Traditional Arabic Medicine Research Articles

The Effects of a Decoction Prepared from the Leaves and Unripe Fruits of Crataegus aronia in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Rats

A decoction of leaves and unripe fruits prepared from C. aronia syn. azarolus (L) (Rosaceae), the indigenous Israeli hawthorn, is used to treat diabetes in Arab traditional medicine. There is a growing body of evidence reporting the presence of systemic oxidative stress in insulin-dependent and non-insulin dependent diabetes. We have already reported that this decoction has antioxidant properties in vitro. In this report, we extended these in vitro observations to study its antioxidant action in the streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat in which we measured its effect on plasma and tissue indices of oxidative stress, as well as blood glucose levels. In an experiment lasting 24 days, 30 diabetic and 30 control rats were each subdivided into three separate groups. Group 1 rats drank tap water, group 2 rats drank the decoction containing 50 mg grounded dried plant/mL and group 3 rats drank the decoction containing 350 mg grounded dried plant/mL. Upon completion of the treatment period, the rats were anesthetized and blood glucose was measured using a drop of blood obtained by tail vein puncture. The abdomen was opened and aortic blood was withdrawn for measurement of the plasma levels of lipid peroxides, glutathione, cholesterol and triglycerides and the livers were harvested for determination of the extent of lipid peroxidation. The results of these experiments show that a decoction prepared from the leaves and unripe fruits of C. aronia normalizes plasma lipid peroxide levels and lowers blood glucose levels in diabetic rats. These findings indicate that the therapeutic benefit of the decoction could be due to these two actions, thereby providing a basis for its use in treating diabetes in traditional Arab medicine.

Safety of Traditional Arab Herbal Medicine

Herbal remedies are widely used for the treatment and prevention of various diseases and often contain highly active pharmacological compounds. Many medicinal herbs and pharmaceutical drugs are therapeutic at one dose and toxic at another. Toxicity related to traditional medicines is becoming more widely recognized as these remedies become popular in the Mediterranean region as well as worldwide. Most reports concerning the toxic effects of herbal medicines are associated with hepatotoxicity although reports of other toxic effects including kidney, nervous system, blood, cardiovascular and dermatologic effects, mutagenicity and carcinogenicity have also been published in the medical literature. This article presents a systematic review on safety of traditional Arab medicine and the contribution of Arab scholars to toxicology. Use of modern cell biological, biochemical, in vitro and in vivo techniques for the evaluation of medicinal plants safety is also discussed.

Aqueous Extracts of Teucrium polium Possess Remarkable Antioxidant Activity In Vitro

Teucrium polium L. (Lamiaceae) (RDC 1117) is a medicinal plant whose species have been used for over 2000 years in traditional medicine due to its diuretic, diaphoretic, tonic, antipyretic, antispasmodic and cholagogic properties. The therapeutic benefit of medicinal plants is often attributed to their antioxidant properties. We previously reported that an aqueous extract of the leaves and stems of this plant could inhibit iron-induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenate at concentrations that were not toxic to cultured hepatic cells. Others have reported that organic extracts of the aerial components of this plant could inhibit oxidative processes. Against this background, we felt further investigation on the antioxidant action of the extract of T. polium prepared according to traditional Arab medicine was warranted. Accordingly, we assessed (i) its ability to inhibit (a) oxidation of β-carotene, (b) 2,2′-azobis(2-amidinopropan) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced plasma oxidation and (c) iron-induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenates; (ii) to scavenge the superoxide () radical and the hydroxyl radical (OH•); (iii) its effects on the enzyme xanthine oxidase activity; (iv) its capacity to bind iron; and (v) its effect on cell glutathione (GSH) homeostasis in cultured Hep G2 cells. We found that the extract (i) inhibited (a) oxidation of β-carotene, (b) AAPH-induced plasma oxidation (c) Fe2+-induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenates (IC50 = 7 ± 2 μg ml−1); (ii) scavenged (IC50 = 12 ± 3 μg ml−1) and OH• (IC50 = 66 ± 20 μg ml−1); (iii) binds iron (IC50 = 79 ± 17 μg ml−1); and (iv) tended to increase intracellular GSH levels resulting in a decrease in the GSSG/GSH ratio. These results demonstrate that the extract prepared from the T. polium possesses antioxidant activity in vitro. Further investigations are needed to verify whether this antioxidant effect occurs in vivo.

Antioxidant activity of Crataegus aronia aqueous extract used in traditional Arab medicine in Israel

Background: The medicinal use of extracts prepared from plant parts of the genus Crataegus dates back to ancient times. Furthermore, it has been proposed that its antioxidant constituents account for its beneficial therapeutic effects. A decoction of leaves and unripe fruits from Crataegus aronia syn. azarolus (L) (Rosaceae), the indigenous Israeli hawthorn, is used to treat cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes and sexual weakness in Arab traditional medicine. Purpose: Because laboratory data on the bioactivity of extracts prepared from the indigenous Israeli hawthorn is lacking, we evaluated the antioxidant and cytotoxic potentials of an extract prepared from leaves and unripe fruits in a variety of cell and cell-free in vitro assays. Methods: The antioxidant assays measured: (a) its ability to inhibit (i) oxidation of β-carotene, (ii) 2,2′-azobis(2-amidino-propan) dihydrochloride (AAPH)-induced plasma oxidation and (iii) iron-induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenates; (b) its ability to scavenge the superoxide (O 2 −) radical; (c) its effects on the enzyme xanthine oxidase (XO) activity; (d) its effect on the redox state of glutathione (GSH) in cultured Hep G2 cells. In addition, we also evaluated the effects of the extract on cell membrane integrity and mitochondrial respiration in cultured Hep G2 cells. Results and conclusions: Water-soluble extracts inhibited (1) oxidation of β-carotene, (2) AAPH-induced plasma oxidation and (3) Fe 2+-induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenates. In addition, the extract (4) is an efficient scavenger of the O 2 − (5) increases intracellular GSH levels and (6) is not cytotoxic. Accordingly, we propose that the therapeutic benefit of Crataegus aronia can be, at least in part, attributed to its effective inhibition of oxidative processes, efficient scavenging of O 2 − and possible increasing GSH biosynthesis.

Antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity of eight plants used in traditional Arab medicine in Israel

Ethnopharmacological surveys conducted among herbal practitioners of traditional Arab medicine in Israel and the Palestinian area have revealed a large number of indigenous plant species are used as sources of their herbal therapies. Some of these herbal therapies are used to treat liver disease, jaundice or diabetes, conditions in which oxidative stress is prominent. No laboratory data on the bioactivity of herbal medicines in these settings exist in traditional Arab medicine. We hypothesized that the beneficial effect of these plants might be due to their antioxidant properties. Accordingly, we selected eight plants used to treat these two conditions and assessed their antioxidant potential by measuring their ability to suppress the extent of iron-induced lipid peroxidation in rat liver homogenates and their potential toxicity by evaluating their effects on mitochondrial respiration and cell membrane integrity in cultured PC12 and HepG2 cells. We found that all the extracts can suppress iron-induced lipid peroxidation and are not toxic. Of these extracts, those prepared from Teucrium polium and Pistacia lentiscus were the most effective in suppressing iron-induced lipid peroxidation. Further investigations are now needed to establish the exact mechanism of action and identify the active bio-ingredient(s) of each extract in order to explain their therapeutic efficacy.

Fertilization‐Induced Changes in Growth Parameters and Antioxidant Activity of Medicinal Plants Used in Traditional Arab Medicine

In response to increased popularity and greater demand for medicinal plants, a number of conservation groups are recommending that wild medicinal plants be brought into cultivation systems. We collected four medicinal herbs Cichorium pumilum, Eryngium creticum, Pistacia palaestina and Teucrium polium used in traditional Arab medicine for greenhouse cultivation to assess the effects of different fertilization regimes on their growth and antioxidant activity. Wild seedlings were collected and fertilized with either 100% Hoagland solution, 50% Hoagland solution, 20% Hoagland solution or irrigated with tap water. Plant height was measured and the number of green leaves and branches counted weekly. Thereafter, the aboveground parts of plants were harvested for preparing a water-soluble powder extracts of which antioxidant activity was measured by their ability to suppress the oxidation of β-carotene. Of the fertilization regimes, we found either 20 or 50% Hoagland solution produced the most consistent response of the plant growth parameters. All powders prepared from the four wild growing plants inhibited oxidation of β-carotene. Increasing the amount of fertilizer caused a significant concentration-dependent increase in antioxidant activity of the cultivated T. polium compared with the wild type. In contrast, increasing the amount of fertilizer caused a significant concentration-dependent reduction in the antioxidant activity of powders prepared from the cultivated E. creticum when compared with wild plants. Our results showed that cultivation success should not rely solely on parameters of growth but should incorporate assessment related to indices of therapeutic potential.

Tradition and Perspectives of Arab Herbal Medicine: A Review

Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), including herbal medicine, are popular in the general population worldwide. Parallel to the increasing interest in ‘modern’ CAM therapies and the historical importance of Arab medicine, there is also a similar trend in research activities dealing with the efficacy and safety of medicinal plants in our region. Historical and current studies and surveys indicate that the Eastern region of the Mediterranean has been distinguished throughout the generations with a rich inventory of natural medicinal herbs. It is well documented that indigenous Arab medicine has contributed greatly to the development of modern medicine in Europe and remains one of the closest forms of original European medicine. The rapid increase in consumption of herbal remedies worldwide has been stimulated by several factors, including the notion that all herbal products are safe and effective. This article presents a systematic review on traditional Arab medicine including historical background, medical innovations introduced by Arab physicians in the field of safety and efficacy of herbal medicine and a state-of-the-art description of traditional Arab herbal medicine in the Mediterranean region.

Patients and Practitioners: Lay Perceptions of Medicine in Pre-Industrial Society

This is a series of 11 studies, all but two of which focus on England in the 17th and 18th centuries. (One contribution is concerned with classical antiquity and another with traditional Arabic medicine.) The studies are based on diverse sources, examine different individuals and communities, and analyze separate fragments of a larger question—the interplay of health, culture, and society. Although diverse, the studies share a common goal: the understanding of health, sickness, and therapy from the perspective of the patient and the layman. This is not a book in which physicians command center stage. Even Galen is reduced to the status of a minor sycophant. Indeed, it is a central theme of this volume that physicians in preindustrial societies—and healers in general—appeared and served only at the beck and call of patients and their families. In these studies, the laity take an active and, at times, dominant role in

Women on Folk Medicine: Judaeo-Arabic Texts from Sefrou

THE ART OF FOLK MEDICINE based primarily upon the use of simples is still normally relied upon by the majority of common people in Morocco, as elsewhere in the Muslim world, for everyday ills as well as for more serious afflictions, including those of a psychosomatic nature. Most of the basic herbal ingredients used in popular remedies have been standard in traditional Arabic medicine since the Middle Ages and ultimately derive from Hellenistic pharmacology.' However, in addition to elements borrowed from traditional medical practice, Moroccan folk medicine combines supernatural elements from popular superstition such as counteracting the effects of the evil eye and propitiating spirits.2 texts on folk medicine presented here were recorded by the present writer during the summer of 1972 as part of a broad ethnolinguistic study of the Jewish community of Sefrou, Morocco.3 Sefrou (Ar. Sufrt) is an important town in the Middle Atlas foothills, 30 kilometers south of Fez, along one of the principal north-south caravan routes of former times. Sefrou lies in a zone of transition between the Arabicspeaking plain and the Tamazight Berber-speaking hill country. Until the mass exodus of Moroccan Jewry in the early I950s to France and Israel, there was a significant community of 6000 Jews who comprised from one third to two fifths of the town's total population. At the time of the Six-Day War of June 1967, there was still a Jewish community of approximately 600 souls living there. At the time this research was conducted the number of Jews had dwindled to just under 200 out of a total population of some 30,000.4 After the 1973 Arab-Israeli war, 90% of this small vestigial remnant departed-either for Moroccan cities with larger Jewish communities, or out of the country altogether. two dozen Jews who remained in Sefrou in 1980, including one rabbi, are mostly the very old or the very poor who see themselves as having no other place to go. For all intents and purposes, the community is moribund. ' standard work on Arabic medicine is still Lucien Leclerc, Histoire de la melecine arabe (Paris, 1876; repr. New York, 1960), 2 vols. A brief, but up-to-date survey is Manfred Ullmann, Islamic Medicine (Edinburgh, 1978). Many works of medieval and later Arabic pharmacology have been edited and translated. For a traditional Moroccan pharmacopia, see Tuhfat al-Ahbdb: Glossaire de la matiere medicale marocaine, ed. and trans. H. P. J. Renaud and G. S. Colin (Paris, 1934). Of great cognate value is M. le Docteur Fourment and M. le Docteur Roques, Repertoire des plantes medicinales et aromatiques d'Algerie (Algiers, 1942), where many of the popular names of medicinal and aromatic herbs are the same as in Morocco. For the practice of traditional medicine in Morocco, see D. Moran, Considerations sur la me'decine indigene actuelle au Maroc (Paris, 1920); also M. le Docteur Bulit, Notes sur la therapeutique indigene dans le Sud-marocain, Hespe'ris 2 (1922), pp. 322-336. 2 classic work on Moroccan popular religion and folk practices is E. A. Westermarck, Ritual and Belief in Morocco (London, 1926; repr. New Hyde Park, N.Y., 1968), 2 vols. 3 study was carried out under a grant from the American Philosophical Society. I wish to take this opportunity to thank the Society for its support. 4 For a description of the Sefriwi Jewish community at that time, see N. A. Stillman, The Sefrou Remnant, Jewish Social Studies 35 (1975), pp. 255-263. For a detailed historical survey, see David Ovadia, Qehillat Sefrti (Jerusalem, 1974-1975), 3 vols.