Vegetable oils containing stearidonic acid (SDA, 18 : 4n-3) are considered better precursors of long-chain n-3 PUFA (LC n-3 PUFA) than those with only α-linolenic acid (ALA, 18 : 3n-3). The present study re-examined this premise using treatments where added ALA from linseed oil was matched with ALA plus SDA from echium oil. Lambs (n 6) were abomasally infused with saline (control (C), 25 ml), e...

BACKGROUND Therapy-induced mucositis and dysphagia puts head and neck (H&N) cancer patients at increased risk for developing cachexia. Omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 FA) have been suggested to protect against cachexia. We aimed to examine if echium oil, a plant source of n-3 FA, could reduce weight loss in H&N cancer patients undergoing radio(chemo)therapy with curative intent. METHODS In a double-...

Numerous island-inhabiting species of predominantly herbaceous angiosperm genera are woody shrubs or trees. Such "insular woodiness" is strongly manifested in the genus Echium, in which the continental species of circummediterranean distribution are herbaceous, whereas endemic species of islands along the Atlantic coast of north Africa are woody perennial shrubs. The history of 37 Echium specie...

Changes in diet over the past century have markedly altered the consumption of fatty acids. The dramatic increase in the ingestion of saturated and n-6 fatty acids and concomitant decrease in n-3 fatty acids are thought to be a major driver of the increase in the incidence of inflammatory diseases such as asthma, allergy, and atherosclerosis. The central objective of the Center for Botanical Li...

Non-enzymatic glycation of proteins is the major cause of diabetic complications and therefore, inhibition of this reaction could reduce the morbidity of this disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro effects of aqueous and hydroethanol extracts of Echium italicum L., Anchusa arvensis L. and Trichodesma incanum (Bunge) A. DC. of Boraginaceae on albumin, hemoglobin, and crystal...

Nowadys herbal medicine is marketing without standard toxicological study. Although people believe that herbal medicine do have any toxic effects, there are some reports indicating the toxicity of the herbal medicine. The aim of this investigation is to study the renal and hepatic effects of Echium Amoenum (EA) and Valeriana Officinalis (VO). Percolated extract of these plants with doses of 100...