In order to identify natural products for plant disease control, the essential oil of star anise (Illicium verum Hook. f.) fruit was investigated for its antifungal activity on plant pathogenic fungi. The fruit essential oil obtained by hydro-distillation was analyzed for its chemical composition by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). trans-Anethole (89.5%)...

Background: Illicium verum is widely cultivated in southern China especially in Guangxi province. Its fruits has been traditionally used in Chinese medicine. In recent years, it has been the industrial source of shikimic acid. Usually the residues after extracting shikimic acid are treated as waste. Thus, the aim of this study was to optimize the extraction conditions of cellulase-ultrasonic as...

The traditional healthcare system i. e., ethnomedicine is gaining popularity now a days in combating chronic health problems. Use of herbs, spices and plants present in nature is widely used since ancient times and is passed on from one generation to other. These plants provide us with a large range of bioactive constituents that make them suitable to be used in the pharmaceutical industry. Pla...

Two new monoterpenes, p-mentha-1(7),8-dien-2-O-β-D-glucoside and trans-2,4-dihydroxy-2,4-dimethyl-trans-1-acetic acid γ-lactone were isolated from the fruits of Illicium lanceolatum along with trans-2,4-dihydroxy-2,4-dimethyl-cis-1-acetic acid γ-lactone, (1R,2R,4R)-8-p-menthen-1,2-diol, trans-sobrerol, (1S,2S,4R)-p-menthane-1,2,8-triol and (1S, 2S, 4R, 8R)-p-menthane-1,2,9-triol. The structures...

Rabbits from three synthetic lines were used in the experiment. Line R was selected for growth for 24 generations. Lines V and A were selected for litter size at weaning for 30 and 33 generations, respectively. Sensory analysis was carried out on the Longissimus muscle. The parameters evaluated were: juiciness (J), hardness (H), fibrousness (F), flouriness (Fl), intensity of rabbit flavour (IRF...

Chemical investigation of the aerial parts of Illicium simonsii resulted in the isolation of nine new compounds, simonsols A-E (1-5), simonsins A-B (7-8), terpene-sesquineolignans, clovanedunnianol (9), and p-menthadunnianol (10). Compound 5 was equilibrated with 7 as an inseparable mixture. The structures were elucidated by extensive NMR and MS analysis. Compounds 9, 10, and the mixture of 5 a...

Recent advances in placebo research have demonstrated the mind's power to alter physiology. In this study, we combined an expectancy manipulation model with both verum and sham acupuncture treatments to address: 1) how and to what extent treatment and expectancy effects - including both subjective pain intensity levels (pain sensory ratings) and objective physiological activations (fMRI) - inte...

The adjective "aromatic" is used by organic chemists in a rather different way than it is normally applied. It has its origin in the observation that certain natural substances, such as cinnamon bark, wintergreen leaves, vanilla beans and anise seeds, contained fragrant compounds having common but unexpected properties. Cinnamon bark, for example, yielded a pleasant smelling compound, formula C...

Background: Breastfeeding is the best food for infants. Prolactin is combined with the corresponding receptors on the alveoli that produce milk, and milk production begins. We aimed to review the effect of fennel and black seed on breast milk, prolactin levels and anthropometric index in human and animal samples. ...