Vitex Species: Review on Phytochemistry and Pouch Design for Nutritional Benefits

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Nur Rejai Salmah Abdul Hakeem ◽  
Nuruljannah Md Yusof ◽  
Aisyah Hasyila Jahidin ◽  
Mizaton Hazizul Hasan ◽  
Hannis Fadzillah Mohsin ◽  
...  

Vitex trifolia or locally known as lemuni, is well documented for its medicinal properties including anticancer, antibacterial and wound healing. For years, the leaves and flowers were consumed for anti-aging and general well-being. It is also commonly served as nutraceuticals to post-partum women during their confinement period. Previous study showed that V. trifolia possesses high antioxidant properties that could prevent oxidative stress related diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes and many more. From the literature, V. trifolia leaves are used as poultice for rheumatic pains, sprains, antithelmintics and inflammations. Meanwhile, the fruits are utilised in amenorrhea. The roots, on the other hand, are used for the treatment of cough and fever. The plant is known to possess pharmacologically-active constituents such as the essential oil, halimane-type diterpenes, flavonoids, triterpenes, lignans, iridoids and ecdysteroids. Review papers were consistently published to justify the non-exhaustive biological exploration of this genus. Nevertheless, only 11 per cent of the total Vitex species were phytochemically examined. Apart from being eaten raw or blanched, Vitex is also taken as a food colourant in preparing lemuni rice. The process of making lemuni rice is quite tedious. First, the leaves and flowers are picked and washed. Both parts are then ground with water and sieved to give a bluish extract which is then mixed with rice and boiled to cook. Hence, the Vitex pouch is introduced to provide an easy way to prepare lemuni rice. This packaging is designed to enclose Vitex samples in a pouch that simply can be placed together with rice and boiled to cook. Such instant preparation will hopefully promote the consumption of lemuni rice among busy locals. Future plans include international marketing and production of other Vitex nutritional products.

2016 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 15
Author(s):  
Nur Rejai Salmah Abdul Hakeem ◽  
Nuruljannah Md Yusof ◽  
Aisyah Hasyila Jahidin ◽  
Mizaton Hazizul Hasan ◽  
Hannis Fadzillah Mohsin ◽  
...  

Vitex trifolia or locally known as lemuni, is well documented for its medicinal properties including anticancer, antibacterial and wound healing. For years, the leaves and flowers were consumed for anti-aging and general well-being. It is also commonly served as nutraceuticals to post-partum women during their confinement period. Previous study showed that V. trifolia possesses high antioxidant properties that could prevent oxidative stress related diseases such as cancer, atherosclerosis, diabetes and many more. From the literature, V. trifolia leaves are used as poultice for rheumatic pains, sprains, antithelmintics and inflammations. Meanwhile, the fruits are utilised in amenorrhea. The roots, on the other hand, are used for the treatment of cough and fever. The plant is known to possess pharmacologically-active constituents such as the essential oil, halimane-type diterpenes, flavonoids, triterpenes, lignans, iridoids and ecdysteroids. Review papers were consistently published to justify the non-exhaustive biological exploration of this genus. Nevertheless, only 11 per cent of the total Vitex species were phytochemically examined. Apart from being eaten raw or blanched, Vitex is also taken as a food colourant in preparing lemuni rice. The process of making lemuni rice is quite tedious. First, the leaves and flowers are picked and washed. Both parts are then ground with water and sieved to give a bluish extract which is then mixed with rice and boiled to cook. Hence, the Vitex pouch is introduced to provide an easy way to prepare lemuni rice. This packaging is designed to enclose Vitex samples in a pouch that simply can be placed together with rice and boiled to cook. Such instant preparation will hopefully promote the consumption of lemuni rice among busy locals. Future plans include international marketing and production of other Vitex nutritional products. 


Author(s):  
Ciprian TUDOR ◽  
Lucian DINCĂ ◽  
Cristinel CONSTANDACHE

Non-woody forest products (NWFPs) represent an important forest resource which can be exploited, becoming in this way, an important economic role in human societies. In addition, NWFPs are used both in households and as commercial products for human well-being. Due to the fact that Romania has a wide variety of relief forms, numerous NWFPs can be found on her territory, the most important ones being the forest fruits. Their benefits come especially from their chemical composition, because of the richness in vitamins and antioxidant properties, being used in alimentation, medicine and the cosmetic industry. On the other hand, their importance is gained by the social and economic impacts, most of them being positive. The paper exposes the most representative forest fruits from Bistrita-Năsăud County which were analysed by using an analytical hierarchy process, being a multi-criteria method in decision making. Based on this process, forest fruits were classified by 19 well-established criteria.


Author(s):  
Melanie K. T. Takarangi ◽  
Deryn Strange

When people are told that their negative memories are worse than other people’s, do they later remember those events differently? We asked participants to recall a recent negative memory then, 24 h later, we gave some participants feedback about the emotional impact of their event – stating it was more or less negative compared to other people’s experiences. One week later, participants recalled the event again. We predicted that if feedback affected how participants remembered their negative experiences, their ratings of the memory’s characteristics should change over time. That is, when participants are told that their negative event is extremely negative, their memories should be more vivid, recollected strongly, and remembered from a personal perspective, compared to participants in the other conditions. Our results provide support for this hypothesis. We suggest that external feedback might be a potential mechanism in the relationship between negative memories and psychological well-being.


2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (2) ◽  
pp. 305-309 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Gitea ◽  
Simona Vicas ◽  
Manuel Alexandru Gitea ◽  
Sebastian Nemeth ◽  
Delia Mirela Tit ◽  
...  

Our study compares the content in polyphenolic compounds and hypericin, in four species of Hypericum - H. perforatum L., H. maculatum Cr., H. hirsutum L., H. tetrapterum Fr. (syn. Hypericumacutum Mnch.) harvested from spontaneous flora in the north-western area of Transylvania, Romania. These species represent an important source of such compounds with different biological actions. After making the extracts, they were subjected to HPLC-SM analysis. The presence of rutoside in the largest amount (462.82 mg %) in the H. perforatum extract was observed, this containing most of the flavonoid heterosides. For the species H. maculatum, the presence in a much higher amount of the hyperoside (976.36 mg %) is characteristic compared to the other species. Quercetol is the best represented of the flavonoid aglycons, its concentration being the highest in H. hirsutum (659.66 mg %). The hypericin content ranges from 0.2171 g % in the H. tetrapterum extract, to 0.0314 g % in the methanol extract of H. maculatum.The highest antioxidant properties measured by FRAP method were recorded in the case of H. perforatum and H. maculatum.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 147-170

The article provides a comparison of the concept of homo œconomicus with the core theses of René Descartes’ moral philosophy. The first section draws on the work of the contemporary Western philosopher Anselm Jappe in which Descartes’ philosophy is held to be the cornerstone of the established view and current scientific definitions of homo œconomicus as the fundamental and indispensable agent of capitalistic relations. As opposed to this “common sense” position in the modern social sciences, the second section of the article builds upon Pierre Bourdieu’s Anthropologie économique (2017) to demystify the notion of homo œconomicus. The article then examines some aspects of modern philosophical anthropology that show odd traces of Descartes’ thinking and that are regularly applied in economic science as well as in the critique of economic thinking as such. These are the concepts of mutuality, giving, exchange and generosity, and they are regarded as central to the philosopher’s moral doctrine.The author concludes that the philosophical doctrine of generosity has very little in common with the bourgeois ideology of utility which implies an instrumental relationship between subjects: in Caretesian moral philosophy the Other is neither an object of influence nor a means to achieve someone’s personal goals nor a windowless monad. Generosity certainly has its economic aspects, but these do not include accumulating wealth in the bourgeois sense. It is more in the realm of the aristocratic practice of making dispensations. All throughout his life Decartes may be viewed as exhibiting a peculiar kind of nobility in which the desire to give, endow and sacrifice outweighs any selfish interest. The vigorous pursuit of well-being gives way to a quest for the leisure required to pursue intellectual activity, and care for oneself does not preclude attending to and loving the Other, whatever form it may take.


Author(s):  
Andries C. Hauptfleisch

Unsubsidised private retirement resorts in South Africa developed during the last three decades present residents with many challenges. There is no existing generally accepted knowledge base or guidelines to serve this sensitive market. The research objective was to establish which elements are experienced by residents of retirement resorts as satisfactory and which as problematic. A literature study was also undertaken. Quantitative as well as qualitative data were obtained by means of structured questionnaires, interviews and a seminar. The results reported pertain to eight resorts in the east of Pretoria, four in Bloemfontein and two in Knysna. The study is currently being extended to other centres. The quantitative data is arranged in order of the priorities set by the biggest group (Pretoria), with the other groups in comparison. So the research was based on the sourcing of quantitative and qualitative data, as well as on descriptive evaluations. The results offer insightful knowledge and guidelines towards establishing an optimal profile for the development of long-term sustainable private retirement resorts. The implications and value of this study are that both developers of retirement resorts and prospective residents are provided with guidelines to better equip them to evaluate a specific retirement resort with regard to the sustainable well- being of residents long-term.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (8) ◽  
pp. 2648
Author(s):  
Shila Minari Hargreaves ◽  
Eduardo Yoshio Nakano ◽  
Heesup Han ◽  
António Raposo ◽  
Antonio Ariza-Montes ◽  
...  

This study aimed to evaluate the general quality of life (QoL) of Brazilian vegetarians. A cross-sectional study was conducted with Brazilian vegetarian adults (18 years old and above). Individuals were recruited to participate in a nationwide online survey that comprised the WHOQOL-BREF as well as sociodemographic and characterization questions related to vegetarianism. The WHOQOL-BREF is composed of 24 items which are divided into four domains (domain 1: physical health; domain 2: psychological well-being; domain 3: social relationships; and domain 4: environment), plus two general items which were analyzed separately, totaling 26 items. The answers from the questionnaire were converted into scores with a 0–100 scale range, with separate analyses for each domain. Results were compared among groups based on the different characteristics of the vegetarian population. A total of 4375 individuals completed the survey. General average score results were 74.67 (domain 1), 66.71 (domain 2), 63.66 (domain 3) and 65.76 (domain 4). Vegans showed better scores when compared to the other vegetarians, except in domain four, where the statistical difference was observed only for semi-vegetarians (lower score). Individuals adopting a vegetarian diet for longer (>1 year) showed better results for domains one and two, with no difference for the other domains. Having close people also adopting a vegetarian diet positively influenced the results for all domains. On the other hand, it was not possible to distinguish any clear influence of the motivation for adopting a vegetarian diet on the scores’ results. Adopting a vegetarian diet does not have detrimental effects on one’s QoL. In fact, the more plant-based the diet, and the longer it was adopted, the better the results were.


1997 ◽  
Vol 91 (2) ◽  
pp. 268-313 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. Schoenbaum

Before 1991, the relationship between the protection of the environment and international trade was an arcane specialty that attracted little attention. In 1971 the GATT Council established a Working Group on Environmental Measures and International Trade. This group did not even meet for over twenty years.Everything changed with the decision in the Tuna/Dolphin I case, in which a GATT dispute resolution panel declared a United States embargo on tuna caught by fishing methods causing high dolphin mortality to be illegal. The Tuna/Dolphin I decision produced an explosion of rhetoric in both learned journals and the popular press. It was also a very interesting clash of very different “cultures,” trade specialists versus environmentalists. At die outset, neither group knew much about the other. Now, however, the legal and political issues have been identified and ventilated, mutual understanding has increased, and the process has begun to reconcile two values that are absolutely essential to the well-being of mankind: protection of the environment and international free trade.


1990 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 329-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
William McTeer ◽  
James E. Curtis

This study examines the relationship between physical activity in sport and feelings of well-being, testing alternative interpretations of the relationship between these two variables. It was expected that there would be positive relationships between physical activity on the one hand and physical fitness, feelings of well-being, social interaction in the sport and exercise environment, and socioeconomic status on the other hand. It was also expected that physical fitness, social interaction, and socioeconomic status would be positively related to psychological well-being. Further, it was expected that any positive zero-order relationship of physical activity and well-being would be at least in part a result of the conjoint effects of the other variables. The analyses were conducted separately for the male and female subsamples of a large survey study of Canadian adults. The results, after controls, show a modest positive relationship of physical activity and well-being for males but no such relationship for females. The predicted independent effects of the control factors obtained for both males and females. Interpretations of the results are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 113-123
Author(s):  
PK Dash ◽  
S Das ◽  
MA Mannan ◽  
M Jahan

Determination of antioxidant activity is one of the key elements for understanding the biological properties of a widely used spice onion (A. cepa). In contrast, physical properties help understand the textural quality of onion necessary for postharvest operations of sorting and grading in particular. Considering the physicochemical importance of onion, the present study focused on the determination of physical attributes and antioxidant content of the onion germplasm in Bangladesh using visual methods and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, respectively. The five-onion germplasms (BARI Piaz-2, BARI Piaz-3, BARI Piaz-4, BARI Piaz-5, Faridpuri Vati) collected from selected onion growers of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) of the southwestern part of Bangladesh were used as treatments for physicochemical analysis at the Horticulture laboratory of the Agrotechnology Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna, Bangladesh during the period from February to August 2019. The laboratory study was laid out in Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three replications. Most of the physical characteristics of onion were highest in germplasm-1 than those of the other germplasm tested. The results showed that the DPPH free radicals were scavenged by all onion germplasm extracts in a concentration-dependent pattern. The highest IC50 value (238.10 ppm) was noticed in germplasm-3 and the lowest in germplasm-5 (161.29 ppm) with no statistical difference from germplasm-4 (172.41 ppm). The lower IC50 value indicating that onion germplasms-5 and -4 extracts were more potent in scavenging free radicals than the other onion germplasms. Thus, the low IC50 value facilitated the germplasm-5 and -4 to be enriched with antioxidant compounds significantly in higher amounts than the others. SAARC J. Agric., 19(1): 113-123 (2021)


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