Why blackseed can be the cure for all illnesses except death

The use of plants to prevent and treat illnesses has been known since time immemorial. Blackseed has been used in different civilizations around the world for centuries. The curative properties of blackseed were mentioned in the Bible and further elaborated on by Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) as “Hold on to the use of blackseed, as it has a remedy for every illness except death”. Extensive research conducted over the past century into the phytochemistry of blackseed has identified many active ingredients and confirmed its pharmacological action in the treatment of a vast range of illness conditions across the different systems of the body, including the prevention and treatment of cancer, and optimum functioning of the immune system. Furthermore, the Tibb philosophical principles highlight the ability of the body’s inherent self-healing capacity, known as Physis, and the intricate functioning of the human body, based on the temperamental and humoral theory. This paper emphasizes the importance of Physis, and its role in the maintenance and restoration of health with the regular intake of blackseed, highlighting why blackseed can be a cure for all illnesses except death. Keywords: Blackseed, phytochemistry, pharmacological action, Tibb philosophical principles.

Determining the effective compounds of Salvia miltiorrhiza through chromatographic fingerprinting coupled with chemometrics

Herbs are rich in the active ingredients of drugs for preventing or treating various disorders. However, conventional bioactivity-guided separation is time and labor-intensive and neglects the additive effect of multiple components. These problems hinder the development of new medicines from natural products. This study established a chemometric analysis method that integrates processes based on the spectrum-effect relationship for the rapid identification of the primary active components of a plant. The high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) fingerprints of 171 Salvia miltiorrhiza extracts (SMEs) with varied constituent profiles were analyzed. Chemometric analysis was performed to establish an HPLC fingerprint–bioactivity relationship to explore the components of SMEs that contribute to the antioxidant activity and cytotoxicity effect, respectively. The results indicated that the developed strategy can be used to identify components largely contributing to particular bioactivities and re-evaluate the efficacy of previously neglected components. The present study identified not only the primary active components of S. miltiorrhiza but also the optimal ratios of constituents, validating the method for use in the future investigation and development of herbal medicines. Keywords: Chemometric, herb, antioxidant, cytotoxicity, fingerprint, Salvia miltiorrhiza.

Composition and structure of Gastropoda in the Lavandula dentata L. (Labiatae) stations in the Ghazaouet region (Tlemcen, North-West Algeria)

An approach to the diversity of malacofauna associated with toothed lavender was carried out in three stations belonging to the coastal region of Ghazaouet (Wilaya de Tlemcen) from January to July 2013. The specific richness of gastropods is 14 species. Four species are accessories and ten others are accidental. The relative importance of snails varies by station and by month and season. Gastropods preferring certain humidity are easily collected in winter and spring. In April, the species richness is relatively important (6 species) in the 1st and 2nd stations respectively. Milax gagates has a frequency of 78.57% in the first station (Sidi-Aissa) and 57.14% in the 2nd station (Sidi - Amar). Helicella pyramidata has a frequency of 35.71% in station 3 (Bab Khroufa). Similarly, this Helicellinae has a density equal to 0.50 in the same station. Keywords: Lavandula dentata, terrestrial gastropods, diversity, bioecology, vertical distribution, Ghazaouet region (Tlemcen).

Protective effect of pomegranate peel extract on diabetic ocular structural changes in experimental diabetic rats: A histological, immunohistochemical and clinical study

Ocular complications of diabetes mellitus are rapidly progressing and have become a leading cause of vision impairment. The present study evaluated the potential protective role of pomegranate peel extract, as a powerful antioxidant agent, on the ocular complications of diabetes. One hundred, 8 weeks old, male Wistar rats were subdivided into three groups; the first control group (non-diabetic) was injected intraperitoneally with a single dose (2 ml/animal) of citrate buffer alone. The second group (diabetic untreated) was subjected to induction of diabetes by an intraperitoneal single dose of streptozotocin (60 mg/kg body weight). The third group (diabetic treated) was subjected to induction of diabetes as the second group and given simultaneously, 500 mg/kg body weight of pomegranate peel extract orally once per day with the drinking water. Clinical examination of lens and fundus was made, and the biochemical analysis was done at 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36 and 40 weeks after diabetes induction. At the end of the investigation (40 weeks), the rats were anesthetized, and the eyeballs were removed and sampled for histopathological, immunohistochemical, and ultrastructural investigations. The study revealed that the lens of 12 rats from a total of 40 rats of the second group (diabetic untreated) depicted the onset of cataract at 16 week, which increased gradually. The retina of the same group showed gradual inter-retinal microvascular abnormalities and histopathological changes. The third group (diabetic treated) showed marked amelioration as compared to the second group. ANOVA test for the biomedical indicators showed a statistically significant improvement in the third group. In conclusion, the pomegranate peel extract possesses strong potential for its development as a protective agent against ocular complications of diabetes. Keywords: Pomegranate peel extract, diabetes mellitus, ocular structure, rats.

Isolation and characterization of propitious bioactive compounds from Cassia singueana L.

Cassia singueana L. is widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments. The present work was set to investigate the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of this plant and its secondary metabolites. Three bioactive compounds, lupeol, eugenol and octadecadienoic acid methyl ester, were isolated from the root extract of the plant using bioactivity-guided normal phase column chromatography. The antioxidant effect was studied using the in vitro assays, e.g., 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), superoxide anion and metal chelation methods. The compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activity against four bacteria, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus pneumonia and a fungus, Candida albicans using the agar diffusion method. The MIC/MBC of the extracts were determined by the micro-dilution method. Chemical structures of the isolated compounds were determined using FTIR and NMR spectroscopy. Whilst all three compounds showed certain levels of antioxidant activity, the most prominent antimicrobial activity was observed only against S. aureus. In general, results from the work provided some evidence to support the traditional medicinal uses of C. singueana. Keywords: Detection, elucidation, phytochemical, Cassia singueana.