BACKGROUND Recent years have witnessed that there is a revival of interest in drug discovery from medicinal plants for the maintenance of health in all parts of the world. The aim of this work was to investigate 26 plants belonging to 17 families collected from a unique place in Yemen (Soqotra Island) for their in vitro anticancer, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. METHODS The 26 plan...

CONTEXT Ayurveda, the traditional system of healthcare in India, has many remedies for Osteoarthritis (OA). One of the ingredients most commonly found in Ayurvedic arthritis formulas is guggul, an oleoresin of the herb Commiphora mukul (CM). The authors have conducted both preclinical and clinical investigations of guggul for reduction of pain, stiffness, and improved function, and to determine...

AIM The aim was to evaluate the analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-hyperlipidemic activities of Commiphora molmol extract (CME) and its effects on body weight and blood lipids. MATERIALS AND METHODS The analgesic effect was assessed using thermal (hot plate test) and chemical (writhing test) stimuli to induce central and peripheral pain in mice. The anti-inflammatory activity was determin...

BACKGROUND Nowadays there is a need to find naturally occurring substances from plants with antimicrobial activity as an alternative to available used antibiotics. MATERIALS AND METHODS Salvadora persica (miswak) and Commiphora gileadensis were collected, dried and extracted with either methanol or warm water and the obtained extracts were assessed for their antibacterial activity against 5 d...

Guggulu is an oleo-gum resin which exudes out as a result of injury from the bark of Commiphora wightii (Arnott) Bhandari [syn.  Commiphora mukul (Hook. Ex Stocks) Engl; Balsamodendron mukul (Hook. Ex Stocks); Family, Burseraceae]. It has been used in the Ayurveda since time immemorial for the treatment of variety of disorders such as inflammation, gout, rheumatism, obesity, and disorders of li...