Occidental medicine has a given definition for Parkinson's disease and knowledge of Parkinson's disease pathophysiology has led to development of its therapeutic management. Parkinson's disease, however, is likely to have always existed in different parts of the world. Description and management of this neurodegenerative condition could be found in ancient ...

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effectiveness of traditional Chinese medicine, specifically the traditional herbal formulation Bu-yang-huan-wu-tang, for treating epilepsy stemming from cerebrovascular dysfunction. SUBJECTS: Three adult patients with epilepsy refractory to standard antiepileptic medications were involved. RESULTS: All three showed substantial improvement in the frequency and severity of seizures after Bu-yanghuan- ...

Ginseng, the root of Panax species, is a well-known folk medicine. It has been used as traditional herbal medicine in China, Korea and Japan for thousands of years and today is a popular and worldwide used natural medicine. The active ingredients of ginseng are ginsenosides which are also called ginseng ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate people's views about the efficacy and specific risks of herbal, over-the-counter (OTC) conventional, and prescribed conventional medicines, and their likelihood of taking a second (herbal or OTC conventional) product in addition to a prescribed medicine. METHODS: Experiment 1 (1 factor within-participant design); Experiment 2 (1 factor between-participant ...

Kampo (Japanese traditional herbal) medicines have been produced by combining multiple crude drugs, almost all of plant origin but with some of animal or mineral origin, and contain a great many substances. Their effect is a combination of the various interactions of the constituent substances, whether they are enhancing, synergistic ...

Argentina is a country with both rich floral biodiversity and cultural diversity. Traditional herbal medicines are important in the health care of most people, and rely heavily on the use of indigenous plants. An ethnobotanical survey of the "Sierra de Comechingones" made over a 26-year period (1979-2005), indicated that 65 ...

An ethnomedicinal study was conducted in the remote Hindukush-Himalayan valleys of Utror and Gabral, during which 36 common folk medicinal recipes of the area were documented. The indigenous methods of medicinal plants collection and their further processing were also explored. It was also observed that huge quantities of valuable medicinal ...

The herbs of the "mint" group traded in the herbal market of Thessaloniki include eight taxa, members of two genera, Acinos (two species) and Mentha (four species and two hybrids). The essential oil content of 72 samples examined ranged from traces up to 1.69ml/100g of dry weight. Besides three almost ...

This paper describes the ethnopharmacological knowledge of women in an urban Mexican migrant community in Athens, GA, USA. Data were collected using free-list, pile-sort and semi-structured interviews. The pharmacopoeia of this community includes herbal remedies, over-the-counter medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and prescription medicines. Multi-dimensional scaling analysis of ...

In Brazil, Plectranthus species are known as "boldo" and have been used in popular medicine for analgesic and dyspeptic purposes. Plectranthus need to be well identified in order to be used as commercially genuine medicinal plants. Here we describe AFLP DNA patterns able to distinguish among different Pectranthus species. The ...

In our search for new antiprotozoal chemotherapy, we collected a selection of 26 plants used in Mexican traditional medicine for the treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. Methanolic extracts of these species were screened for their antiprotozoal activity against Entamoeba histolytica and Giardia lamblia trophozoites using in vitro tests. Among the tested ...

Dietary plants and herbal preparations have been traditionally used as medicine in developing countries and obtained a resurgence of use in the United States and Europe. Research carried out in last few decades has validated several such claims of use of traditional medicine plants. Popularity of pumpkin in various systems ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The trend of increasing prevalence of allergic diseases in westernized countries poses a significant health problem and lasting cures for them are often not available. Many suffering from allergies and asthma seek alternative therapies including traditional Chinese medicines, fueling a surge in western interest in traditional Chinese ...

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the underlying intentions to use herbal medicines among Hispanic older adults. Understanding these intentions is critical to the provision of effective counseling. OBJECTIVES: The objectives were to (1) identify predictors of the intention to use herbal medicines for health problems in the next 6 months ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Complementary medicines, including acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine, are being used increasingly for the management of allergies such as allergic rhinitis. Until relatively recently, however, evidence for the efficacy and safety of these therapies in allergic conditions has been lacking. RECENT FINDINGS: A limited number of well ...

Historical and current studies indicate that the Eastern region of the Mediterranean has been distinguished from other regions by a rich inventory of complementary alternative medicine (CAM), in particular herbal medicine. Data collected from several surveys and studies indicate that there is a flourishing and well-developed trade of herbs. These ...

Streblus asper Lour is a small tree found in tropical countries, such as India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand. Various parts of this plant are used in Ayurveda and other folk medicines for the treatment of different ailments such as filariasis, leprosy, toothache, diarrhea, dysentery and cancer. Research ...

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disorder, which affects approximately 2-3% of the population worldwide. The current conventional therapy cannot offer satisfactory clinical results for most of the patients, largely due to the fact that many anti-psoriatic drugs have serious side effects and psoriasis is prone to developing drug resistance ...

Influenza is a serious threat to health in all parts of the world. The control and treatment of influenza depends mainly on chemical or biochemical agents and, to date, some anti-influenza agents have been isolated from plants as a result of chemical and pharmacological studies. These agents include a variety ...

Japanese traditional herbal medicine, which is known as "Kampo", has received increasing attention as an alternative approach to the treatment of various diseases. In order to safely and effectively apply Kampo, it is essential to understand oriental diagnostics. Herein, an outline of such diagnostics is introduced, and current trends in ...

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a complete system of healing that developed in China about 3000 years ago, and includes herbal medicine, acupuncture, moxibustion and massage, etc. In recent decades the use of TCM has become more popular in China and throughout the world. Traditional Japanese medicine has been used ...

Medicinal baths are an important traditional way to prevent and cure common diseases among the traditional Yao communities of Jinping County, Yunnan Province, SW China. Approaches of anthropology, ethnobotany, and participatory rural appraisal (PRA) were used to investigate the herbs used for medicinal baths; and 110 medicinal plant species were ...

It is a crucial issue to determine the origins of herbal medicinal materials and identify the quality grades and fakes of their final products collected from different pharmaceutical corporations. Pattern recognition technique may assist the manufacturers to achieve this purpose and effectively control the quality of their products. In this ...

The present ethnobotanical study was carried out among the ethnic groups (Korku tribe) in the Chikhaldara, Achalpur and parts of Morshi in Amravati district of Maharashtra, India. A field survey of the study area was carried out during 2000-2004 to document the medicinal utility of plants occurring in this area ...

Fourteen mineral and trace elements (Al, Ba, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Ni, Pb, Sr and Zn) were determined in the herbs and their infusions consumed for medical purposes in Turkey such as chamomile (Matricaria chammomile L.), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), linden (Tilia vulgaris), nettle (Urtica dioical), rosehip ...

AIM: Use of medicinal plants is widespread in Africa, particularly in Guinea where oral transmission of practices is part of the social ritual. The purpose of this study was to determine the proportion of diabetic patients who use herbal medicine and identify the types of plants in use. Reasons for ...

It is often suggested that, in the past 50 years, Vietnam has experienced a traditional medicine 'revival' that can be traced back to late President Ho Chi Minh's 1955 appeal 'to study means of uniting the effects of oriental remedies with those of Europe'. In this article, I demonstrate how ...

Drawing on recent paper published literature in both English and Chinese, this explores reactions to the evaluation of Chinese medicine using randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and the standards of evidence-based medicine (EBM). The literature review revealed a few sources which contend that Chinese medicine should not be evaluated on the ...

The DCA (Drug Control Authority), Malaysia has implemented the phase three registration of traditional medicines on 1 January 1992. As such, a total of 100 products in various pharmaceutical dosage forms of a herbal preparation found in Malaysia, containing tongkat Ali hitam, either single or combined preparations, were analyzed for ...

To experience the integration of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in China was 'the chance of a lifetime; thanks to the support of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. The scale and range of TCM available in terms of health care provision, education and research is unique in the world. This holistic ...

The use of herbal medicines in the developed world is widespread, and increasing. Herbal medicines, which include a wide spectrum of substances ranging from home-made teas to the national regulatory bodies-approved medicinal substances, are defined as plant-derived products that are used for medicinal and/or nutritional purposes. The use of herbal ...

Herbal medicinal products are widely used, vary greatly in content and quality, and are actively tested in randomized, controlled trials (RCTs). The authors' objective was to develop recommendations for reporting RCTs of herbal medicine interventions, based on the need to elaborate on the 22-item CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) ...

BACKGROUND: Given that herbal medicinal products are widely used, vary greatly in content and quality, and are actively tested in randomized controlled trials (RCTs), such RCTs must clearly report the specifics of the intervention. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to develop recommendations for reporting RCTs of herbal medicine interventions. METHODS: We ...

Kampo medicine has a specific concept known as "Sho", and herbal formulations are prescribed according to the "Sho". "Sho" is defined as "the decision of prescription judging from the patient's symptoms, systemic conditions and physical constitution generally". In the present study, the authors used thermography to evaluate the effects of ...

BACKGROUND: Chinese medicine (CM) has been the subject of increasing interest in the past 30 years, both as a discipline and in the larger context of alternative medicine. It has steadily been accepted by and integrated into the medical and health-care fields in many countries. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to ...

Four new natural neolignans and lignans, which were given the trivial names odoratisols A-D (1-4), together with (-)-licarin A, kachirachirol B, obovatifol, and machilin-I were isolated from the air-dried bark of the Vietnamese medicinal plant Machilius odoratissima NEES (Lauraceae). Their absolute structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analyses ...

Ginseng, the root of Panax species, is a well-known herbal medicine. It has been used as a traditional medicine in China, Korea, and Japan for thousands of years and is now a popular and worldwide used natural medicine. The active ingredients of ginseng are ginsenosides which are also called ginseng ...

Zanthoxylum rhoifolium bark (Rutaceae) is a medicinal plant, traditionally used in French Guiana to treat and prevent malaria. Bioassay-guided extractions of Zanthoxylum rhoifolium bark have shown that antiplasmodial activity is concentrated in the alkaloid fraction. Further fractionation of this extract has yielded seven benzophenanthridine alkaloids, dihydroavicine 1, dihydronitidine 2, oxyavicine ...

A field survey of commonly used medicinal plants in the district of Paksan, Bolikhamsai Province in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao P.D.R.) indicates that 55 species of plants, belonging to 49 genera in 31 families of vascular plants, are used in day-to-day medical therapy. Lao names along with uses ...

CAM researchers commonly treat traditional medicines as unchanging systems. This article questions the validity of this approach by examining the treatment of menopausal syndrome by traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Such treatment strategies were invented in 1964 and betray a strong influence of biomedical thinking. While they determine TCM treatment of ...

OBJECTIVE: To describe the patterns of prescription and dispensing of herbal medicines employed by Western herbal practitioners in Australia. DESIGN: A national postal survey sent to all full members of the National Herbalist Association of Australia (NHAA). SETTING: Nationwide clinics of professional herbal practitioners in Australia. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Measures ...

The Australian Government has recently recommended that all jurisdictions regulate Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioners along the lines of the Chinese Medicine Registration Act 2000 (Vic). In light of this recommendation, this article examines whether the Victorian legislation is an effective means of regulating a group of practitioners who operate under ...

Fresh rhizomes of Ligusticum chuanxiong, a commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal herb, were collected monthly from a cultivating base in China practicing good agriculture practice (GAP). These samples were analyzed by HPLC-UV for their main chemical ingredients. Senkyunolide A (6), coniferyl ferulate (7) and Z-ligustilide (8) were identified as the ...

Widespread use of herbal medications/supplements among the presurgical population may have a negative effect on perioperative patient care. Thus, the authors' goal was to identify the prevalence of such use in a cosmetic surgery patient population compared with use among the general public; to assess physician awareness of proper management ...

Of all the countries in the world, why did you choose Taiwan to pursue your study? It is a question that I (comments of the first author) have answered a thousand times. My first visit to a laboratory at National Taiwan University opened my eyes to the possibilities of herbal ...

The present paper describes the development of a microemulsion electrokinetic chromatographic (MEEKC) method for simultaneous determination of andrographolide and dehydroandrographolide in traditional Chinese medicines and Chinese medicinal preparations. The MEEKC method involved the use of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) as surfactant, heptane as organic solvent and butan-1-ol as co-solvent. The ...

In Mali the use of traditional medicine is a wide spread phenomenon, not only because of its cultural importance, but also as the majority of people cannot afford the western drugs or medicines. In Mali, the Office du Niger area constitutes the main zone of schistosomiasis transmission where both Schistosoma ...

This paper examines the ways in which the acupuncture phenomenon is translated into scientific language through the mobilization of functional magnetic resonance imaging. In doing so, it explores how differences between science and traditional medicine are bridged and negotiated through an open-ended tuning process among heterogeneous elements. By showing the ...

The tenebrioid beetle Palembus ocularis Casey 1891 has been used in the traditional medicine of Central and South America to treat Asthma bronchiale. Palembus ocularis has large pygidial glands filled with defence chemicals. The defence fluid was analysed by GLC and GLC-MS. The main components are quinones, such as hydroquinone, ...

Garlic (<I>Allium sativum</I> L.) has an important dietary and medicinal role for centuries. It is a large annual plant of the Liliaceae family, which grows in most of Europe and in northern Iran. Iranian garlic is used in traditional medicine for infectious diseases, flu and as an anti-febrile. The present ...