BACKGROUND The use of medicinal plants is an option for livestock farmers who are not allowed to use allopathic drugs under certified organic programs or cannot afford to use allopathic drugs for minor health problems of livestock. METHODS In 2003 we conducted semi-structured interviews with 60 participants obtained using a purposive sample. Medicinal plants are used to treat a range of condi...

Background: The use of medicinal plants is an option for livestock farmers who are not allowed to use allopathic drugs under certified organic programs or cannot afford to use allopathic drugs for minor health problems of livestock. Methods: In 2003 we conducted semi-structured interviews with 60 participants obtained using a purposive sample. Medicinal plants are used to treat a range of condi...

It is known that expression of endothelin-1 (ET-1) increases in the epidermis after UVB irradiation, and that this plays an important role during the induction of pigmentation both as a mitogen and as a melanogen for normal human melanocytes (NHMC). When ET-1 acts on NHMC via the endothelin B receptor (ET(B)R) on their cell surface, mobilization of intracellular calcium is induced, which is fol...

The study assessed changes in nutritional content of some commonly consumed traditional vegetables subjected to postharvest processes. Amaranth (Amaranthus cruentus L.), black nightshade (Solanum scabrum Mill.) and jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius L.) leaves used as vegetables were subjected to blanching, boiling and drying. The proximate composition and β-carotene content of fresh and processe...

BACKGROUND Recently, we reported high in vitro antibacterial efficacy of Althaea officinalis, Ziziphus jujuba, Cordia latifolia and Thymus vulgaris out of a total 21 plants against wide range of bacteria including MRSA. This study was therefore, designed to confirm efficacy of these four herbs against MRSA in an animal model. METHODS A pilot study was conducted to establish the dose of S. aur...

Five new species belonging to the poorly known Neotropical doryctine parasitoid wasps genera Heerz Marsh (Heerz ecmahlasp. n. and Heerz macrophthalmasp. n.), Lissopsius Marsh (Lissopsius pacificussp. n. and Lissopsius jalisciensissp. n.) and Ondigus Braet, Barbalho & van Achterberg (Ondigus cuixmalensissp. n.) are described from the Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere reserve in Jalisco, Mexico. Keys to...