The use of weight loss dietary supplements is prevalent in the United States, and over the past decade, there has been tremendous growth of the use of these products. It is well documented that ephedra-based products are associated with various cardiovascular adverse effects. With new restrictions placed on such products, companies are now manufacturing caffeine-based ephedra-free herbal supple...

Three new species of Dactuliothrips Moulton are described, two from Mendoza, Argentina and one from Southern California, USA: D. prosopis sp.n. from Prosopis alpataco (Fabaceae), D. monttea sp.n. from Monttea aphylla (Scrophulariaceae), and D. ephedra sp.n. from Ephedra sp. (Ephedraceae). A revised diagnosis and an illustrated identification key to the nine recognized species of Dactuliothrips ...

Cigarette smokers have an increased risk for coronary artery disease. Nicotine present in cigarettes can adversely affect the cardiovascular system via stimulation of both sympathetic and parasympathetic neurons. Caffeine, another cardiovascular and central nervous system (CNS) stimulant, is commonly found in Ephedra and Ephedra-free dietary supplements. These caffeine-containing supplements al...

Chemokine receptors CCR3 and CCR4 are preferentially expressed by TH2 cells, mast cells, and/or eosinophils, all of which are involved in the pathogenesis of allergic diseases. Therefore, CCR3 and CCR4 have long been highlighted as potent therapeutic targets for allergic diseases. Japanese traditional herbal medicine Kampo consists of multiple crude drugs/herbs, which further consist of numerou...

Investigations were carried out to determine antimicrobial and antioxidant properties and total phenol content of three wild species of Ephedra compared with their respective callus cultures. Callus induction was performed in a standard Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with the following hormonal ranges (mg/L) for every species NAA:1.5, Kin:1 for Ephedra strobiliacea, NAA:2, Kin:1 for Ephedra pr...

Background and objectives: The genus Ephedra (Ephedraceae) consists of about 40 species of mostly shrubs and rarely small trees around the world. In the present study, the essential oil (EO) diversity and genetic relationships were investigated in six Ephedra species from Iran using Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. Methods: The plants were collected from two different provinces;...

Morphological variation in Ephedra (Gnetales) is limited and confusing from an evolutionary perspective, with parallelisms and intraspecific variation. However, recent analyses of molecular data provide a phylogenetic framework for investigations of morphological traits, albeit with few informative characters in the investigated gene regions. We document morphological, anatomical and histologic...

Title of Thesis: BIOACTIVITY OF EPHEDRA: INTEGRATING CYTOTOXICITY ASSESSMENT WITH REAL-TIME BIOSENSING Kazuko Fukushima, Master of Science, 2004 Thesis Directed By: Dr. Y. Martin Lo, Department of Nutrition and Food Science Ephedrine-type alkaloids (ETA) are major active ingredients of Ephedra, a traditional Chinese medicinal herb used to treat asthma and nasal congestion. Until recently, large...

Most gymnosperms are wind-pollinated, but some are insect-pollinated, and in Ephedra (Gnetales), both wind pollination and insect pollination occur. Little is, however, known about mechanisms and evolution of pollination syndromes in gymnosperms. Based on four seasons of field studies, we show an unexpected correlation between pollination and the phases of the moon in one of our studied species...

Sequences from the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer region 1 (nrDNA ITS1) and the plastid rps4 gene from the genus Ephedra (Ephedraceae, Gnetales) were obtained in order to infer phylogenetic relationships, character evolution, and historical biogeography in the genus. Within Ephedra the length of the nrDNA ITS1 varied from 1,081 to 1,143 basepairs (bp), in contrast to dramatically...