Folk medicinal plants used in gynecological disorders in Tinsukia district, Assam, India

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the treatment of gynecological disorders was carried out among the rural people in Tinsukia district, Assam, India.     

Productivity and nutrient cycling in young Acacia senegal farming systems on Vertisol in the Blue Nile region, Sudan

Acacia senegal, the gum arabic-producing tree, is the most important component of traditional dryland agroforestry systems in the␣Sudan. The spatial arrangement of trees and the type of agricultural crop used influence the interaction between trees and crops. Tree and crop growth, gum and crop yields and nutrient cycling were investigated over a period of 4 years. Trees were grown at 5 × 5 m and 10 × 10 m spacing alone or in mixtures with sorghum or sesame. No statistically significant differences in sorghum or sesame yields between the intercropping and control treatments were observed (mean values were 1.54 and 1.54 t ha⁻¹ for sorghum grain and 0.36 and 0.42 t ha⁻¹ for sesame seed in the mixed and mono-crop plots, respectively). At an early stage of agroforestry system management, A. senegal had no detrimental effect on crop yield; however, the pattern of resource capture by trees and crops may change as the system matures. A significant positive relationship existed between the second gum picking and the total gum yield. The second gum picking seems to be a decisive factor in gum production and could be used as an indicator for the prediction of the total gum yield. Soil organic carbon, N, P and K contents were not increased by agroforestry as compared to the initial levels. Soil OC was not increased by agroforestry as compared to sole cropping. There was no evidence that P increased in the topsoil as the agroforestry plantations aged. At a stocking density of 400 trees ha⁻¹ (5 × 5 m spacing), A. senegal accumulated in its biomass a total of 18.0, 1.21, 7.8 and 972 kg ha⁻¹ of N, P, K and OC, respectively. Agroforestry contributed ca. 217 and 1500 kg ha⁻¹ of K and OC, respectively, to the top 25-cm of soil during the first four years of intercropping.     

林下药用植物刺五加和无梗五加研究进展

本文对刺五加和无梗五加生物学特性、化学成分和药理活性进行比较,结果表明:刺五加与无梗五加在形态特征和分布上大体相同,但化学成分和药理活性却有所不同。未来对刺五加进行研究、开发、利用的同时,应对无梗五加开展深入研究。     

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by the Didayi tribe of Malkangiri district of Orissa, India

An ethnobotanical survey was carried out among the ethnic community (Didayi) in Malkangiri district, Orissa. A total of 53 medicinal plant species belonging to 34 families and 52 different species are described under this study.     

Ethnobotanical study of medicinal plants used by Paliyar tribals in Theni district of Tamil Nadu, India

An ethnobotanical survey was carried out among the Paliyar tribals in various tribal villages of Theni district, Tamil Nadu, India during December 2004 to January 2006. A total of 101 species of ethnomedicinal plants belonging to 90 genera and 48 families were reported with the help of standardized questionnaires among 15 tribal informants between the ages of 26 to 82. The study shows a high degree of ethnobotanical novelty and the use of plants among the Paliyars reflects the revival of interest in traditional folk medicine.     

Folklore medicinal plants of Nagaland,India

Traditional methods of treatment using plants and animals are predominant in rural societies of Nagaland, a state of North East India. As a result of an ethnobotanical survey conducted in 1993–1997, information on 36 such plant species from 35 genera and 28 families is presented.     

Traditional medicinal plants in Mizoram, India

In rural societies of Mizoram, India, traditional methods of treatment are followed in the majority of the populace. Information on 135 plant species from 122 genera and 65 families is presented here.     

An ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used by ethnic people in West and South district of Tripura,India

An ethno-medicinal investigation was conducted to highlights the traditional knowledge of medicinal plants being used by the tribe in West and South district of Tripura. This paper provides information about the different uses of plants used in their primary health care system. Tripura is a small north-eastern state of India and also a part of both Himalayan and Indo-Burma biodiversity region. It is a goldmine of medicinal plants and use of different plants in tribal traditional heath care systems has long history. Nineteen different tribes in Tripura, depend on natural resources at a great extent. This paper documented 113 medicinal plant species from 56 families along with their botanical name, local name, family name, habit, medicinal parts used, and traditional usage of application. The dominant families are Euphorbiaceae (7 species), Apocynaceae (6 species), Fabaceae and Rubiaceae (5 species each), Caesalpiniaceae, Asteraceae, Liliaceae and Verbenaceae (4 species each), Combretaceae, Labiatae, Malvaceae, Rutaceae and Zingiberaceae (3 species each). Tribes of Tripura have rich traditional knowledge on plant based medicine. Different parts of the plants in crude form/plant extracts/decoctions/infusion or pastes are employed in diverse veterinary and human diseases by the tribe’s of Tripura in daily life.     

子午岭林区国营林场现状、存在问题及今后发展的对策

通过对子午岭林区各国营林场现实情况的调查，针对国营林场当前存在的问题，提出了今后子午岭林区国营林场发展的对策与建议。     

Folklore medicinal plants of North Andaman Islands, India

The rural folk of North Andaman, India use the traditional medicine for their primary health care. Folklore medicinal uses of 72 interesting medicinal plant species along with botanical name, local name, family, habit, part used, disease for which the drug is administrated, mode of administration are presented. These 72 plant species which provide the crude drugs pertain to 67 genera and 43 families of Magnoliophyta from tropical rainforests. These plants used to cure 40 ailments. Most remedies were taken orally, accounting for 76% of medicinal use. Most of the remedies were reported to have been from trees (55.6%) and herb (22.2%) species. The most widely sought after plant parts in the preparation of remedies in the areas are the stem bark (33.8%) and root (23.9%).     

Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of vascular plants from the Yungas forests, Argentina

In Argentina, the Yungas forests are among the ecosystems most affected by human activity, with loss of biodiversity. To assess the mycorrhizal status in these ecosystems, the roots of 41 native plant species belonging to 25 families were collected throughout the year from two sites of the Yungas forests. Roots were washed and stained to study the presence of arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM). Morphological types of arbuscular mycorrhizas (Arum and Paris-type) and colonization patterns were identified and photographed. All plants presented AM colonization. The AM colonization patterns varied from single intracellular aseptate hyphae, coils, appresoria, to vesicles and/or arbuscules. Among the species studied, the Paris-type colonization showed to be dominant. Results confirmed that AM hosts are predominant in the Yungas of South American forests.     

药用植物多倍体研究进展

概述了多倍体的原理及药用植物多倍体的应用优势;总结了人工诱导染色体加倍的常用方法和染色体加倍的鉴定方法;并提出了药用植物多倍体在该领域中存在的问题及研究前景。     

Antifungal potential of Indian medicinal plants

Fourteen Indian plants, selected based on their use in respiratory and other disorders in traditional systems of medicine, were analyzed for their potential activity against fungi. The antifungal activity was investigated by disc diffusion, microbroth dilution and percent spore germination inhibition tests against pathogenic Aspergilli. Methanolic extracts of Solanum xanthocarpum and Datura metel inhibited the growth of Aspergillus fumigatus, A. flavus and A. niger and their in vitro MICs were found to be 1.25-2.50 mg/ml by both microbroth dilution and percent spore germination assays. In disc diffusion assay, a concentration of 0.062 mg/disc of methanol extract of D. metel showed significant activity against Aspergilli. S. xanthocarpum exhibited similar activity at 0.125 mg/disc.     

Atmospheric lead and cadmium deposition within forests in the Kanto district, Japan

Atmospheric lead and cadmium deposition in bulk precipitation and throughfall was investigated at four forests in the Kanto district, Japan, to assess the impact of human activities on the environmental health of forests. Annual lead and cadmium depositions in bulk precipitation ranged from 8.9 to 25.7 g ha⁻¹ year⁻¹ and from 0.77 to 1.30 g ha⁻¹ year⁻¹, respectively. Lead and cadmium deposition increased in the summer at every forest due to large amounts of rainfall. At one of the forests, the depositions were also high in the winter due to heavy snowfall. These depositions were similar to recent depositions observed at other rural and urban sites in Japan and several forests in Europe and North America after 1990. These results indicate that although anthropogenic lead and cadmium are deposited at these rates over wide areas, depositions are still higher than in remote areas.     

Insecticidal activity of certain medicinal plants

The methanol extracts of eight species of medicinal plants were tested for insecticidal activity in third instar larvae of Egyptian cottonworm (Spodoptera littoralis). All extracts showed a certain degree of larval toxicity. The extracts of Ocimum basilicum, Origanum majorana and Salvia officinalis appeared to be highly toxic. The extracts significantly affected the growth indexes [relative growth rate (RGR), efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI), efficiency of conversion of digested food (ECD)].     

Antibacterial activity of Venda medicinal plants

Crude methanol and water extracts of 36 plants, employed in the treatment of diseases of probable bacterial etiology by the Venda people, were screened for antibacterial activity. Combretum molle, Peltophorum africanum, Piper capense, Terminalia sericea and Zanthoxylum davyi were the most active and presented MIC values < or =1.00 mg/ml.     

Antibacterial activity of some medicinal plants from San Juan, Argentina

The antibacterial activities and preliminary phytochemical screening of 13 plants used as folk medicine in San Juan, Argentina, are reported.     

Glucosinolates of seven medicinal plants from Thailand

Nasturtium montanum was shown to contain glucobrassicin, 9-methylthionyl glucosinolate, oct-7-enyl glucosinolate, non-7-enyl glucosinolate, dec-7-enyl glucosinolate, methylsulfonyloctyl glucosinolate, methylsulfonylnonyl glucosinolate, methylsulfonyldecyl glucosinolate, benzyl glucosinolate, and Cleome chelidonii contained glucocapparin and glucocleomin. Raphanus sativus contained sulforaphene, plus sulforaphane, glucodehydroerucin, and gluconapin; Lepidum sativum contained benzyl glucosinolate and glucotropaeolin; Eruca versicaria contained glucoerucin; Cleome viscosa contained glucocapparin and glucocleomin, while Gynandropsis gynandra contained glucocapparin.     

Molluscicidal activity of some Moroccan medicinal plants

Among 14 plants of Moroccan folk medicine tested for molluscicidal activity, ethyl acetate extract from Origanum compactum and hexane extracts from both Chenopodium ambrosioides and Ruta chalepensis were the most active (LC(90)=2.00, 2.23 and 2.23 mg l(-1), respectively) against the schistosomiasis-transmitting snail Bulinus truncatus.