Journal of ethnopharmacology
-
Review Meta Analysis
Meta-analysis of the effect and safety of berberine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipemia and hypertension.
Berberine, extracted from Coptis Root and Phellodendron Chinese, has been frequently used for the adjuvant treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension in China. Safety and efficacy studies in terms of evidence-based medical practice have become more prevalent in application to Chinese Herbal Medicine. It is necessary to assess the efficacy and safety of berberine in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and hypertension by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis of available clinical data. ⋯ This study indicates that berberine has comparable therapeutic effect on type 2 DM, hyperlipidemia and hypertension with no serious side effect. Considering the relatively low cost compared with other first-line medicine and treatment, berberine might be a good alternative for low socioeconomic status patients to treat type 2 DM, hyperlipidemia, hypertension over long time period. Due to overall limited quality of the included studies, the therapeutic benefit of berberine can be substantiated to a limited degree. Better methodological quality, large controlled trials using standardized preparation are expected to further quantify the therapeutic effect of berberine.
-
Shexiang Baoxin Pill (SBP) is a well-known composite formula of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), widely used to treat cardiovascular diseases such as angina pectoris and myocardial infarction. Bufadienolides are major active compounds of Venenum Bufonis, which is one of the seven materiamedicas that comprise the Shexiang Baoxin Pill. Previous pharmacokinetics studies of bufadienolides have typically used a single medicinal material delivered to rats. In this study, we have chosen the mouse, a more proper animal model than the rat, to investigate the in vivo pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of bufadienolides from the Shexiang Baoxin Pill. ⋯ The information gained from this research provides a meaningful insight for the clinical applications of the Shexiang Baoxin Pill.
-
Historical Article
Historical versus contemporary medicinal plant uses in Ghana.
Three extraordinary, historical documents stemming from observations made in 1697, 1803 and 1817 quote medicinal plant uses among the Fante, Ga and Ashanti people of present-day Ghana, and can be linked to original botanical specimens in European herbaria. This provides a unique opportunity to gain insight to the historical materia medica of Ghana and compare this to contemporary medicinal plant uses. By critical literary and taxonomic review, the present study (re-)establishes the earliest known history of many important Ghanaian medicinal plants, and assesses the scale of change and loss of medicinal plant knowledge in Ghana over time. The study provides the foundation to reconstruct lost or discontinued Ghanaian plant uses in local or ethnopharmacological contexts. ⋯ The scientifically strong voucher material allowed for identification of a high number of historical medicinal plants and their roots in traditional Ghanaian medicine systems 2-300 years ago. The materia medica of the Fante, Ga and Ashanti of Ghana has changed considerably over time. The "forgotten" historical uses warrant further studies to determine the pharmacological activity of these plants. This could provide the foundation for reconstruction of historical medicinal plant uses in evidence-based modern contexts.