Current Traditional Medicine - Volume 9, Issue 5, 2023

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), named by WHO, is a real public health disaster of the third millennium. This highly contagious viral disease has infected the world population and is now a global pandemic. This acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has severe complications like pneumonitis, respiratory failure, shock, multiorgan failure, and death. Well-defined FDAapproved synthetic is not yet available. Case management strategies like lockdown, use of masks and sanitizers, social distancing, and repurposing of antiviral drugs were initially undertaken to cope with this pandemic. Different broad-spectrum antiviral drugs are being repurposed as one of the treatment modalities. The global vaccination programme with the newly launched COVID-19 vaccines, Covishield, covaxin, sputnik V, etc., is an ongoing process. Simultaneously, significant research is being carried out in search of natural antivirals and evaluating the potency of food bioactives to aid naturistic protection against the coronavirus. This mini-review has compiled the latest updates on the screening and evidence-based mechanistic evaluation of phytochemicals and food bioactives as non-pharmacological adjuvant aid in COVID pandemics.

Background: Honey has been used medicinally in folk medicine since the dawn of civilization. It is a necessary component of medicine and food in a wide variety of cultures. It has been used in Unani Medicine for centuries to treat a variety of ailments. Objective: This review article aims to explore the medicinal characteristics of honey in view of Unani and modern concepts, highlight its potential in the treatment of the ailments stated in Unani medical literature, and also explore the relevant evidence-based phytochemistry, pharmacological, and clinical data. Methods: The authors searched classical texts exhaustively for information on the temperament (MizĦ#129;j), pharmacological activities, mechanism of action, and therapeutic benefits of honey. Additionally, a comprehensive search of internet databases was conducted to compile all available information on the physicochemical, phytochemical, and pharmacological properties of this compound. Results: Evidence suggests that honey contains about 180 different types of various compounds, including carbohydrates, proteins, enzymes, flavonoids, and other chemical substances. In Unani classical literature, it exerts important pharmacological actions besides its immense nutritional significance. Unani physicians advocated many tested/experimented prescriptions and formulations, which still have their relevance in the amelioration of various diseases. Conclusion: This analysis concludes that honey has been successfully utilized in Unani medicine for centuries to treat a variety of maladies and is a potential natural source of remedy for a variety of medical disorders. Future research on honey should include a combination of Unani and modern principles.

Background and Objective: In the pharmaceutical era, nanoscience and nanotechnology have been revolutionary as substantial and scientific growth with the development of several innovative nanocarriers to amplify the therapeutic worth. In particular, the invention of nanomedicine is impetuous to developing nanocarriers, enabling the phytoconstituents to encapsulate within the smart carrier to boost nanotherapeutics. Thus, herbal drugs molded-in novel nanocarriers have been extensively investigated as they are the most promising drug delivery system. Herbal-based polymeric nanoparticles are the most prominent and emerging polymeric nanocarrier that have gained much research attention in the field of novel drug delivery systems. Methods: In herbal drug delivery technologies, the advancement of phytopharmacological science has led to the elucidation of the composition of phytoconstituents and their biological activities. By fabricating herbal medicaments in nano-size-form, there are considerable chances to circumvent poor bioavailability, in vivo degradation and toxicity, uneven drug distribution, intestinal absorption, and nonspecific site of action. The combinatorial strategy of employing both herbal drugs and nanotechnology enables potentiation of the therapeutics, reducing the required dose and unwanted toxic effects. The herbal nanosystem has the potential to convey the active constituents in a controlled manner to the targeted site with greater therapeutic value compared to the conventional system. In this current manuscript, sterling efforts were made to gather information from the existing original research papers using databases viz., Google Scholar, Pubmed, Embase, Scopus, Baidu, Web of Science, etc. Furthermore, painstaking efforts were made to compile and update potential pharmaceutical and cosmeceutical applications of herbal-based polymeric nanoparticles in the form of tables. This article portrays a comprehensive recent finding that formulation scientists are working on novel herbal nanocarriers to pave the way for future research in the field of pharmaceutical nanotechnology. Conclusion: The herbal extracts encapsulated within the nanocapsule or nanosphere are an effective and emerging way for the herbal drug delivery to the intended site of action with pronounced therapeutic worth. Therefore, extensive scientific research is still being carried out in the field of herbal drug technology, which offers several positive aspects to impart the phytoconstituents to the intended sites and is a considerably promising herbal drug delivery system for controlled drug delivery and targeting.

Background: Angelica dahurica Radix and Osterici Radix are perennial herbs belonging to the family Umbelliferae, which are attacked by red spiders; thus, fenpropathrin has been registered to save them from this attack. Fenpropathrin is important in improving the productivity and quality of medicinal herbs due to timely pest control. However, residue may likely remain after harvest, and therefore, the residue analysis is important to ensure pesticides’ safety management. Objective: This study aimed to establish an analysis method for fenpropathrin residues in A. dahurica Radix and O. Radix using GLC-ECD and GC-MS/MS. Methods: Samples were moisturized with distilled water and extracted with acetonitrile. The interferences were removed using SPE cartridges and analyzed by GLC-ECD and GC-MS/MS. Results: Based on pre-experiment results, the analysis method was optimized using the doublecleanup method (SPE-GCB/NH2 and SPE silica cartridges). Fenpropathrin peak was confirmed by GC-MS at the same retention time and with its mass numbers. Nevertheless, the cleanup processes are laborious and require a rather long time. Thus, an additional effortless analysis method was developed using the d-SPE method that can apply to highly selective and sensitive GC-MS/MS techniques. The LOD of GC-ECD and GC-MS/MS was 0.1 and 0.01 ng, respectively. While the LOQ was 0.04 mg/kg for both. Linearity (r2) was > 0.998 (GLC-ECD) and 0.999 (GC-MS/MS). The recoveries at three spiking levels ranged from 83.6-103.1% and 89.6-98.0% for A. dahurica Radix and O. Radix, respectively. Conclusion: The accuracy of the improved method met the standard of the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Therefore, the developed methods are expected to be used for analyzing pesticide residues in herbal medicines in Korea and other countries.

Background: Metal pollutants such as Cadmium are known as carcinogenic agents and correlated with metastatic potential and tumor aggressiveness. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are taken into account as the focal points of metastasis. Crocin, a carotenoid chemical compound in Saffron, has been proved to have anti-cancerous properties. However, there is no reliable evidence yet to prove its anti-metastatic activity. Objective: The evaluation of the protective effect of Crocin against Cadmium through monitoring the expression of MMP genes. Materials and Methods: The in-silico analysis based on the GEO database was done for purposefully choosing MMPs. In the wet lab step, after 8 weeks of treatment of the animal (40 female Wistar rats divided into four groups of 10) with Cadmium, Crocin, complex (Cadmium+Crocin) and placebo (control), RNA extraction followed by cDNA synthesizing was done from rats’ liver tissues. Using primers for MMP genes (MMP-1, 3, 7, 12 and 13), the relative fold change of gene expression was studied. Ultimately, the statistical analysis determined the difference in gene expression between groups. Results: Cadmium significantly upregulated the selected MMP genes in comparison with controls. In contrast, Crocin significantly downregulated the expression of all studied MMP genes. Complex administration of Cadmium and Crocin displayed a controlled increase of expression in all MMPs except MMP-1, which was lower than the Cadmium group. Conclusion: These results indicated that the elevation of MMPs expression level by Cadmium was significantly suppressed by Crocin. This could promisingly demonstrate that Crocin possesses a modulating role in inhibiting overexpression of MMPs that might be considered as the antimetastatic agent.

Background: Punarnava is recognized as an essential remedy because it treats a wide range of health problems. It is commonly known as a rejuvenator. Its chemical constituents are all responsible for pharmacological activity in the body in some ways. There is a lot of evidence that the leaves, stems, and roots can be used as medicine. Objective: The morphological, chemical, and pharmacological characteristics of Boerhaavia diffusa are discussed in this article. The purpose of this review is to discuss the pharmacological profile of Punarnava and its chemical elements, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of its steroidal component β-Ecdysone. Methods: This article compiled information by reviewing a variety of published articles and research papers from several sources, including Research Gate, WJPRT, IJPSM, Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, Springer Nature, and The Journal of Ayurveda and Integrated Medicine. Results: It is a widely used remedy for numerous ailments among diverse cultural groups, Ayurvedic, and traditional practitioners. To some extent, it is used in a variety of formulations to treat sciatica, cancer, immunomodulation, obesity, diabetes, jaundice, inflammation, asthma, rheumatism, nephrological difficulties, ascites, anemia, and gynaecological disorders. Conclusion: Herbal medications are becoming increasingly popular nowadays. Punarnava is one of the most beneficial herbs available. More analysis is needed to investigate the impacts of each chemical ingredient in Punarnava. β -Ecdysone is a key component of Punarnava, which is both beneficial and detrimental to humans in different ways. Hence, further research is also needed to emphasize the impacts of each Punarnava chemical ingredient.

Background: In the Unani text, the disease described by the name Quba matches the conventional description of dermatophytosis, commonly referred to as Tinea or Ringworm. Although there is a slight variation in the disease etiology and pathogenesis, the clinical picture and the individual manifestations are by and large the same. This review elaborates on the Unani description of dermatophytosis (Quba) and highlights the relationship between the two entities. Methods: This review article was compiled after surfing thoroughly the available classical Unani literature and published articles in reputed journals. Results: This article comprehensively analyses both Quba and dermatophytosis as per their etiology, pathogenesis, clinical manifestations and management. Dermatophytosis is a superficial fungal infection whereas Quba is identified to be caused by viscid humours (Ghaleez Ratubaat) and morbid matter (Fasid Mawaad). As per the Unani principles of treatment, the disease Quba is treated using purgatives of black bile (Mukhrij Sauda), resolvent (Muhallil), and moderator (Muaddil) drugs along with some physical modalities like Leeching (Irsale Alaq) and Venesection (Fas’d), which is entirely different from the conventional treatment modality which includes the fungistatic and fungicidal antifungal agents for systemic as well as topical use. Conclusion: This article tries to elaborate on various aspects of the disease Quba and dermatophytosis and to establish a correlation between the two terms. It also puts forth a potential alternative to the conventional treatment of dermatophytosis (Quba), provided by the Unani system of medicine.

In this modern era, medicinal plants and their phytoconstituents have received keen attention from researchers due to the various therapeutic implication found in different pharmacological investigations. Among millions of medicinal plants, Gloriosa superba is one of the therapeutically important ornamental climbers that has been traditionally used to cure several diseases such as intestinal worms, skin ailments, and joint pain. Researched data also indicated that the active principle of Gloriosa superba can produce significant therapeutic action by affecting specific pathophysiological targets of various ailments. In the last few years, its Crude extract, isolated active principles, and novel formulations have been claimed for several pharmacological activities such as antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, anticancer, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, antivenom, analgesic, antiarthritic, etc. The outcome of pharmacological research confirmed that this herb might be a source of precious phytochemicals to combat Enigmatic diseases such as cancers, and autoimmune diseases. The present article gathered the detailed pharmacological explorations on Gloriosa superba to contribute to the development of strategies for effective delivery of its Phytoconstituents to cure critical diseases.

Desmodium styracifolium (Osbeck) Merr. is an important traditional medicinal herb documented in the indigenous medicinal systems and used in many folk medicines to treat various ailments. D. styracifolium belongs to the legume family Fabaceae (Leguminosae) and is preferably abundantly found worldwide. The plant possesses various phytochemical and pharmacological activities. Plant’s phytochemical accouter confers significant therapeutic properties and has been used traditionally for treating ailments like pyrexia, stranguria, renal calculi, dysuria, and oliguria. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of scientific findings of D. styracifolium phytoconstituents and their related anti-hypertensive, anti-oxidant, anti-urolithic and hepatoprotective activities in nonclinical in-vitro and in-vivo studies. More than 50 chemical compounds have been reported from D. styracifolium, including flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides, phenols, and phytosterols. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, and ethnomedicinal uses of D. styracifolium, providing scientific evidence for ethnomedicinal claims and opening perspectives for future research.

Background: Medicinal plants and their derived products have been used in the medical field for the treatment of human diseases from a very early age. Phytoproducts, including numerous pure phytoconstituents, have been used for the treatment of human health complications. Coumarin is a pure phytoconstituent of benzopyrone family derivatives. Fraxin is a coumarin glucoside found to be present in the bark of Fraxinus excelsior L. Fraxin has numerous physiological functions in medicine mainly due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, hepatoprotective and analgesic activity. Methods: The present review mainly focuses on the medicinal importance, pharmacological activities and analytical aspects of fraxin. Pharmacological activities of fraxin have been reviewed in the present work through literature data analysis of different scientific research works. Analytical methods developed for the qualitative and quantitative analysis of fraxin in herbal drugs have also been reviewed in the present work through scientific data analysis of different research works. Electronic databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar and Scopus have been searched in the present work in order to collect scientific information on fraxin. Results: Present paper summarized the biological importance, therapeutic benefit and pharmacological activities of fraxin in medicine. Scientific data analysis of different literature work revealed the biological importance and therapeutic benefit of fraxin in medicine. The biological importance of fraxin in medicine was mainly due to its significant effect on acute respiratory distress syndrome, hepatotoxicity, inflammation, oxidative stress, acute kidney injury, osteoarthritis, liver damage and tumor. Further pharmacokinetic data on fraxin were also collected and discussed in the present work to know the plasma drug concentration profile of fraxin. The analytical data of the present paper will be beneficial for the development of newer and effective analytical tools for the quantitative estimation of fraxin in different biological samples. However, scientific experiments on fraxin for their clinical use in medicine should be developed in order to scientifically validate the medicinal uses of fraxin. Conclusion: Present paper will be beneficial to all the scientific people in the biological field to know the therapeutic benefit of fraxin against various forms of human disorders.

Currently, pathogens or some microorganisms that are dangerous to human society cause plenty of diseases. All these diseases are spreading because of the limited available treatment options. Some pathogens species are very dangerous to humankind, particularly viral pathogens. These viral pathogens (viruses) have become resistant and immune to many of the medications, thus requiring more and more drug molecules or treatments to be discovered. Many new drugs or treatments are discovered and under clinical trials, and many are being tested. Presently, researchers are in continuous search of newer drugs or molecules using synthetic chemistry or exploring natural resources. However, synthesizing a drug molecule is time-consuming and requires more workforce and much more costly equipment. To tackle this challenge, the use of computational approaches provided complementary information that may also help in the discovery of new molecules. Recently, the fragment molecular orbit based density-functional tight-binding method (DFTB) of drug discovery of drug-like lead is rapid and accurate as compared to conventional computational approaches. Natural resources from land and water can become a choice as an alternative option to discover new entities. The marine environment provides us with a broad spectrum of chemically diverse antiviral compounds isolated from many marine organisms such as bacteria, fungi, sponges, algae, etc. Now, the natural marine molecule as an antiviral agent harrows a new way to modern medicine.

Background: The use of herbal and combined herbal and conventional treatments in people with chronic diseases, such as hypertension, is important. The aim of the present study was to assess national trends in using traditional medicines for the treatment of hypertension among adults in Mongolia from four cross-sectional surveys in 2005, 2009, 2013 and 2019. Methods: Cross-sectional data were analysed from 5,657 persons (15-64 years) of known hypertensives that participated in 2005, 2009, 2013 or 2019 Mongolia STEPS surveys. Those who knew their hypertension status were asked about the past two weeks of intake of any drug (medication) for increased blood pressure prescribed by a doctor or other health worker and the current intake of any herbal or traditional remedy for elevated blood pressure. Logistic regression was employed to assess the associations between sociodemographic and comorbid factors and herbal use and concurrent herbal and conventional treatment. Results: The prevalence of known hypertensives slightly increased from 19.0% in 2005 to 23.7% in 2019. The prevalence of current conventional treatment for hypertension among known hypertensives significantly decreased from 74.5% in 2005 to 40.1% in 2019. The proportion of current herbal treatment for hypertension among known hypertensives was overall 6.3% and decreased significantly from 11.7% in 2005 to 9.0% in 2019. The prevalence of current herbal and conventional treatment for hypertension among known hypertensives was overall 4.4% and significantly decreased from 9.9% in 2005 to 6.0% in 2019. In the 2005 survey, the prevalence of herbal use was significantly higher among those with 12 or more years of education (p<0.01) and urban residence (p<0.001), while in the study years 2009, 2013 and 2019, no significant differences were found in terms of educational level and residence status and prevalence of herbal use. In adjusted logistic regression analysis, inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption decreased the odds and older age increased the odds of herbal use and/or concurrent herbal and conventional treatment for hypertension among hypertensives. Conclusion: The prevalence of herbal and/or conventional treatment of hypertension among hypertensives has decreased among Mongolian adults over a 15-year period. Considering significant levels of herbal treatment in combination with conventional treatment for hypertension, negative drugherb effects can be expected, and appropriate actions of health systems may be needed.

Background: Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Simaroubaceae) root extracts and Persicaria minor Huds. (Polygonaceae) leaf extracts are known to exhibit antioxidant activity, while their antihyperuricemic effects remain unclear. Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the anti-hyperuricemic activity of Biokesum® (extract of P. minor) and Physta® (extract of E. longifolia). Methods: In vitro anti-hyperuricemic activity for Biokesum® and Physta® was measured by xanthine oxidase inhibition based on a biochemical enzymatic assay at concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 μg/mL. In vivo anti-hyperuricemic activity was assessed in potassium oxonate-induced hyperuricemia Sprague-Dawley rat model. Biokesum® at doses of 100, 300, and 500 mg/kg and Physta® at doses of 300 and 500 mg/kg were administered for 7 days to the hyperuricemic rats. Serum uric acid was measured on days 0, 1, 3, and 7, and liver xanthine oxidase activity was measured on day 8. Allopurinol was used as positive control in both in vitro and in vivo investigations. Results: Based on xanthine oxidase biochemical enzymatic assay, IC50 of Biokesum® and Physta® were 88.6 μg/mL and > 100 μg/mL respectively. In hyperuricemic rats, Biokesum® and Physta® significantly reduced the serum uric acid by 5.6% and 5.5% respectively at 300 mg/kg (p < 0.05) and 9.8% and 9.0% respectively at 500mg/kg (p < 0.001) compared to untreated rats. Significant liver xanthine oxidase inhibition at 37.5% and 34.1% were observed in rats treated with Biokesum® and Physta® respectively. Conclusion: The study has demonstrated hyperuricemic activity of Biokesum® and Physta®, clinical studies in hyperuricemia-related diseases population are required to further confirm the activity.

Background: Limnophila rugosa (Scrophulariaceae) is an aquatic and perennial herb that finds its natural habitats in ponds, rivers, lakes as well as marshy lands of India. The traditional practitioners of Bolangir and Bargarh District of Odisha use this plant as a source of Bhringaraj. Therapeutically, it is used as diuretic, stomachic, digestive tonic and as a hair perfume, treatment of elephantiasis, diarrhoea, dysentery, dyspepsia and urinary burning. Objective: The present study was focused to provide the information regarding its traditional uses, compounds identified from different parts and essential oil; and the pharmacological activities of the reported compounds, which will bring the scope for future research. Methods: Extensive literature survey was carried out up to 2021 in Google scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Springer, Taylor and Francis using keywords pharmacognostical, phytochemical and pharmacological aspect of L. rugosa. Results: The study revealed diverse chemical compounds; flavonoids, terpenoids, amino acids, alcohol, phenol, aldehyde, ketone, carboxylic acid and ether. 5,7-Dihydroxy-6,8,4'- trimethoxyflavone (Nevadensin), 5-Hydroxy-6,7,4'-trimethoxyflavone (Salvigenin), Betulin, betulinic acid, caryophyllene, cis-anethole, methylchavicol were found as major compounds. Pharmacological activities such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and hypotensive were reported. The identified compounds exhibited several pharmacological activities, including antibacterial, antimicrobial, antifungal, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antioxidant, anti-tubercular, anti-tumour, anti-cancer, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, antiulcer, antidiabetic, antinociceptive, antimalarial, antiviral, anti-hyperlipidaemic, anti-HIV, insecticidal, herbicidal, antifeedant, anti-coagulant, gastro-protective, antihelmintic. Conclusion: As, most of the compounds exhibited significant antimicrobial, antibacterial and antifungal activity so, a novel dosage form can be prepared from the essential oil of L. rugosa for antimicrobial activity.

The prevalence of plant-based medicine has risen worldwide, not only as part of conventional treatment but also for health care management. The authenticity and quality of herbal medicines impact these medications' safety and effectiveness in clinical treatment. So, it is necessary to identify the chemical composition and quality of pharmacologically active ingredients in the plants as there is no pertinent data regarding the exact dose of the Herbal based medicine. Similarly, the Indian system of Medicine (ISM) based products may vary in composition and properties, and increasing reports of adverse reactions have drawn the attention of many regulatory agencies for the quality evaluation of traditional formulations. Moreover, ISM's quality control has always been an important domain, and its current quality standards have a complex effect to assure clinical efficacy. The Quality marker (Q-marker) technique is a new approach in Chinese traditional medicines to enhance and empower Chinese herbal drugs by focusing on each step of the plant processing from its growing phases to the marketed product formulation. The present review highlights the application of Q-marker and its tools for the establishment of quality standards of herbal drugs. Besides, this work also highlighted complies few Q-marker-based traditional Chinese medicines case studies. We expect that it would benefit the manufacturing process control and quality management of the Indian system of medicine. This work could provide a new direction for Q marker in the Indian system of medicine and contribute in the modernization and globalization of the Indian system of Medicine.