Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry - Volume 3, Issue 2, 2003

Jalap, a pre-Hispanic herbal remedy still considered a useful laxative, is an ingredient in some over-the-counter products sold by herbalists in contemporary Mexico. The purgative crude drugs are prepared from the roots of several morning glories species which all have been identified as members of the Ipomoea genus (Convolvulaceae). Their incorporation as therapeutical agents into Europe is an outstanding example of Read More

A quantitative ethnobotanical approach to antimalarial drug discovery led to the identification of Lansium domesticum Corr. Ser. (Meliaceae) as an important antimalarial used by Kenyah Dyak healers in Indonesian Borneo. Triterpenoid lansiolides with antimalarial activity were isolated from the bark and shown to have activity in both in vitro bioassays with Plasmodium falciparum, and in mice infected with P. berghei. A survey of Read More

Results of various projects on Mexican Indian ethnobotany and some of the subsequent pharmacological and phytochemical studies are summarised focusing both on chemical-pharmacological as well as anthropological (ethnopharmacological) aspects of our research. We have identified taste and smell properties of medicinal (vs. non-medicinal) plants as important indigenous selection criteria. There exist wellde Read More

The plant-derived terpenoids and analogues are reviewed with respect to their anti-HIV activity, structure-activity relationships, and mechanism of action. The active compounds include diterpenoid lactones, phenolic diterpenes, atisane and kaurane diterpenes, phorbol diterpenes, triterpene glycosides, friedelane triterpenes, taraxerane triterpenes, ursane triterpenes, lanostane triterpene, lupane triterpenes, seco-ring A triter Read More

Natural products research has lately undergone exponential growth owing to advances in isolation techniques and in synthetic methods design, as well as for the identification of a wide range of biological properties exhibited by these compounds. In the present review, general remarks on the chemical features, biosynthetic pathways, isolation and structure elucidation of terpenoids are briefly discussed. In addition to this, rece Read More

Although St. John's wort has been known for thousands of years and has been used for a variety of medicinal purposes, understanding of its activity and mechanisms of action is relatively new and not well understood. While researchers originally thought the naphthodianthrone hypericin was responsible for Hypericum's antidepressant activity, it is now believed some other compound or a combination of constituents exerts the Read More

The seeds of Alpinia blepharocalyx K. Schum. (Zingiberaceae) is used in Chinese traditional medicine for the treatment of stomach disorders. From the ether fraction of a 95% ethanolic extract, which showed hepatoprotective and antiproliferative activities, we isolated 16 novel diarylheptanoids bearing a chalcone or a flavanone moiety [calyxins A-H, epicalyxins B-D, G, and H, 6-hydroxycalyxin F, and blepharocalyxins A and B] to Read More

Every country has its own traditional medicine system originated from ancient times. Vietnam, a Southeast Asian country, has a unique traditional medicine system. Several medicinal plants are still used by different ethnic societies of Vietnam for treating several diseases due to their easy availability. Combretum quadrangulare, Panax vietnamensis (Vietnamese Ginseng), Dracaena angustifolia (Nam Ginseng) and Orthosiph Read More