Current Traditional Medicine - Volume 10, Issue 5, 2024

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of health problems worldwide. CVD are defined as conditions affecting the heart and blood vessels. Mortality due to cardiovascular diseases has increased in recent years. However, they can be easily controlled by reducing risk factors, including lipid profile, blood pressure, tobacco, alcohol, and low physical activity. Fruits have an important role in improving the risk factors of CVD. Ancient medical sources can play an important role in generating ideas for new research. In this study, the most common fruits that have been recommended by Persian traditional physicians in patients with CVD were reviewed. New documents supporting these effects were also extracted through a search on electronic databases. The findings showed that some fruits have a therapeutic role in CVD, according to Persian traditional medicine. Old Persian traditional physicians, such as Avicenna, advised fruits, including apples, lemon, pomegranate, pineapple, quince, cucumber, plums, and citron, for the treatment of CVDs. Several studies have been carried out on the effects of the above fruits, including apple (Malus pumila), pomegranate (Punica granatum), pineapple (Ananas comosus), Quince (Cydonia oblonga Mill.), fig (Ficus carica L.), and olive (Olea europaea). Modulation of signaling pathways and molecular properties that leads to reducing lipid metabolism disorders, correcting endothelial dysfunction, reducing blood pressure, reducing oxidative stress, and suppressing inflammation responses are the major mechanisms conducted by these fruits in preventing CVD. These pieces of evidence show that the opinion of Iranian medicine physicians regarding choosing fruits for treating CVD is worthy of consideration and an entry for deriving hypotheses for future studies.

Introduction: Immunity can be defined as the ability of the human body to resist almost all types of organisms or toxins that tend to damage tissues and organs. Ayurveda, one of the oldest health sciences has its perspectives and practices on immunology delineated under the heads of Vyadhikshmatwa (tolerance against disease), Ojas (the quintessence of all bodily tissues that is responsible for natural bio-strength, vitality and immunity), Bala (strength), and Vikaravighata Bhavas (disease-resisting factors). Materials and Methods: For the present review, the materials were collected from the Ayurvedic literature, including the three major classical texts Brihatrayees Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, Ashtanga Samgraha and Ashtanga Hridaya, and their important commentaries by Chakrapani, Arunadutta, Hemadri, Indu, and Dalhana. Information from the current scientific literature, articles published in PubMed, and authentic webpages has also been incorporated into this study. Subsequently, an independent analysis of immunology from Ayurvedic classical texts is presented in this review. Discussion: Ayurvedic compendia have vividly described the perspectives and practices of immunity and the promotion of disease-resisting factors. In addition to being the repository of age-old medical practices and the treasure trove of herbal drugs, the immunomodulatory effects of these disease-resisting factors hold up even when bridging with new models based on modern science and technology. Conclusion: Rather than being a complementary science, Ayurveda is enriched with the concepts and practices of immunology. In order to free humanity from the grip of infections, it is important to explore the standalone and integrative aspects of science now.

Background: In recent times, herbal medicines have experienced an expansion in both developing and developed countries due to their natural origin and low incidence of adverse effects. A systematic review was performed to gather information regarding herbal plants used to treat diabetes mellitus. Objective: The aim of this article was to review evidence from preclinical and clinical trials and the proposed mechanism of herbal drugs in diabetes mellitus. Methods: A literature survey was carried out mainly focused on scientific papers published in recent years. The search strategy involved interrelated keywords, like “Diabetes mellitus,” “Herbs,” “Hyperglycaemia,” and other uniterms. Electronic databases used were Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and Elsevier. Results: Twenty studies, including preclinical and clinical trials, were selected for evaluating the mechanism of the anti-hyperglycaemic effect of herbal drugs in diabetes mellitus. Conclusion: Through clinical and preclinical research as well as an analysis of the mechanism of action of herbs, the current review provides preliminary evidence for possible anti-diabetic benefits of herbal medicines.

Background: Since ancient times, medicinal plants have been in use in medicine and daily life. Objective: To develop new antifungal compounds with low toxicity and high efficacy followed by high bioavailability, the constituents of Terminalia chebula were studied. Methods: The chemical constituents of the plant were evaluated for antifungal potential via Molergo Virtual Docker against the enzyme 14α-demethylase. Results: The study depicted that tannins exhibited very good potential against the enzyme and could be used further for lead development. Conclusion: The study revealed that the plant possessed various constituents with potential antifungal properties and low toxicity.

Natural products provide abundant resources for the development of new drugs. Podocarpus nagi is an arbor of Podocarpus L'Hér. ex Persoon. Its fruits, leaves, and roots exhibit a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities (such as antitumor, plant growth regulation, termite killing, and insect larval toxicity), which have been used in Yao folk for a long history. Nagilactone is one of the key components discovered in Podocarpus nagi, which has a variety of structures and a broad spectrum of antitumor activities. In this mini-review, the structures and spectral characteristics, together with the antitumor activities and the structure-activity relationships of nagilactones, are summarized by searching the database in order to provide detailed references for researchers to elucidate and modify their structures.

Medicinal plants have significant therapeutic value and are a gift to humanity in pursuing healthy living. The discovery of numerous rejuvenating compounds that can stop or reduce the pathology of many diseases will be a crucial advancement in the coming years. Synthetic compounds can cause health issues and side effects, necessitating the development of molecules derived from plants and other natural resources as viable substitutes for synthetic compounds. Several plant phytochemicals and extracts have been found to have significant effects on traditional medical therapy. Murraya koenigii (M. Koenigii) is a member of the Rutaceae family, well-known in the Ayurvedic system of medicine as a therapeutically important herb of Indian origin. M. Koenigii has been used in several ancient systems of medicine, including Siddha and Unani, as a multi-potential medicinal plant. Previous research has shown that this plant's bark, roots, and leaves are abundant sources of carbazole alkaloids, which have beneficial pharmacological and biological effects. These include antioxidant, antibacterial, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, antifungal, antiprotozoal, hepatoprotective, antihypercholesterolemic, antiulcer, cytotoxic, antidiarrheal, phagocytic, neuroprotective, and antitumor activities. The key components of the M. koenigii plant and their pharmacological activities against various diseases using preclinical models are discussed in this review. Exhaustive studies on the molecular mechanism of action of M. koenigii are needed to validate the effectiveness of curry tree and their constituents as potent therapeutic agents. However, serious efforts are required to identify, isolate and evaluate the chemical components for nutritional and medicinal potentials.

The choices of treatment for Alzheimer's are based on NMDA-receptor antagonists and cholinesterase inhibitors, although their efficacy as a therapy is still up for debate. BPSD (Behavioural and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia) have been treated using herbal medicine products, with varying degrees of success. This manuscript sets out to answer the question, "Can herbs be effective in the treatment of cognitive impairments in patients?" by examining evidences from controlled research. The process by which Alzheimer's disease develops remains a mystery, and the present Alzheimer's treatment strategy, which consists of administering a single medicine to treat a single target, appears to be clinically ineffective. AD treatment will require a combination of approaches that target many signs and causes of the disease. The results of currently available licensed therapies for AD are often disappointing, and alternative medicine, especially herbal therapy, may play a role. Over 80% of the world's population, particularly in developing nation, gets their main health care from herbal medicines. They have persisted through the years due to their low risk, high reward, widespread acceptance across cultures, and absence of detrimental side effects. In some cases, herbal remedies have proven to be more effective than conventional medical treatments. They are assumed to be natural unless proven otherwise by the presence of unnatural additives. The absence of adverse reactions is a major advantage of herbal treatment. In addition, they provide ongoing advantages to health. Salvia officinalis, Ginkgo biloba, Melissa officinalis, Panax ginseng, Coriandrum sativum, Curcuma longa, Ashwagandha, Uncaria Tomentosa, Crocus Sativus and Allium Sativum are all studied for their potential effects on Alzheimer's disease.

Hepatic encephalopathy (HE) is a serious neuropsychiatric disorder caused in patients with both; acute and chronic liver diseases, which consists of various complications ranging from cognitive impairment, disorientation, confusion, and coma. The available therapies mainly focus on decreasing ammonia levels either through increasing its elimination or decreasing its production, some medications may subside the duration and limit the consequences of HE, but there is no complete available treatment for HE-like manifestation. Thus, there is a need to explore new pharmacotherapy for the treatment and management of HE. Flavonoids are polyphenolic compounds easily found in vegetables, fruits, flowers, beverages, and plants based foods. In modern research, flavonoids have gained attention due to their broad pharmacological properties, like anti-oxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, cytoprotective, and neuroprotective activity. Several preclinical studies suggest that various flavonoids have a potential therapeutic role in a variety of metabolic- related neurological disorders, including HE. This review focuses on all pre-clinical reports that highlight the neuroprotective potential of natural flavonoids for the management of HE. Based on numerous pre-clinical studies and taking into account the therapeutic effects of natural flavonoids, the present study illustrates the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the potential role of natural flavonoids as pharmacotherapy for the management and treatment of HE.

Dementia is a brain disorder with progressive neurological disease. It destroys essential brain cells, impairing memory, thinking, and behavior in a severe way to impact health, enduring interests, and social life. Memory, cognition, orientation, learning capacity, language, and judgments gradually get impaired. Dementia results from anatomical and functional abnormalities, cerebral ischemia, energy deficits, calcium excess, glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity, and oxidative stress. Vascular dementia (VaD), which accounts for 10-15% of dementia cases, is the second most frequent form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease (AD). There are currently no approved pharmaceutical treatments for VaD, and traditional anti-AD therapies only offer modest, temporary relief from the symptoms of VaD. Since herbal remedies have a multicomponent and multitarget approach, they may provide effective treatments for VaD. Herbal remedies have been used for centuries to address dementia-like symptoms. This author describes some preliminary research that supports using herbal drugs in managing vascular dementia and dementia.