A letter from Joann Roskoski, Deputy Division Director for Environmental Biology at the National Science Foundation (NSF), was sent in response to the editorial in the Winter 2000 issue of Ethnobotanical Leaflets (EBL) entitled, "A Call for an Economic Botany/Ethnobotany Cluster at NSF (http://www.siu.edu/~ebl/nsf.htm). The letter from Dr. Roskoski was addressed to this writer as Associate Editor of EBL and includes the following invitation, "I would encourage you and others in the ethnobotanical community to consider submitting a proposal to NSF to hold a workshop. Topically it might explore the current state of research, articulate a conceptually based research agenda, and explore interest in this area by a spectrum of public agencies and private foundations."
A strain of the fungus Fusarium oxysporum known as EN4 is potent killer of the plants processed into cocaine, Erythroxylum coca var. coca and Erythroxylum novogranatense var. novogranatense. The danger with the method of releasing large quantities of this Fusarium fungus strain into the regions like the Upper Putumayo River region of the Amazon basin, is that Fusarium oxysporum EN4 (f. sp. erythroxili forma specialis Nova) is not host specific. This means that the fungus can attack plants other than the intended host of coca. This is dangerous because 4 other species of the Erythroxylum genus are endangered plants in Colombia, and these non-cocaine producing plants would be killed during this war on drugs.
For many years plants have played a large part in superstitions. Although, they are not so much believed now, as they used to be. They were used to help one's fortune, wealth and fertility. It is amazing that bread was ever eaten; there were so many superstitions about it. It was used to aid in all of these things and many more, It is ironic, however, that the one thing they worshipped and used to keep harm and disease away made them ill and killed some of them. When all of this happened they blamed another superstition, which was witchcraft. "Almost all of the witchcraft misunderstandings were caused by Christianity's persecution of those who refused to abandon pagan beliefs" (Zolar, 1995), but not in the case of the Salem Witch trials.
Culinary garlic is one of the most medically studied herbs today. it has been cultivated since the Neolithic period around 10,000 BC. This bulb has flavored the food of hunters and nomads after the discovery of its intensively robust flavor. The summarians (2600 BC-2100 BC) were actively practicing the healing powers of garlic, and some believe the summarians to have introduced garlic to China, from where it later spread to Japan and Korea. However, some taxonomists believe garlic to be endemic to China. Records have indicated that the medicinal respect for garlic was not fully appreciated in regions of India, China, as well as in southern Europe. The summarians had been using garlic for some time before others caught on to its medicinal success.
People all across the world enjoy cherries for their sweet flavor in pies, candies, and pastries. They have become one of the most widely cultivated fruits in the world. As reported by the Columbia Encyclopedia Online (2000), they can be found in home orchards all across the country. However, the cherry tree has many uses. Some varieties are valued for their beautiful flowers, others for the wood that can be made into high quality furniture. Whatever the variety or use, the cherry tree is an important plant in today's society.
The several uses of the olive tree, Olea europaea L., have long been recognized and celebrated by human civilization. Olive trees have been cultivated since prehistoric times in Asia Minor, and introduced with human migration and trade throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, into Africa, and eventually into New Zealand and North America. Thomas (1995) lists the beginning of olive cultivation as aproximately 3000 B.C. Olives appear in one of the first cookbooks ever discovered. As long ago as the 17th century B.C., the olive was considered sacred. In Greek mythology, Athena is said to have placed an olive tree on the Acropolis in order to win over the denizens of Attica, a favor for which the city became her namesake, Athens (Anonymous 1997). The champion at the Olympic Games was crowned with its leaves. Offering an olive branch is synonymous with peaceful intentions. The oil was burned in the lamps of sacred temples, as well as being the eternal flame of the Olympic games.
A beverage that is consumed today by millions of people worldwide started off life with rather humble beginnings. This beverage is coffee. "Coffee", which comes from the Latin Coffea, is a member of the Rubiaceae family. This family includes more than 500 genera and 6,000 species. However, for ethnobotanical purposes, only 2 species are cultivated for world consumption. These are Coffea arabica and Coffea canophora variety robusta.
The hop, Humulus lupulus, is a cultivated flowering plant, green in color that has many economically important roles. The hop belongs to the hemp family, Cannabinaceae. There are many features that are distinctive about this plant. A hops plant has yellow lupulin glands between the petals, which is used for preservative and flavoring characteristics in beer. The bitterness of the hop is used to balance the sweetness of the malt, and the essential oils add a flavor and aroma which cannot be achieved by using any other plant. The hop plant is a perennial spiraling vine, which will grow in almost any climate given enough water and sunlight. It can climb either string or poles and can reach height of 40 feet. The flowers are usually dried before use. Farmers have developed a systemic approach to the cultivation of hops. There are also a number of chemical compounds present in this plant that give rise to its economic value. (1)
Despite its nondescript appearance, the stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) has a knack for grabbing the attention of anyone passing by. Unfortunately, most people never notice nettles until they are viciously attacked with sharp, hot, itching stings. Consequently, most people familiar with nettles regard them as pesky and undesirable weeds. Few people today realize that nettles may actually be counted among nature's most useful plants.
University of Chicago (UC) Hospitals has always stood for one thing, excellence in medicine. That medicine has tended to be conservative in the extreme, a cautious hedge against scientifically untested wishful thinking including that of the popular new age kind. It still is. But something new has been added to the roster. Shutsung Liao, PhD, a long time researcher in the Ben May Institute for Cancer Research, and professor in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, is first to hold the Tang Professorship in Herbal Medicine. He will also be the first Director of the Tang Center for Herbal Medicine Research.
Pharmacological Activities of Mentha piperita Antimicrobial activity Extracts of Folium Menthae Piperitae have antibacterial and antiviral activity in vitro. Addition of ground leaves to the agar medium inhibited the growth of Salmonella typhimurium, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus at concentrations of 0.1–2.0% (w/v). Aqueous and ethanol extracts of the leaves reduced the number of plaques of the rinderpest virus at concentrations of 4–8mg/ ml1. Aqueous extracts of the leaves demonstrated activity against the following viruses in egg and cell culture: Newcastle disease, herpes simplex, vaccinia, Semliki Forest and West Nile2.
Chitradurga is one of the central districts of Karnataka state and is flanked by Davangere, Tumkur, Chikmagalur and Bellary districts of Karnataka and Anantapur district of Andhrapradesh with much racial and socio-cultural diversity resulting in a cultural mosaic. Bedas, Besthas, Gollas, idigas, Kurubas and tribes such as Lambanis, Hakki-pikki, Jenukurubas, and Fruligas are the communities who are intimately associated with the local forests. The district at its extreme limits is situated between longitudinal parallels of 76 0 01’ and 77 0 01’ east of Greeniwich and latitudinal parallels of 13 0 34’ and 15 0 02’ north of equator. The geographical area of the district is 8388 square kilometers. The terrain is not uniform
Solutions of four moss powders, namely: Calymperes afzelii Sw., Thuidium gratum (P. Beauv.) Jaeg., Bryum coronatum Schwaegr. and Barbula lambarenensis (Hook) Spreng., were evaluated for insecticidal activity against maize stem borers. The aqueous solutions were smeared periodically on mature maize plants in the field. All mosses tested showed some toxic activity against the established maize stem borers, deterrence regarding further infestation and some influence on the distribution of the borers. C. afzelii and B. coronatum showed encouraging toxic activities, deterrent activities and promptness that were better or just as good as with Tricel, the control inorganic insecticide. The order of activity of the moss solutions was C. afzelii> B. coronatum >T. gratum= B. lambarenensis. The incidence of stem borer in the most preferred internode, i.e. III, was reduced significantly by C. afzelii, T. gratum and B. coronatum treatments, while B. lambarenensis like, Tricel, restricted the incidence of borer holes to internodes III and IV. The advantages proffered by the window of utilizing mosses as pesticide, namely: availability, safety, low cost, ease of application, as well as, the disadvantages, i.e. laborious serial repetitions, was highlighted.
An ethnobotanical survey was undertaken to collect information from local people about the use of medicinal plants in Vellore district. Local people use certain folklore medicinal plants for the treatment of Jaundice and Snakebite. The Knowledge about the medicinal plants has been transmitted orally from generation. The investigations revealed that there are about 22 species of plants to treat Jaundice and Snakebite. Jaundice and Snakebite are the common problems among the local people. The study indicates that the local inhabitants rely on medicinal plants for treatment.
Hepatitis has spread widely due to environmental pollution damaging liver cells, which need regeneration of hepatocytes and gradual replacement of the damaged cells. Since Calotropis gigantea is widely used in Ayurveda for the treatment of liver disorders, attempt was made to scientifically evaluate its hepatoprotective activity in rats.
Ginger rhizome was obtained in Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria. The rhizomes were prepared for use by sundrying and milled to flour. A soxhlet apparatus was used for the extraction of the oil. The residual oil obtained was assessed for physicochemical parameters and fatty acid composition. The antimicrobial activities were carried out using four species of bacteria. The results of the assessment showed that: moisture content was 0.352%, specific gravity 0.97, refractive index 1.47, fire point 330oC, flash point 240 oC, smoke point(185 oC, and turbidity 20jtu. Others were free fatty acid 2.37% (Oleic acid), acid value 4.74 % (Oleic acid), saponification value 213.18MgKOH/g oil, peroxide value 82.00Meq peroxide/Kg, iodine value 87.82 and the yield was 7.15%. The yield indicated that ginger rhizome was not a good source of oil. Also, the assessment indicated that the oil can supply essential fatty acid needed in the body. In conclusion, the oil possessed some inhibitory characteristics.
The raw and defatted Luffa cylindrical seed flours were characterized with respect to their proximate, mineral and energy using standard analytical technique. The range values of the proximate analysis for raw and defatted samples were; crude protein (42.17-70.65%), moisture (5.69-6.42%), fat content (1.5333.64%), ash content (3.87-3.92%), crude fibre (1.95-2.80%), carbohydrate (12.68-14.68%) and the available energy range was (1507.53-2177.13KJ). The minerals determined and their range values in mg/100g for raw and defatted samples were; K (910-960), Na (28-31), Zn (0.86-1.50), Mg (16-18), Fe (4.676.23), P (680-660), Ca (40.24-43.44), Mn (4.20-4.47) and Cu (1.10-1.24). The results revealed that crude protein was higher in defatted sample. Therefore, the seed could play valuable roles as supplemental nutrient sources to some farm products used in food formulation for animal and human most especially in developing country where hunger is endemic.
An attempt has been made to explore traditional medicinal knowledge of plant materials belonging to various genera of the Euphorbiaceae, readily available in Vidharbha region of Maharasthtra state. Ethnobotanical information were gathered through several visits, group discussions and cross checked with local medicine men. The study identified 7 species to cure skin diseases (such as itches, scabies); 5 species for antiseptic (including antibacterial); 4 species for diarrhoea; 3 species for dysentery, urinary infections, snake-bite and inflammations; 2 species for bone fracture/ dislocation, hair related problems, warts, fish poisons, night blindness, wounds/cuts/ burns, rheumatism, diabetes, jaundice, vomiting and insecticide; 1 species as laxative , viral fever and arthritis. The results are encouraging but thorough scientific scrutiny is absolutely necessary before being put into practice.
