ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE In 1962 ethnopharmacologists, Hofmann and Wasson, undertook an expedition to Oaxaca, Mexico. These two researchers were the first scientists to collect a flowering specimen of Salvia divinorum allowing the identification of this species. While the species' traditional use is confined to a very small region of Mexico, since Hofmann and Wasson's expedition 50 years ...

Genus Salvia, commonly known as sage, is the largest genus in the Lamiaceae family. It comprises many species traditionally used as brain-enhancing tonics. In vitro and animal studies have confirmed that several Salvia species contain a large array of active compounds that may enhance cognitive activity and protect against neurodegenerative disease. In this review, the active constituents in pl...

Methanol and aqueous extracts from fi ve plant species, used in traditional medicine in Guatemala for the treatment of microbial infections, were tested in vitro for their ability to scavenge DPPH, OH(.) and O(2) (-) radicals and to inhibit lipoperoxidation (LPO) in order to establish a relationship between their antioxidant activities and their effects against infectious agents. Acalypha guate...

OBJECTIVE To study the effects of Salvia miltiorrhiza on serum levels of cytokines including interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). METHODS Thirty-six SAP patients were randomly divided into Salvia miltiorrhiza-treated group and non-Salvia miltiorrhiza-treated group with eighteen patients in each...

One undescribed and six known abietane diterpenoids were isolated as ligands for aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) from leaves of Salvia officinalis, a folk medicine in the Mediterranean Sea area. The structure diterpenoid named (+)-(10R)-11,14-dioxoabieta-8,12-diene-12,20-diol was assigned by 1D/2D NMR spectroscopic HR-ESI-MS data. AhR ligand activity evaluated AhR-dependent luciferase reporter ...

Populations of the South-western part of Morocco traditionally use the fruits of Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels to prepare an edible oil whose obtainment furnishes, as side product, a cake used to feed the cattle and complemented the forage furnished by the leaves and fruits of this same plant. However, the wood of A. spinosa is also used for fuel and the subsequent induced deforestation is nowada...

OBJECTIVE To observe morphology of Auchenacantha galeopteri (A. galeopteri), Auchenacantha spinosa (A. spinosa) and Auchenacantha parva (A. parva) from Sukabumi and Ujung Kulon, Indonesia using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). METHODS Specimens for light microscopy examination were fixed with warm 70% alcohol, cleared and mounted in lactophenol for wet mounting. Drawings were made with the...