We have compared the diuretic activity of 200 ml of sucrose flavoured aqueous extract of the herb Aerua lanata with that of 200 ml sucrose flavoured weak infusion of tea leaves, and 200 ml of water, in 14 healthy volunteers under standardized conditions. Each volunteer acted as his or her own control in the three protocols, and chemical, physical and statistical analyses were performed "blind" ...

Herbal medicines are increasingly used in both western and Chinese societies. This is partly attributed to the alleged limitations of scientific medicine in the cure and control of chronic diseases. Many patients do not disclose that they have used herbs before surgery and hence their physicians remain unaware of the potential herb-drug interactions. With respect to anaesthesia, herbs can cause...

The anticoagulative principles in Paeoniae Radix, which is one of the most important herbs and is used commonly for the treatment of female diseases in traditional oriental medicine, were investigated. In this study the measurement of plasma recalcification time in mice was found to be useful for following the anticoagulative activity of the material, and the active principles were isolated fro...

Weichang’an (WCA) pill, a traditional Chinese patent medicine consisting of ten Chinese medicinal herbs, has been used to treat irritable bowel syndrome and functional dyspepsia for several decades. In this study, twelve bioactive constituents in the methanol extract of WCA were accurately identified since MS/MS fragmentation behavior of the references and the standards by using HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS...

We used airborne imaging spectroscopy and photon transport modeling to determine how biological invasion altered the chemistry of forest canopies across a Hawaiian montane rain forest landscape. The nitrogen-fixing tree Myrica faya doubled canopy nitrogen concentrations and water content as it replaced native forest, whereas the understory herb Hedychium gardnerianum reduced nitrogen concentrat...

Background: Long-term glucocorticoid therapy causes secondary osteoporosis leading to pathological fractures. Glucocorticoid action in bone is dependant upon the activity of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 enzyme (11β-HSD1). Piper sarmentosum is a local herb that possesses the ability to inhibit 11-βHSD1 enzyme activity. We aimed to determine the effects of Piper sarmentosum wat...

This study was conducted to assessment the antibacterial activities of different part of basil essential oil on the standard gram-negative bacteria include Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, and gram-positive ones including Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogen. The basil essential oil was provided from two part of the plant (leaf and herb) at...

Sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is an aromatic herb that has been used traditionally as a diverse medicinally herb for curing various diseases including common cold, headache, malaria, heart disease, stomach and kidney disorders. Its essential oil (EO) is used in the manufacturing of cosmetic and pharmaceutical products as well as aroma therapy. Keeping the medicinal as well as economical imp...

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of different planting densities and nitrogen doses on essential oil content and yield in herb and leaves of basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). The research was conducted during 2007 and 2008 using split-plot randomized complete block design with four replications. The experiment consisted of four plant densities (30×20, 40×20 and 50×20 cm) as the main p...