This article surveys the ethnobotany of Ziziphus spina-christi (L.) Desf. in the Middle East from various aspects: historical, religious, philological, literary, linguistic, as well as pharmacological, among Muslims, Jews, and Christians. It is suggested that this is the only tree species considered "holy" by Muslims (all the individuals of the species are sanctified by religion) in addition to...

People struggle to name odors [1-4]. This has been attributed to a diminution of olfaction in trade-off to vision [5-10]. This presumption has been challenged recently by data from the hunter-gatherer Jahai who, unlike English speakers, find odors as easy to name as colors [4]. Is the superior olfactory performance among the Jahai because of their ecology (tropical rainforest), their language f...

Zygotylenchus gansuensis n. sp. is described and illustrated from the rhizosphere of jujube (Zizyphus jujuba Mill.) based on morphology and molecular analyses. This new species is characterized by a low and flattened labial region with three annuli, stylet 14.1±0.5 (13.0-14.9) μm long, deirids absent, five lateral lines in the vulval region, pharyngeal glands overlapping ventrally or ventrolate...

Description of the root of the plant, Zizyphus mauritiana Linn. the microscopical characters of the powdered root, its behavior on treatment with different chemical reagents, and the fluorescence character under ultraviolet light after treatment were studied to fix some pharmacognostical parameters. Preliminary phytochemical screening on the various extracts of the root of the plant was also pe...

Two new 14-membered cyclopeptide alkaloids, Oxyphylline B (4) and Oxyphylline C (5), along with three known 13-membered cyclopeptide alkaloids, were isolated from stem and roots of Zizyphus oxyphylla Edgew. The compounds were tested for antibacterial activity. Oxyphylline B (4) showed comparatively better antibacterial activities against Escherichia coli (MIC, 5 μg/mL) than other compounds. Thi...

Bangladesh is considered one of the countries most at risk to the effects of climate change and its coastal area is most vulnerable. This study tries to explore the experiences of cyclones Sidr and Aila affected people living in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. This study was conducted in the cyclone Sidr affected Amtali Upazila of Barguna District and in the cyclone Aila affected Koyra Upazila...