Five-Flavor Sophora flavescens Enteric-Coated Capsules for Ulcerative Colitis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Clinical Trials

Background. Ulcerative colitis (UC), a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, is characterized by abdominal pain, diarrhea, and mucopurulent bloody stool. In recent years, the incidence and prevalence of UC have been increasing consistently. Five-flavor Sophora falvescens enteric-coated capsule (FSEC), a licensed Chinese patent medicine, was specifically used to treat UC. This review was aimed to assess the effectiveness and safety of FSEC for the treatment of UC. Methods. Six electronic databases were searched from inception to March 2021. Randomized clinical trials (RCTs) comparing FSEC or FSEC plus conventional Western medicine with conventional Western medicine in participants with UC were included. Two authors screened all references, assessed the risk of bias, and extracted data independently. Binary data were presented as risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and metric data as mean difference (MD) with 95% CI. The overall certainty of the evidence was assessed by GRADE. Results. We included 15 RCTs (1194 participants, 763 in the FSEC group and 431 in the control group). The treatment duration ranged from 42 to 64 days. Twelve trials compared FSEC with conventional Western medicine, and two trials compared FSEC plus conventional medicine with conventional medicine. Another trial compared FSEC plus mesalazine with compound glutamine enteric capsules plus mesalazine. FSEC showed a higher clinical effective rate (improved clinical symptoms, colonoscopy results, and stools) (RR 1.12, 95% CI 1.05 to 1.20; 729 participants; 8 trials; low-quality evidence) as well as the effective rate of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndromes (RR 1.10, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.20; 452 participants; 5 trials; low-quality evidence) compared to mesalazine. There was no significant difference in the adverse events between FSEC and control groups. Conclusions. FSEC may show effectiveness in UC treatment compared to conventional medicine, and the use of FSEC may not increase the risk of adverse events. Due to the limited number of clinical trials and low methodological quality of the included trials, our findings must be interpreted with discretion.

Bioethics in Unani medicine: Relevant quotes from Kamilussanah, a 10th century manuscript

The World Health Organization (WHO) in its Alma Ata Declaration, 1978, focuses on the development, promotion and recognition of the traditional medical systems. India has taken steps in this direction by recognising Unani medicine with other traditional medical systems practised in India. Presently, Government is promoting integration of the recognised traditional medical systems with conventional medicine at the national level, as an interdisciplinary approach to providing better patient-centred care. Bioethics is a field of enquiry that examines ethical issues and dilemmas emerging from medical care and research involving humans. Although the term ‘bioethics’ was first mentioned in 1927 and later established as a distinct discipline in 1970s, the ethical principles in various contexts had been described centuries ago in the classical texts pertaining to traditional medical systems. Since ethics as a code of conduct was followed by ancient Unani physicians to safeguard the interests of humanity when providing healthcare, it was felt that a review of classical Unani manuscripts should be attempted to give an insight into codes of conduct described by various Unani physicians. In this paper, a 10th century book, “Kamilussanah” authored by Ali ibn Abbas al-Majoosi, also known as Majoosi (930-994 CE), is reviewed through the prism of ethics.

Conventional Medicinal Uses, Phytoconstituents, and Biological Activities of Euphorbia officinarum L.: A Systematic Review

The Moroccan endemic plant Euphorbia officinarum is a traditional medicinal plant, known locally as “Daghmus.” Plants in the genus Euphorbia are well known for the chemical diversity of their diterpenoids and isoprenoid constituents, which perform many activities such as cytotoxic, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as different biological properties, that cannot be overlooked. The effect of bioactive compounds (antiviral, antidiabetic, anticancer, and antioxidant). Euphorbia officinarum is an important conventional medicine for the treatment of various conditions, including skin and ophthalmological diseases. It is also used against human pathogens (intestinal parasites). E. officinarum latex is the major part of the plant used for conventional medicine and synthesizing new bioactive compounds. The characterization and isolation of its components are necessary to exploiting and enhancing its therapeutic potential. However, to the best of our knowledge, no review is available to date. In order to have and define a research question, we adopt a strategy by considering the items of the PRISMA checklist. Therefore, this review aims to cover E. officinarum taxonomy, botanical description, distribution, conventional uses, and phytochemical compounds of this plant, including the biological activities of compounds isolated and of these semisynthesized compounds. This article provides a foundation for any further studies from this plant.

Aromatherapy in Textiles: A Systematic Review of Studies Examining Textiles as a Potential Carrier for the Therapeutic Effects of Essential Oils

Integrative medicine is a rapidly growing specialty field of medical care that emphasizes the amalgamation of complementary therapies and conventional medicine. Aromatherapy, one of the complementary therapies, is a centuries-old tradition, used in many cultures and societies as an alternative to, or in conjunction with, conventional medicine. However, there is very little understanding of its therapeutic benefits in the scientific realm related to the correct dosage of essential oils, their delivery mechanism and their efficacy on human physiology in general. We reviewed studies published between 2011–2021 focused on aromatherapy and textiles, and explore “textile” materials as a possible carrier for essential oils in this paper. Due to their proximity to the biggest organ of the human body, textiles can potentially serve as a good delivery system for the therapeutic benefit of essential oils. After this rigorous review, we found gaps in the field. Therefore, we propose cross-disciplinary synergies for future research to fully understand the therapeutic efficacy of essential oils.

Efficacy and Safety of CAM in Kidney Diseases

The evidence of benefits and safety of complementary and alternative medicine for kidney diseases are still dubious to both practitioners and general public. Chinese herbal medicines are the main CAM in treating chronic kidney disease as an adjunctive therapy to conventional medicine. Several meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials assessing the efficacy of CHM reported that Astragalus and Cordyceps seem to have a beneficial effect on the kidneys. Acupuncture, yoga and aromatherapy may alleviate symptoms in patients with ESRD, such as pain, anxiety and pruritus. This evidence should be interpreted with caution due to several limitations of the RCTs of CAM, i.e., small sample sizes, unclear randomisation and blinding. Acute kidney injury is the common nephropathy caused by herbal and dietary supplements, e.g. aristolochic acid. Dietary supplements may induce uncontrolled hyperkalemia and hyperphosphatemia in patients with advanced CKD. Unregistered herbal products from India and China may be adulterated by conventional medicines and heavy metals, which could cause AKI.

Pharmacological Efficacy of Tamarix aphylla: A Comprehensive Review

Tamarix aphylla is a well-known species of the genus Tamarix. T. aphylla (Tamaricaceae) is a perennial tree in Asia, the Middle East, and Central Africa. It is used as a carminative diuretic in tuberculosis, leprosy, and hepatitis. Various pharmacological properties have been shown by T. aphylla, such as antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, anticholinesterase, and wound-healing activity. However, T. aphylla has not received much attention for its secondary metabolites and bioactive constituents. Research has shown that this plant has hidden potential that needs to be explored. This review aims to cover botanical classification, geographical distribution, taxonomy, ethnobotanical uses, and the phytochemical compounds found in T. aphylla. The toxicology and pharmacological effects of T. aphylla are also discussed. We examined various scholarly resources to gather information on T. aphylla, including Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, Springer Link, PubMed, and Web of Science. The finding of this work validates a connection between T. aphylla in conventional medicine and its antidiabetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, antifungal, anticholinesterase, and other biological effects. T. aphylla’s entire plant (such as bark, leaves, fruits) and root extracts have been used to treat hypertension, stomach discomfort, hair loss, cough and asthma, abscesses, wounds, rheumatism, jaundice, fever, tuberculosis, and gum and tooth infection. The phytochemical screening revealed that noticeably all extracts were devoid of alkaloids, followed by the presence of tannins. In addition, different parts have revealed the existence of steroids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, and byproducts of gallic acid and ellagic acid. T. aphylla has shown many valuable activities against different diseases and supports its traditional uses. Therefore, high-quality preclinical research and well-designated clinical trials are needed to establish the efficacy and safety of this plant in humans.

Boundaries or bridges: what should Homeopathy's relationship be with mainstream medicine?

When Samuel Hahnemann devised homoeopathy he constructed multiple arguments that both vehemently supported his new system and criticized the conventional medical practice of his day. At the end of the 19th century when homeopathy had grown within Britain and America, homeopaths failed to make use of some of Hahnemann’s most successful arguments. Instead, homeopaths found themselves lose significant cognitive ground to their long time conventional rivals with the dawn of the 20th century, a ground they have not yet recovered. This paper uses the theoretical framework of Berger and Luckmann to analyse the dynamics of the arguments used against homeopathy and suggests that homeopaths failed to adopt a universalizing medical explanation that was available to them: the reverse action of drugs. Had they used this argument homoeopaths could have explained conventional medicine successes within their own universe of meaning and thus neutralized the impact of conventional on their practice. The implications of these conclusions for the future survival and success of homoeopathy are considered.

A Qualitative Investigation of the Perceptions of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Adults in Hawaiʻi

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is defined as a group of diverse medical and healthcare practices outside of conventional medicine modalities. The use of CAM is steadily increasing despite gaps in the scientific evidence supporting its use and the challenges of its regulation and integration into conventional healthcare practices. In this context, perceptions concerning CAM become important. The purpose of this study is to identify the perceptions of CAM among adult residents of Hawaiʻi.Methods: Two researchers conducted audio-recorded interviews at the University of Hawaiʻi Mānoa (UHM) campus. Participants were over the age of 18, spoke English fluently, and self-identified as Hawaiʻi residents. Interviews were conducted to the point of data saturation and audio recordings were transcribed verbatim. Researchers collaboratively developed a codebook and used NVivo 12 to analyze transcripts. New codes were added as required. Inter-rater reliability was determined by calculating Cohen’s kappa coefficient. Key themes were identified by both researchers individually and then discussed and evaluated together.Results: Participants were mostly female, white, and affiliated with UHM. Perceptions were categorized as positive, negative, and neutral. The majority of participants had positive perceptions of CAM with few reporting negative perceptions. The positive perceptions were related to CAM’s perceived effectiveness, the desirability of CAM compared to conventional medicine, and CAM’s ability to foster well-being. Negative perceptions were attributed to the lack of scientific evidence and ineffective outcomes of CAM use. Neutral perceptions of CAM related to its safety and natural characteristics. Conclusions: The finding of this study revealed mainly positive perceptions of CAM revealed among Hawaiʻi residents. Use of CAM is on the rise despite CAM lacking empirical evidence demonstrating efficacy. With insufficient data and understanding, CAM users place themselves at risk for harmful herb-herb and herb-drug interactions. These findings have implications for healthcare providers of both conventional medicine and CAM traditions.

Relationship Between Conventional Medicine Chapters in ICD-10 and Kampo Pattern Diagnosis: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives: The newest revision to the International Classification of Diseases, the 11th edition (ICD-11) includes disease classifications from East Asian medicine, including traditional Japanese medicine (Kampo medicine). These disease classifications allow for comparisons between disease classifications from conventional medicine and Kampo medicine.Design/Location/Subjects/Interventions: This is an exploratory, cross-sectional study exploring the relationship between conventional medicine diagnoses and Kampo medicine diagnoses at a large Kampo clinic in Japan. Patients were seen from October 1st, 2014 to June 30th, 2019 and were 20 years of age or older.Outcome measures: Patients presented with one or more conventional medicine ICD-10 codes into the clinic and were given one descriptor from the ICD-11 within the heat-cold module, excess-deficiency module, and an optional body constituents module. The distribution of these Kampo medicine codes was examined in relation to conventional medicine chapters.Results: 1,209 patients were included in our final analysis. Patient number, ages, sex ratio, and BMI varied within conventional medicine ICD-10 chapters and Kampo medicine descriptor codes. Certain conventional medicine chapters are related to specific Kampo medicine descriptor codes, such as chapter IV (endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases) with excess, heat, and kidney qi deficiency.Conclusion: The advent of the ICD-11 allows for systematic, standardized comparisons between Kampo medicine, and contemporary medicine. In this exploratory study, our findings support the independence of Kampo medicine pattern descriptors with ICD-10 conventional medicine chapters. Code overrepresentations in relation to conventional medicine diseases and by age and sex should be an area of future investigation to best understand how to synergize and improve patient care.

Ruta graveolens, Pelargonium graveolens E Hibiscus cannabinus COMO INIBIDORES NATURAIS DO CRESCIMENTO DE Candida albicans

Candidiasis is an infection caused by fungi of the genus Candida, Candida albicans being the species that most causes the disease in Brazil. The Fluconazole is the conventional medicine used as a treatment of these infections; however, it causes many adverse reactions in the patient and its continued use can induce the resistance of the pathogen. The medicinal plants can be very effective as an alternative treatment of diseases and have been used in folk medicine for years. In this study, it was evaluated the antifungal activity of extracts of Ruta graveolens, Pelargonium graveolens and Hibiscus cannabinus against the fungal development of Candida albicans, comparing the efficiency of these extracts to Fluconazole. The extracts were prepared in the concentration of 1g of the plant for each 5 mL of alcohol 70%. The data were obtained using the agar diffusion method. The minimum inhibitory concentration test (MIC) was performed, and showed that R. graveolens was able of inhibiting 100% of the pathogen when using 100 mg.ml-1 concentration. From the results obtained, it was possible to conclude that R. graveolens was the most effective extract when compared to Fluconazole, suggesting that this extract can be used as an alternative to conventional treatment to improve the efficiency of current treatments. The extracts of P. graveolens and H. cannabinus also presented antifungal activity but in smaller proportion than Fluconazole. The data from this study suggests that R. graveolens extract can be tested in future in vivo studies with the objective of proposing its use in alternative or simultaneous treatment of the synthetic drug used.