Turmeric (Curcuma longa L.) is extensively used as a spice, food preservative and colouring material. It has been used in traditional medicine for various diseases. Curcumin, the main yellow bioactive component of turmeric has been shown to have a wide spectrum of biological actions. Heretofore, it has been reported that natural colored extracts isolated from turmeric rhizomes with many methods...

Molecular clones encoding nine consecutive biosynthetic enzymes that catalyze the conversion of l-dopa to the protoberberine alkaloid (S)-canadine were isolated from meadow rue (Thalictrum flavum ssp glaucum). The predicted proteins showed extensive sequence identity with corresponding enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of related benzylisoquinoline alkaloids in other species, such as opium p...

The aim of this research was to determine the chemical composition of the essential oil of Acorus calamus rhizomes, its insecticidal activity against the booklouse, (Liposcelis bostrychophila) and to isolate any insecticidal constituents from the essential oil. The essential oil of A. calamus rhizomes was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. A total of 32 components o...

Dune plants are subjected to disturbance and environmental stresses, but little is known about the possible combined effects of such factors on growth and spatial colonization. We investigated how clones of Sporobolusvirginicus, a widespread dune species, responded to the independent and interactive effects of breakage of rhizomes, breakage position and burial regime. Horizontal rhizomes were s...

BACKGROUND Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is being developed as a bioenergy crop for many temperate regions of the world. One way to increase biomass yields is to move southern adapted lowland cultivars to more northern latitudes. However, many southerly adapted switchgrass germplasm can suffer significant winter kill in northerly climes. MATERIALS AND METHODS Here, we have applied next-ge...

Tacca chantrieri ANDRÉ is a perennial plant belonging to the family Taccaceae and is indigenous to southeast region of the People’s Republic of China. A decoction prepared from the rhizomes of T. chantrieri has long been used in traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of gastric ulcer, enteritis, and hepatitis. Our previous chemical studies on the rhizomes of T. chantrieri led to the iso...

The usefulness of ginger in the food industry and pharmacotherapy is strictly related to its content of various components. The study elucidates the chemical composition of Zingiber officinale rhizomes cultivated on ecological plantations on Shikoku Island (Japan). GC-MS analysis of terpene content, LC-MS determination of phenolic content, and the determination of 12 elements using AAS spectrom...

Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) is a well known and widely used herb, especially in Asia, which contains several interesting bioactive constituents and possesses health promoting properties. In this study, the antioxidant activities of methanol extracts from the leaves, stems and rhizomes of two Zingiber officinale varieties (Halia Bentong and Halia Bara) were assessed in an effort to compa...

BACKGROUND Drynaria quercifolia L. (Family- Polypodiaceae) is a fern grows in Bangladesh used in traditional healing by the Garo tribe of Mymensingh district. In the current study, rhizomes and fertile foliage fronds of this plant have been investigated comprehensively to assess their in vitro membrane stabilizing, thrombolytic and antioxidant properties. METHODS Rhizomes and fertile foliage ...

Resource sharing through rhizomes of clonal plants supplements locally available nutrients to enhance recruitment and growth in resource-limited environments. We investigated whether Arundo donax, an invasive clonal plant, can benefit from clonal integration. Sharing resources between ramets can facilitate resprouting from mowing, fire and herbicide treatments, but it is unknown whether clonal ...