BACKGROUND A critical analysis was made of cucurbit descriptions in Dioscorides' De Materia Medica, Columella's De Re Rustica and Pliny's Historia Naturalis, works on medicine, agriculture and natural science of the 1st century ce, as well as the Mishna and Tosefta, compilations of rabbinic law derived from the same time period together with cucurbit images dating from antiquity including paint...

For generations, nomadic herders have been learning to manage herd health, particularly in dromedaries because of their great value. Owing to the unavailability of veterinary services, camel herders in remote areas have been developing their own pharmacopoeia and veterinary techniques. The bleeding of sick animals is a common treatment, as Tuareg herders believe that 'tainted blood' (izni) is t...

Five common homoeopathic drugs viz., Belladonna, Bryonia, Colchicum, Colocynth and Lathyrus sat were selected and tested against growth and aflatoxin production of Aspergillus flavus. The result indicates that all five drugs suppressed the growth of A. flavus. The lower concentration of all the tested drugs induced maximum growth of fungi and maximum production of aflatoxin. However, the growth...

Erwinia tracheiphila is one of the most economically important pathogens of cucumbers, melons, squashes, pumpkins, and gourds in the northeastern and midwestern United States, yet its molecular pathology remains uninvestigated. Here, we report the first draft genome sequence of an E. tracheiphila strain isolated from an infected wild gourd (Cucurbita pepo subsp. texana) plant. The genome assemb...

Citrullus colocynthis (CCT) is used in traditional medicine to inhibit the implantation of embryos. The objective of this study was to determine the number of embryos per pregnancy and the mortality rate in pregnant mice. 115 vaginal plug-positive mice were divided into 4 groups. The animals were given 30, 60 and 120 mg/kg hydroalcoholic extract of CCT until 17th day of gestation. Control group...

OBJECTIVES In an attempt to discover new natural active extracts against malaria parasites, the present study evaluated the antiplasmodial properties of selected plants based on Iranian traditional medicine. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten plant species found in Iran were selected and collected based on the available literature about the Iranian traditional medicine. The methanolic extracts of thes...

BACKGROUND Obesity and physical inactivity are currently on the rise due to industrialization of the communities, which has recently led to increased incidence of different diseases such as diabetes. Epidemiological studies and figures have demonstrated the growing incidence of diabetes. Relevantly, the side effects of chemical drugs have led patients to use medicinal plants and traditional app...