promotion of sustainability and biodiversity conservation. We employ data mining, integrating keyword extraction, association rules, and LSTM-based generative models to analyze classical Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) texts. We systematically decode classical Chinese medical literature, conduct statistical analyses, and link these historical texts with modern pharmacogenomic references to explore potential alternatives. Methods: We present a novel iterative keyword extraction approach for discerning diverse herbs in historical TCM texts from the Pu-Ji Fang copies. Utilizing association rules, we uncover previously unexplored herb pairs. To bridge classical TCM herbal pairs with modern genetic relationships, we conduct gene-herb searches in PubMed and statistically validate this genetic literature as supporting evidence. We have expanded on the present work by developing a generative language model for suggesting innovative TCM formulations based on textual herb combinations. Results: We collected associations with 7,664 PubMed cross-search entries for gene-herb and 934 for Shenqifuzheng Injection as a positive control. We analyzed 16,384 keyword combinations from Pu-Ji Fang's 426 volumes, employing statistical methods to probe gene-herb associations, focusing on examining differences among the target genes and Pu-Ji Fang herbs. Conclusion: Analyzing Pu-Ji Fang reveals a historical focus on flavor over medicinal aspects in TCM. We extend our work on developing a generative model from classical textual keywords to rapidly produces novel herbal compositions or TCM formulations. This integrated approach enhances our comprehension of TCM by merging ancient text analysis, modern genetic research, and generative modeling.

Immunomodulator Drugs in Unani Medicine: Evidence from Preclinical and Clinical Research

Abstract:: The immune system is one of our most intricate biological systems, maintaining bodily homeostasis. Substances that modulate the immune responses are called immunomodulators. In Unani system of medicine (USM), immunity is referred to as Quwate-Mudafia, which is part of Quwa and is maintained by Tabiyat. In Unani literature, many single drugs and formulations have been used for their immunomodulatory effect, apart from other therapeutic properties. Single Unani drugs with established immunomodulatory activity are Gilo (Tinospora cordifolia), Sibr (Aloe vera), Asgandh (Withania somnifera), Aamla (Emblica officinalis) etc. Compound formulations are Jawarish Amla sada, Iksir-e-badan, etc. We are living in the age of evermutating influenza viruses giving challenges to mankind (such as the recently prevailed SARSCoV- 2 pandemic); many Unani medicinal plants are still unexplored and need to be evaluated for their immunomodulatory property, which can act as substitutes for conventional drugs. To compile Unani immunomodulatory drugs under one heading, important critical texts of traditional Unani medicine, indexed peer-reviewed journals, and authentic literature from online sources were reviewed along with their reported in vivo/in vitro activities and clinical trials. Unani drugs explored in this review are time-tested remedies and can be utilized in these rapidly changing immunological challenges.

Network pharmacology and experimental verification reveal the mechanism of Hedysari Radix and Curcumae Rhizoma with the optimal compatibility ratio against colitis-associated colorectal cancer

Ethnopharmacological relevanceThe herb pair Astragali Radix (AR) and Curcumae Rhizoma (vinegar-processed, VPCR), derived from the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) text ‘Yixuezhongzhongcanxilu’, have long been used to treat gastrointestinal diseases, notably colitis-associated colorectal cancer (CAC). Hedysari Radix (HR), belonging to the same Leguminosae family as AR but from a different genus, is traditionally used as a substitute for AR when paired with VPCR in the treatment of CAC. However, the optimal compatibility ratio for HR-VPCR against CAC and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Aim of the studyTo investigate the optimal compatibility ratio and underlying mechanisms of HR-VPCR against CAC using a combination of comparative pharmacodynamics, network pharmacology, and experimental verification. Materials and methodsThe efficacy of different compatibility ratios of HR-VPCR against CAC was evaluated using various indicators, including the body weight, colon length, tumor count, survival rate, disease activity index (DAI) score, Haemotoxylin and Eosin (H&E) pathological sections, inflammation cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α), tumor markers (K-Ras, p53), and intestinal permeability proteins (claudin-1, E-cadherin, mucin-2). Then, the optimal compatibility ratio of HR-VPCR against CAC was determined based on the fuzzy matter-element analysis by integrating the above indicators. After high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis for the optimal compatibility ratio of HR-VPCR, potential active components of HR-VPCR were identified by TCMSP and the previous bibliographies. Swiss Targets and GeneCards were adopted to predict the targets of the active components and the targets of CAC, respectively. Then, the common targets of HR-VPCR against CAC were obtained by Venn analysis. PPI networks were constructed in STRING. GO and KEGG enrichments were visualized by the David database. Finally, the predicted pathway was experimentally validated via Western blot. ResultsVarious compatibility ratios of HR-VPCR demonstrated notable therapeutic effects to some extent, evidenced by improvements in body weight, colon length, tumor count, pathological symptoms (DAI score), colon and organ indexes, survival rate, and modulation of inflammation factors (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α), as well as tumor markers (K-Ras, p53), and down-regulation of intestinal permeability proteins (claudin-1, E-cadherin, mucin-2) in CAC mice. Among these ratios, the ratio 4:1 represents the optimal compatibility ratio by the fuzzy matter-element analysis. Thirty active components of HR-VPCR were carefully selected, targeting 553 specific genes. Simultaneously, 2022 targets associated with CAC were identified. 88 common targets were identified after generating a Venn plot. Following PPI network analysis, 29 core targets were established, with AKT1 ranking highest among them. Further analysis via GO and KEGG enrichment identified the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway as a potential mechanism. Experimental validation confirmed that HR-VPCR intervention effectively reversed the activated PI3K-AKT signaling pathway. ConclusionsThe optimal compatibility ratio for the HR-VPCR herb pair in alleviating CAC is 4:1. HR-VPCR exerts its effects by alleviating intestinal inflammation, improving intestinal permeability, and regulating the PI3K-AKT signaling pathway.

E-C Translation Strategies for Long and Complex Sentences in Evidence-based Medicine Texts

This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the translation strategies for long complex sentences (LCS) found in Evidence-based Medicine (EBM) texts. The study identifies four main approaches to translating such sentences in English-to-Chinese (E-C) EBM translation. Firstly, relative words can either be omitted or replaced with antecedents or pronouns. Secondly, parallel structures can be preserved in the translated sentence or rendered as compound-complex sentences in Chinese. Thirdly, nominalization structures can be transformed into equivalent clauses in Chinese. Finally, passive voice structures can be translated as passive voice sentences in Chinese or transformed into active voice sentences. The authors hope that these translation strategies will serve as valuable references for other translators.

The role of Achillea millefolium in traditional medicine: A review of its use in different cultures

Background and aims: The Achillea genus, part of the Asteraceae family, is native to the Northern Hemisphere, from Europe to Asia. These plants thrive in temperate climates and are often found in dry or semi-dry conditions. This research aimed to examine the therapeutic uses of Achillea plants, drawing from traditional medicine texts and laboratory and clinical studies. Methods: This narrative review involved a comprehensive search of major scientific databases to gather information on Achillea and its extracts from native or endemic species within the Achillea genus. The review spanned several decades and utilized sources such as Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Institute for Scientific Information Web of Science, and botanical and local books (1990 - present). Results: Achillea is a medicinal plant used for the treatment of gynecological problems, diabetes control, gastrointestinal disorders, side effects of cancer such as mucositis caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy, skin reactions caused by radiotherapy, treatment of prostate cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, and human gastric cancer. Conclusion: Considering the role of medicinal herbs in improving the side effects of cancer, treating certain types of cancer, controlling diabetes, and treating gastrointestinal problems, it is recommended to use this plant as a complementary medicine alongside routine treatments.

Analysis of the cluster efficacy and prescription characteristics of traditional Chinese medicine intervention for non-small cell lung cancer based on a clustering algorithm.

In recent years, malignant tumors have gradually become one of the main causes of death for Chinese residents, of which lung cancer ranks first in both the incidence and mortality in China. To mine the text of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinical medical cases after data cleaning, analyze it, and study the experience of TCM doctors in treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The applied approach was based on the data mining methods of decentralized and hierarchical system clustering of data from a drug and prescription database. This study involved 215 patients, 287 cases, and 147 types of clinical drugs. The data analysis of the clinical treatment of NSCLC in TCM showed that Erchen Decoction was the main method for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer in clinical treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. Junjian recipes were close to each other, with Banzhilian, Lobelia, Shanci Mushroom, Hedyotis diffusa to anticancer and detoxify. This study analyzed the core TCM prescription for NSCLC by collecting the empirical essence and characteristics of specific medications. It has some guiding scientific significance for the clinical treatment of lung cancer.

On the earliest descriptions of the uremic syndrome in medical literature.

Uremic syndrome refers to the clinical manifestations of renal failure (acute or chronic) that results from the accumulation of several endogenous toxins normally excreted by the kidneys and can be fatal unless the primary cause is addressed and the toxins removed by dialysis. A historical description of the syndrome is traditionally believed to start in the 18th - 19th century through seminal works in the field of experimental medicine. This account, however, ignores the possibility of clinical apperception of this syndrome in ancient medical literatures. The Sushruta Samhita (SS), a Sanskrit text whose authorship is attributed to the legendary ancient Indian surgeon Sushruta (6th century BC), is well known for its pioneering descriptions of several surgical procedures, even though its contribution to the fields of internal medicine and especially nephrology is detailed. Prameha, a term that first appears in the SS, and subsequently in later historical Ayurvedic (traditional Indian medicine) texts, denotes a multi-systemic disease syndrome impacting the neurological, cardiac, dermatological, and gastrointestinal systems that is recognized through its intimate association with urinary abnormalities such as hematuria, frothy urine, or glycosuria. This construct is highly consistent with uremic syndrome originating from multiple renal disease processes such as acute glomerulonephritis, nephrotic syndrome, diabetes mellitus, etc. Furthermore, medical treatment of prameha, as detailed in the original text, reflects several recently validated approaches to managing chronic kidney disease, supporting the hypothesis that this historical entity may be one of the earliest descriptions of uremic syndrome in medical history.

A Review of the Wound-Healing Properties of Selected Plant Exudates

IntroductionRecent studies have confirmed the wound-healing activity of plant exudates (PEs) such as gums, gum resins, oleo-gum-resins, and latex. This study discusses traditional wound-healing formulations containing PEs and the wound-healing properties of selected PEs. MethodFour main Persian Medicine pharmacopoeias published between the 17th and 19th centuries were searched for wound-healing formulations containing PEs. The ingredients, preparation method, and proportion of exudate to base were extracted and analysed. Relevant studies in Scopus, PubMed, and Google Scholar were also searched and reviewed. Results and DiscussionsThe PEs were found to be dispersed in honey, oil, beeswax, or animal fat, with an optimal proportion of ingredients for achieving an optimised product. The healing mechanisms expressed in Persian Medicine texts were tissue expansion, tissue adhesion, anti-infection effects, desiccation, anti-inflammatory effects, and astringency. ConclusionsThese findings were consistent with those of current studies involving the use of PEs for treating wounds: PEs, as antimicrobial agents, increase fibroblast growth, collagen synthesis, and tissue granulation, leading to the contraction of wounds in a faster healing process. Further research into the wound-healing properties of PEs will, therefore, be beneficial to the pharmaceutical industry in developing for effective medicines for treating wounds.