Several clinical studies have shown that valerian is effective in the treatment of insomnia, most often by reducing sleep latency. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial compared a 400-mg aqueous extract of valerian and a commercial valerian/hops preparation with placebo of encapsulated brown sugar. A total of 128 volunteers completed a subjective study evaluating the effects of single doses ...

Ever since the discovery of the element iodine by Courtois (1) in 1812 and the first clinical uses of this substance in the treatment of goiter by Prout (2) in 1816 and by Coindet (3) in 1820, almost continuous researches on the relationship of iodine to thyroid function have been in progress. The greatest obstacle in the way of these investigations has been the lack of a reliable method for th...

In order to investigate essential oils with biological activity from local wild plants, two valerianaceous species, Nardostachys chinensis and Valeriana officinalis, were screened for their antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. The essential oils were obtained from the roots and rhizomes of the two plants by hydro-distillation, and were analyzed for their chemical composition by gas chromatog...

Ever since the discovery of the element iodine by Courtois (1) in 1812 and the first clinical uses of this substance in the treatment of goiter by Prout (2) in 1816 and by Coindet (3) in 1820, almost continuous researches on the relationship of iodine to thyroid function have been in progress. The greatest obstacle in the way of these investigations has been the lack of a reliable method for th...

Six medicinal plants Helichrysum italicum (Roth) G. Don, Angelica archangelica L., Lavandula officinalis L., Salvia officinalis L., Melilotus officinalis L., and Ruta graveolens L. were used. The aim of the study was to compare their extracts obtained by Soxhlet (hexane) extraction, maceration with ethanol (EtOH), and supercritical CO2 extraction (SC-CO2) targeted on coumarin content (by high p...

A plasmodium of acellular slime mould Physarum polycephalum is a large single cell with many nuclei. Presented to a configuration of attracting and repelling stimuli a plasmodium optimizes its growth pattern and spans the attractants, while avoiding repellents, with efficient network of protoplasmic tubes. Such behaviour is interpreted as computation and the plasmodium as an amorphous growing b...

The aim of the study was to estimate the influence of soil pH on the uptake of copper, zinc, and manganese by Valeriana officinalis. Preliminary studies involved soil analyses to determine acidity, organic matter content, and copper, zinc, and manganese total and bioavailable forms. The study involved atomic absorption spectrometry to determine the concentration of the elements, and mineral soi...