Phytochemical screening, mineral analysis and evaluation of the diuretic effect of aqueous extract of Pericopsis laxiflora from male Sprague Dawley rats

Pericopsis laxiflora is among the medicinal plants used by the traditional practitioner in the treatment of many diseases. However, data on its diuretic power are lacking. Moreover, the effect of the preparation of traditional galenic formulations on the composition of phytocompounds and essential minerals and metals is unknown. The aim of this study was to show the effect of treatment on the phytocompounds and minerals composition and to evaluate diuretic effect of Pericopsis laxiflora aqueous axtracts. The tube characterization reactions revealed flavonoids, sterols, terpenes, catechin tannins polyphenols and saponins in aqueous extracts. Gallic tannins and quinones are absent, All compounds were generally present in same proportions in two aqueous extracts. Chemical analysis of all aqueous extracts by atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) showed effect of model extraction on minerals. Copper (0.3116 mg / 100g), magnesium (260.7 mg /100 g), selenium (0.00904 mg /100 g), zinc (4.52 mg /100 g), manganese (75.029 mg /100g) are more concentrated in maceration than a decoction. For decoction of same plant, the situation is reversed with sodium (58.6mg /100g), calcium (12670 mg/100g), iron (18.51mg/100g) and potassium (2781 mg /100g). For pharmacological investigation, 32 rats Sprague Dawley male weighing 385-433g are isolated each in metabolic cages from 6 pm to 8am and treated with 100mg/kg of Pericopsis laxiflora aqueous extracts. From 8am to 2pm the animals received only tap water in metabolic cages. The volumes of water intake and urine were not significantly different in the two groups (treated and untreated).The diuretic effect was not observed with 100mg/kg (b/w) . In addition polyphenols, flavonoids, saponins and minerals such as potassium, magnesium and selenium are indicators of the vasodilatory and cardioprotective functions of Pericopis laxiflora aqueous extracts. The prescription of these extracts in traditional medicine must take into account the toxicity of the plant associated with a calcium and manganese content. Keywords: Pericopsis laxiflora, dueresis, decocted extract, macerated extract, minerals, Rats Sprague Daweley

Which Agroforestry Practice Is Beneficial? A Comparative Assessment of the Traditional and the Improved Agroforestry Techniques in the Midhills of Nepal

Farmers are predominantly adopting two forms of agroforestry, traditional and improved practices, in the midhills of Nepal, but their efficacy on a comparative basis is poorly assessed, so farmers often confuse whether to continue the traditional practice or embrace the improved practice. We carried out a study in six villages of three districts, interviewed 210 farmers adopting each practice, organized six focus group discussions, and interacted with 24 key informants to compare agroforestry practices from income generation and forest conservation perspectives. An individual household adopting the improved practice annually generated 841.60 US$, which was more than two folds of the traditional practitioner. Similarly, the improved practitioner annually fulfilled 84% demand for forest products from the adopted agroforestry practice, whereas the traditional practitioner only fulfilled about 50%. The fodder, fuelwood, and timber productions were found to be significantly higher in the improved practice, whereas leaf litter production was found to be almost similar. The improved practitioners seemed to be self-sustained in forest products, where the traditional practitioners only satisfied half of their requirements from the agroforestry practice. The study concludes that the improved agroforestry practice is more beneficial compared to the traditional practice. Therefore, we suggest the traditional practitioners to modify their ongoing practice to enhance the contribution of agroforestry practice at the local level.

Myths And Misconceptions About Dental Care Among Adult Population Visiting A Dental Institution

Background: India, a developing country faces many challenges in rendering health needs to its countrymen. Indian population consists of people from varied cultural and religious backgrounds. In Indian view point, a dental myth regularly emerges from conventional belief of non exploratory base. People believe in spiritual treatment and alternative forms of medicine, they prefer visiting a hakim (local traditional practitioner) to a doctor. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted with approval from institutional ethical committee of SIBAR Institute of dental sciences, Andhra Pradesh. A self administered questionnaire based survey was conducted among out- patient division of the institution. Results: In the present study 87.7% of the participants said that tooth problems should be taken seriously and cannot be neglected.42.3% agreed to the myth that ‘’no visible dental problem means no need to visit the dentist’’. Discussion: A positive finding of the present study, i.e., 18.3 percent believed that placing a medicament beside a painful tooth can relieve pain is significantly less than 30.8 percent of Raina SA et al. Conclusion: The results of the current study showed that myths still hover in the minds of the common people. Key words: Myths, dental students, institution.

ATTITUDES AND BELIEFS OF PATIENTS OF NON-CODIFIED TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN BELAGAVI REGION

Traditional Medicine (TM) medicine is a health care system that has ancient roots, faith of the rural community and cultural background. The study was conducted to out the attitudes and beliefs of patients visiting traditional healers. Ten traditional healers in rural area of Belagavi district representing different categories of non-codified traditional healing practices were included in the study. The data was collected on patients who were willing and agreed to answer the questionnaire. Forty questionnaires were tested and the preliminary results were assessed for validity. The questionnaire data was entered in Microsoft Excel and analysis was carried out using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version16.0 software. The results are based on the descriptive data of 322 patients. Most of the participants were younger than 40 years old (62.1%). 201 (62.4%) patients visited traditional practitioner minimum 2 times in their life time. Among them, 94.5% of patients reported satisfaction with TM. 263 (81.7%) patients had previous history of treatment from other systems of medicine for the same health problems before visiting traditional healers. Among them 191 (72.6%) patients were dissatisfied with previous treatment, out of which 181 (94.8%) had taken modern medicine. The majority 256 (79.5%) patients visited because of their positive attitudes and beliefs towards traditional medicine. The study indicates that people do visits traditional healers and have a faith in traditional healers and their medicine.

What factors influence the choice of first healthcare provider for childhood fever or cough in Ghana?

Malaria and Pneumonia are major killers of children underfive. However, fever and cough are major signs of Malaria and Pneumonia respectively and hence making proper management of fever and cough indispensable in the fight against underfive mortality. This study therefore investigated the factors that influence the choice of first healthcare provider for children with fever or cough in Ghana. The study used the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS) as the main source of data. By employing the multinomial probit model, the study found that urban children, children with higher birth rank, older children, children from the Ga/Dangme, Akan, Mole-Dagbani, Ewe, Mande and Gurma ethnicity and children of mothers with big problems with regards to permission and distance to seek self-medical care were more likely to be given self-medication or to be sent to a traditional practitioner initially for fever or cough. Contrary, mothers with health insurance, aging mothers and wealthy households were less likely to first resort to self-medication or a traditional practitioner in order to seek care for children with fever or cough. The study therefore concludes that ethnicity, residence, permission and distance to seek medical care by mother, mother’s health insurance, household wealth, child’s age, mother’s age and birth order are the factors that influence the choice of first healthcare provider for children with fever or cough in Ghana.

Kwakwaka’wakw “Clam Gardens”

The indigenous peoples of the Northwest Coast of North America actively managed natural resources in diverse ways to enhance their productivity and proximity. Among those practices that have escaped the attention of anthropologists until recently is the traditional management of intertidal clam beds, which Northwest Coast peoples have enhanced through techniques such as selective harvests, the removal of shells and other debris, and the mechanical aeration of the soil matrix. In some cases, harvesters also removed stones or even created stone revetments that served to laterally expand sediments suitable for clam production into previously unusable portions of the tidal zone. This article presents the only account of these activities, their motivations, and their outcomes, based on the first-hand knowledge of a traditional practitioner, Kwakwaka’wakw Clan Chief Kwaxistalla Adam Dick, trained in these techniques by elders raised in the nineteenth century when clam “gardening” was still widely practiced.

Female Circumcision: Culture or Torture?

The operation lasts just fifteen minutes. A little girl is entirely nude, her legs spread wide apart while she is held down by several women. A traditional practitioner offers a short prayer, takes a sharp razor, and excises the clitoris.She cuts from top to bottom. Then, to ensure adhesion, the practitioner uses four acacia thorns which pierce one side and pass through the other. These are held in place by a thread or horse-hair. The girl is defenseless; her unbearable pain isexpressed in howls.