THE STUDY REPORTED BY Zhang et al. (14) in this issue of the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology raises several potentially important issues relating to traditional remedies. Despite their lack of acceptance by opinion makers in the field of clinical medicine, these remedies remain the commonest therapeutic agents used worldwide, and some of them have even found thei...

Protozoa that parasitize the human intestine include Entamoeba histolytica, Blastocystis hominis, Trichomonas hominis, Cryptosporidium parvum, Giardia lamblia, Balantidium coli, Isospora, and other protozoa. Most intestinal protozoan infections can cause acute or chronic diarrhea in healthy individuals and may result in intractable, life-threatening illness in patients in immunosuppressive stat...

OBJECTIVE To examine the opinions of Libyan doctors regarding the quality of drug information provided by pharmaceutical company representatives (PCRs) during detailing visits. METHOD An anonymous survey was conducted among 1,000 doctors from selected institutes in Tripoli, Benghazi and Sebha. Doctors were asked questions regarding the quality of information provided during drug-detailing vis...

BACKGROUND The Third Month Fair in Dali is a historical festival and fair. The market of traditional medicine (TM) is one of the main parts in the fair, which has important influence on local and peripheral people. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this study, approaches of ethnobotany, pharmacognosy, and participatory rural appraisal were used in market survey. Twenty-six druggists were selected rand...

Because tyrosinase catalyzes melanin synthesis, tyrosinase inhibitors are important in cosmetic skin-whitening. Oxidative stress contributes to skin aging and can adversely affect skin health, which means antioxidants active in skin cells may support skin health. We examined 25 traditional Chinese herbal medicines that might be useful for skin-whitening and skin health. Extracts (100microg/mL) ...

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is a holistic approach to health that attempts to bring the body, mind and spirit into harmony. TCM is an essential part of the healthcare system in several Asian countries, and is considered a complementary or alternative medical system in most Western countries. An integration of the traditional Chinese and Western systems of medicine has begun in multiple m...

Traditional medicines in the form of botanical dietary supplements and nutraceuticals have found a place in 21st century healthcare. They nonetheless all contain compounds that are foreign to humans (i.e. xenobiotics) and that are subject to the same pharmacological issues encountered by synthetic therapeutic agents. It is crucial therefore for all parties, the medical profession, investigative...

Ethnobotanical information and traditional medicines were investigated and documented in Embu and Mbeere districts, Eastern Province of Kenya. Oral interviews were obtained from over 100 herbalists, both men and women aged between 40 and 80 years. All the herbalists interviewed were Christians and had little formal education. Non-Christian herbalists were purported to combine herbal medicines w...

Plant secondary metabolites include an array of bioactive constituents form both medicinal and food plants able to improve human health. The exposure to these phytochemicals, including phenylpropanoids, isoprenoids and alkaloids, through correct dietary habits, may promote health benefits, protecting against the chronic degenerative disorders mainly seen in Western industrialized countries, suc...

The ethnopharmacological approach toward the understanding and appraisal of traditional and herbal medicines is characterized by the inclusions of the social as well as the natural sciences. Anthropological field-observations describing the local use of nature-derived medicines are the basis for ethnopharmacological enquiries. The multidisciplinary scientific validation of indigenous drugs is o...