A literature survey revealed that the semi-parasitic evergreen shrub Viscum album subsp. album (Viscaceae) has been recorded on 53 taxa of deciduous trees and shrubs (including five hybrids) in the Czech Republic,. Of the host taxa, 26 are native and 27 alien to the Czech flora. The range of hosts covers 13 families. Salicaceae (11 taxa), Rosaceae (11) and Aceraceae (7) are most represented amo...

European mistletoe (Viscum album) has been used in complementary cancer treatment, but little is known concerning its effects on immunological parameters, although there is evidence that Viscum may stimulate the immune system. In this study, a trial was conducted with cancer patients to determine whether Viscum album extracts could improve the results of immune tests. These were: white blood ce...

AIM: The present study aims to investigate for the first time antitumor and antibacterial activities of Viscum album L. grown on different host trees. METHODS: Two different bioassays (antitumor and antibacterial) were performed to evaluate the biological activities of European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) plants collected from 13 different host trees (Crataegus tanacetifolia, Crataegus monogyna...

A study of somatic embryogenesis and rhizogenesis and their influence on production of morphinan alkaloids on two species of opium poppy is presented. We identified the ratios of auxin and cytokinin that caused somatic embryogenesis and rhizogenesis in hypocotyl and cotyledons of Papaver somniferum album and Papaver orientale splendidissimum. The hypocotyls and cotyledons both show somatic embr...

INTRODUCTION Homeopathy uses information gathered from healthy volunteers taking homeopathic substances (pathogenetic trials) for clinical treatment. It is controversial whether such studies produce symptoms different from those produced by placebo. OBJECTIVE To test whether homeopathic preparations produce different symptoms than placebo in healthy volunteers. METHODS Three armed, double-b...

Recent years have instance that there is a invigoration of interest in drug discovery from medicinal plants for the support of health in all parts of the world . This study was designed to examine the in vitro antimicrobial activities of the flowers and leaves methanolic and ethanolic extracts of Chenopodium album L. Chenopodium album Linn. flowers and leaves were collected from East Esfahan, I...

The current study was designed to investigate the possible mechanism involved in hyperglycemia induced by chronic exposure to deltamethrin (DLM) in rat and to assess whether this damage is amenable to modulation by Zygophyllum album. DLM, a synthetic pyrethroid pesticide, was administrated at a dose of 4 mg/kg body mass, during 60 days. Compared with control, DLM showed a significant increase o...

Chenopodium album L. is a common edible herb distributed in China that has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and cancer treatment. However, to the best of our knowledge no previous reports have investigated its the function of its phytochemical extracts in lung cancer cells. The purpose of the present study was to assess the anticancer acti...

BACKGROUND Medulloblastoma constitute more than 20% of all paediatric brain tumours and are the most common malignant brain tumours in children. Adjuvant chemotherapy has seen a strong increase in the use of complementary medicine for cancer treatment. Evidence for cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of Viscum album (Mistletoe) in vitro is available, however, no data concerning paediatric tumours, ...

Chemical pleurodesis is widely recommended in the treatment of pulmonary air leak of different etiologies as well as malignant pleural effusions and chylothorax. Conventional chemical pleurodesis using erythromycin, tetracycline, hydrophilic fumed silica, autologous blood and talc slurry has been standardized, and its complications, including high fever, intractable chest pain, and acute lung i...