Natural Products Journal, The - Volume 15, Issue 1, 2025

Cornsilk has been a natural remedy for centuries to treat various medical conditions. Recent research shows the anti-inflammatory activities of cornsilk extract, which can help relieve pain. Certain biopeptides are involved in the induction of anti-inflammatory action in the administration of cornsilk extract. The analgesic activity of cornsilk is due to the presence of tannins and polyphenolic constituents in Zea mays. Besides maysin, many other factors, such as steroids, flavonoids, volatile oils, and various phenolic compounds, make cornsilk extract a modern anti-inflammatory and analgesic drug with minor side effects. In diverse cultures and folk medicines, cornsilk is used for its diuretic properties, reduction in melanin production properties, and antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic properties. Silver nanoparticles using a combined extract of cornsilk, parsley, and Arabic gum extract have been reported to reduce inflammation. These effects have been observed 
in vivo. This formulation has anti-microbial as well as antioxidant properties. This review article focuses on the newer aspects of the medicinal value of cornsilk.

Inflammation is a complex biological process that plays an important role in many clinical disorders. The natural plant and its secondary metabolites play an important role in the prevention and treatment of inflammation. Taraxerol is a pentacyclic triterpenoid found in medicinal plants, fruits, and vegetables, and is a potent anti-inflammatory agent. This review explains the molecular mechanism of the anti-inflammatory effects of taraxerol and its interactions with many molecular targets, including NF-κB, MAPKs, and COX. Furthermore, the effects of taraxerol on oxidative stress, cell function, and inflammatory cell signaling have been comprehensively described. This review addresses the limitations and obstacles in taraxerol research, as well as provides insights for future investigations. The findings highlight the need for additional research to completely understand the therapeutic potential and clinical applications of taraxerol in the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

Herbal phytochemicals as secondary metabolites are present in herbal medicines. Herbal medicines can be used to treat a wide range of illnesses and diseases. The Novel herbal drug delivery system approach includes transfersomes, ethosomes, microspheres, phytosomes, liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, and nanocapsules. The novel herbal drug delivery systems have several benefits over conventional herbal remedies. Herbal medicines are less expensive and have fewer serious side effects than generic medications. The novel herbal drug delivery systems have several benefits over conventional herbal remedies. These include improved solubility and bioavailability, protection from side effects, improved pharmacological action, increased stability, better delivery to tissue macrophages, consistent delivery, and defense against active ingredients' physical and chemical breakdown. There is a need for a novel method of active components of drugs to apply on target organs or sites of the human body to avoid repeated administration of dosage forms and enhance patient adherence. Scientists have tried to focus on advanced mechanisms or processes for delivering herbal components into the human body. Novel Herbal Drug Delivery System helps to boost drug efficacy by lessening side effects and enhancing the blood level of the drug. Novel herbal formulations can reduce recurrent administration of medicines and noncompliance of patients.

Epimedium has long been used as an ethnic drug in Asia and Europe for its high medicinal value and health benefits, which is often used for anti-tumor, anti-osteoporosis, sexual dysfunction, and other related diseases. In this research, Epimedium is reviewed in the botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, processing, and quality control to make it better for clinical services. More than 106 compounds, including flavonoids, polysaccharides, alkaloids, lignans, and others, were isolated from Epimedium. Based on multiple chemically active components, Epimedium has a wide range of pharmacological action. Several studies have demonstrated Epimedium has multiple biological activities, including neuroprotective effects, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and antioxidant effects, anti-osteoporosis, anti-cancer, anti-tumor, anti-diabetes, anti-influenza, effects on sexual dysfunction, etc. Recently, the toxicity of Epimedium has been brought into focus, and its hepatotoxicity has been confirmed through animal experiments. Moreover, it is particularly important to control its quality. To date, great progress has been made in the study of Epimedium. This study systematically reviews the achievements of research on Epimedium. Moreover, the shortcomings of the current research on Epimedium were pointed out, and some suggestions were given.

Over the past few decades, researchers have become interested in natural compounds and their potential to prevent and treat diseases. Phenolic monoterpenoids, thymol and carvacrol, are quickly absorbed into the bloodstream through the gastrointestinal tract. Studies conducted in vitro and in vivo have shown that both thymol and carvacrol have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antiapoptotic properties. Research indicates these compounds can easily cross the blood-brain barrier and offer neuroprotective effects. They are both very safe and have no toxicity in therapeutic doses. This review focuses on the neuroprotective effects of thymol and carvacrol and analyzes their impact on the central nervous system, including their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. The report also highlights their potential influence on neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, emotional disorders, and brain and spinal cord ischemia.

Natural products have long garnered the interest of scientific communities as they have proven to be an effective therapeutic resource that paved the path for medicinal research and drug development. Among them, Cordyceps militaris is an entomopathogenic caterpillar fungus with a renowned history of being utilized as a medicinal remedy for centuries in Eastern civilizations. The number of pharmacological functions reported by this specific fungus resulted in continuous efforts to unravel new effective bioactive compounds and their corresponding mechanism of action. As time progresses, computational techniques become the forefront of genomic and proteomic analysis, besides acting as a platform for integrating various up-to-date multidisciplinary data sources. This review briefly introduces Cordyceps militaris alongside the latest known biologically active compounds and their respective therapeutic potential. The need to implement computational applications to cope with the continuous phytochemical evolution of Cordyceps militaris will be illustrated. Moreover, many databases, mathematical algorithms, or sourcing tools that could benefit data visualization, dissemination, and interpretation aligned to fungal-based research are enumerated, in addition to describing some of the broad discoveries relative to Cordyceps militaris in the past. In conclusion, using advanced computational technology may be the foundation to leverage natural product discovery about Cordyceps militaris and contribute to future mass production of this fungus for commercial purposes in the world pharmaceutical industry.

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a long-term metabolic condition that has significant social, health, and economic consequences. There are various forms of diabetes mellitus, but the two most common varieties are type I and type II. Insulin-dependent diabetes (IDDM) is one of the most well-known autoimmune illnesses that cause insulin insufficiency and hyperglycemia by either damaging or destroying Langerhans' beta cells. Available scientific data evidenced the greatest genetic contribution of Human Leukocyte Antigen class II in the IDDM. Hyperglycemia and individual components of the insulin resistance (metabolic) syndrome put people with type II diabetes at increased risk for microvascular consequences (retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy) as well as macrovascular issues (cardiovascular comorbidities). A number of pathophysiological abnormalities, including obesity, poor diet, and physical inactivity, as well as genetic variables, are involved in the disturbed glucose homeostasis associated with type II diabetes. Diseases like lipid abnormalities contribute to the progression of diabetes, whereas obesity and its related medical disorders (such as hypertension, diabetes, insulin resistance, and sleep apnea syndrome) are eventually linked to an elevated cardiovascular risk. Diabetes raises the incidence, intensity, and duration of peri-densities in people with diabetes compared to healthy persons, making it a risk factor for periodontal disease. Diabetes conditions in patients concurrently also increase the progression or risk of other diseases, i.e., cardiovascular-related diseases (hypertension, oxidative stress, hyperlipidemia), nervous system-related diseases, and COVID-19, by increasing the overall infection rate. There is widespread evidence that correlates the direct connection between diabetes and other diseases, including immunity disorders, CVS disorders, etc. This review provides a correlation between diabetes and another disease with an overall impact on the progression of cardiovascular diseases, neurological diseases, COVID-19, and periodontal diseases. This current review focuses on the collation of some plants that show antidiabetic activity, including plant part, family, chemical constituent, mechanism of action, and chemical used for extraction. Studies on the role, causes, clinical management, prevention, and treatment of diabetes heavily rely on epidemiological evidence. This review also explains different factors responsible for diabetes, like genetic factors, environmental factors, and viral infections.