Cognitive Enhancement and Neuroprotective Abilities of Plants

Extensive research suggests that a number of plant-derived chemicals and traditional Oriental herbal remedies possess cognition-enhancing properties. Widely used current treatments for dementia include extracts of Ginkgo biloba and several alkaloidal, and therefore toxic, plant-derived cholinergic agents. Several non-toxic, European herbal species have pan-cultural traditions as treatments for cognitive deficits, including those associated with aging. Acute administration has also been found to reliably improve mnemonic performance in healthy young and elderly cohorts, whilst a chronic regime has been shown to attenuate cognitive declines in sufferers from Alzheimer's disease. The present chapter looks at the ethnobotanical and pharmacological importance of various plants cognitive enhancing and other neuroprotective abilities.

Chinese herbal medicines with beneficial effects

Among the vast resources of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) herbal species, only a handful of Chinese herbs are growing in frigid regions or extreme environment but they have a unique property. The most recognizable TCM herb falling in this category is Panax ginseng, which is widely considered the representative tonic herb with oceans of beneficial effects on human health. In this article, we will introduce several typical Chinese herbal medicines with beneficial effects aiming to arouse broader attention from the scientific community to expand the exploration and exploitation on this for their potential applications to meet the increasingly demanding medical needs.

Extraction, Preparation and Evaluation of Phyllanthus urinaria extract as Antifungal Cream

The aim of research work is to formulate an antifungal cream. The cream which is prepared is isolated from natural source. The leaves of Phyllanthus urinaria have active antifungal activity. The genus Phyllanthus is one of the most important groups of plants belonging to the Phyllantaceaceae family. Phyllanthus urinaria is an annual perennial herbal species found in tropical Asia, America, China ad Indian ocean island. P. urinaria is used in folk medicine as a cure to treat jaundice, diabetes, malaria, cancer, bacterial infection, fungal infection. This research gives the therapeutical study for the P. urinaria. The extract is isolated with help of ethanol. The cream is prepared with various pharmaceutical ingredient. Antifungal activity is done with the Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans. This cream is then examined and stability test is performed, physicochemical reactions are done to determine chemical constituents present in the extract.

Herbal Plants as Alternatives for the Management of the Red Imported Fire Ant, Solenopsis Invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The red imported fire ant (RIFA) is one of the most detrimental invasive species, threatening native ecosystems, human health, and economic activities worldwide. In the quarantine zone of Taiwan, RIFA re-infestation frequently occurs despite the intensive application of synthetic pesticides, making its control costly and ineffective. Thus, there is an urgent need to identify effective, eco-friendly, and sustainable alternatives for controlling RIFA populations. In this study, we examined the efficacy and feasibility of planting herbal species for RIFA control. Five herbal species, Tagetes lemmonii, Armoracia rusticana, Cymbopogon citratus, Cymbopogon nardus, and Chrysopogon zizanioides, were planted in a RIFA-infested field with local weeds as controls. Bait and pitfall traps and RIFA intruded plants were used to compare the ant activity in the control fields and those containing herbal plants. The RIFA repellent activity of the five herbal plants and their basal soil was further evaluated through digging bioassays. Generally, the field surveys showed more ants and intruded plants in the control than in the herbal groups; however, the significance varied based on the trap type and plant species. The bioassays demonstrated the significant repellency of the aboveground parts of T. lemmonii, C. nardus, and C. citratus, and the belowground parts of T. lemmonii, C. citratus, and V. zizanioides against RIFA. The basal soil of T. lemmonii, C. citratus, and C. nardus also exhibited deterrent activity toward RIFA. Our results demonstrated that herbal plants are eco-friendly, sustainable alternatives for controlling and preventing RIFA infestation in severe infested and non-infested areas.

An Effective Workflow for Differentiating the Same Genus Herbs of Chrysanthemum morifolium Flower and Chrysanthemum Indicum Flower

C. morifolium flower and C. indicum flower are two closely related herbal species with similar morphological and microscopic characteristics but are discriminated in edible and medicinal purpose. However, there is no effective approach to distinguish the two herbs. A novel workflow for quickly differentiating C. morifolium flower and C. indicum flower was developed. Firstly, the difference in anti-inflammatory effects for C. morifolium flower and C. indicum flower was characterized using lipopolysaccharide-treated rats. Then HPLC fingerprint analysis for 53 batches of C. morifolium flowers and 33 batches of C. indicum flower was carried out to deep profile the chemical components. The preliminary markers were screened out by OPLS-DA, identified by HPLC-ESI-QTOF-MS, and quantified by the improved SSDMC (single reference standard to determine multiple compounds) approach. Finally, multiple statistical data mining was performed to confirm the markers and a binary logistic regression equation was built to differentiate C. morifolium flower and C. indicum flower successfully. In general, the established workflow was rapid, effective and highly feasible, which would provide a powerful tool for herb identification.

Medicinal Plants Mentioned in Tamil Sangam Anthologies

When Tamil Literary Epochal Anthologies were made, in them were identified very many herbal diversities. In Sangam times, people lived well aligned with Nature World, of which they knew they too were a part. Flora and Vegetation were part of their living. Plants were integral to the lifestyle of theirs they knew. Creepers, Climbers, and Herbs were medicinal to them in their life. But in centuries that followed, their minds gradually veered away from the focus of the significant vegetable kingdom. Nowadays, when viruses attack humanity, we by compulsion look back to olden times and are disposed to think of the medicinal uses of forgotten or neglected plant and herbal species which might offer protection from endemics and pandemics like SARS Covid varieties. This article explores the importance of such plant species in their culture, cultivation, growth, extraction and medicinal utility in pharmacological applications.

On the elemental composition estimation of some herbal species of calcareous steppes and its bioindication prospects

On the territory of our country, in foreign Europe, in North America, in some regions there are outcrops calcareous rocks. The high endemism and the same of rare plant species concentration are characteristic features of such landscapes. The results of elemental composition primary assessment of aboveground and underground organs of three plant species from calcareous biotopes of Samara region are given. Three species were chosen for studies: obligate calcephite Gypsophila jusepczukii Ikonn., calcephilic Hedysarum grandiflorum Pall. (both included in the Red Book of Samara Region), Reseda lutea L., a ruderal species. For the quantitative analysis of the content of metals in the stems, leaves, flowers, and roots of these plants, the method of spectrometry with inductively coupled plasma was used. It was shown that the effective barrier function of roots in relation to most of the analyzed elements is characteristic of calcephilous (Hedysarum) and calcephytic (Gypsophila) plant species, but not for Reseda lutea. To a certain extent, the stem tissues play a barrier biogeochemical role in Reseda. A general biogeochemical feature of these species, especially pronounced for Reseda, is expressed in increased Se accumulation in aboveground organs.

Epiphytic bet-mannanase producing bacterial strains

Dry remains of the herbal species of the plantain (Plantago major), the wormwood (Artemisia vulgaris) and the reed grass (Calamagrostis acutiflora) were used as a natural source for isolation of β- mannanase producing strains. They were isolated by using the carob gum as a single source of carbon and energy. Each chosen plant species was found to be colonized with a single dominant epiphytic group of microorganism, although the plants had been collected in the same location. Bacillus circulans was only found in P. major, Bacillus subtilis on A. vulgaris, whereas Pantoea sp. was found in C. acutiflora. Identification of the taxonomy affiliation of the isolated β-mannanase producers allowed using the formerly proposed primers for PCR cloning of β-mannanase genes previously occurred in the respective bacterial species. This approach let us cloning 330 bp fragment of β-mannanase genes from B. circulans and B. subtilis and 1000 bp fragment of β-mannanase gene from Pantoea sp. Testing the enzymatic activity of the isolated strains by staining the carob gum hydrolysis zones on the plates with Congo Red was carried out. As a result, the maximum activity was found in Pantoea sp.