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Achyrocline satureoides is a medium-sized South American indigenous herb, commonly known as "Marcela" or "Macela". The infusion obtained from inflorescences of this plant is widely used in Brazilian folk medicine as an antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycemic, and hypocholesterolemic, mainly to treat gastrointestinal disorders such as gastric ulcers and dyspepsia. However, the antiulcer properties of this species have not yet been fully studied.This study was conducted to evaluate and contribute to validating the antiulcer activity of hydroalcoholic extract of inflorescences of Achyrocline satureoides.The antiulcer assays were performed using the ethanol-induced ulcer, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced ulcer protocols. Gastric secretion parameters were also evaluated (volume, pH and total acidity) by the pylorus ligated model, and the mucus in the gastric content was determined.In the ethanol-induced ulcer model, it was observed that the treatment with Achyrocline satureoides extract significantly reduced the lesion index by 75.1+/-8.6, 85.0+/-9.2, 86.6+/-7.4 and 75.5+/-5.3 for the groups treated with 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg of extract of inflorescences of Achyrocline satureoides and the positive control (omeprazole 30 mg/kg), respectively. Significant inhibition was also observed in the lesion index in the indomethacin-induced ulcer model, with decreases of 62.5+/-7.1, 62.5+/-6.1, 63.6+/-5.5 and 96.2+/-3.6 for the groups treated with 100, 250 and 500 mg/kg of extract and the positive control (cimetidine 100 mg/kg), respectively. The parameters of gastric secretion (pH, volume, [H(+)]) showed no alteration in the different doses of the treatment. On the other hand the treatment with the hydroalcoholic extract of Achyrocline satureoides (100, 250 and 500 mg/kg), significantly increased mucus production (p0.01), when compared with the groups treated with indomethacin (100 mg/kg), cimetidine (100 mg/kg) and negative control (vehicle). No signs of toxicity was observed in the acute toxicity study.The results of the present study show that hydroalcoholic extract of Achyrocline satureoides displays antiulcer activity, as demonstrated by the significant inhibition of the formation of ulcers induced using different models. However, this activity appears not be related to the antisecretor mechanisms. Moreover, this work suggests that preparations obtained from Achyrocline satureoides could be used for the development of new phytotherapic drugs for the treatment of gastric ulcer.

Background Headache has been recognized since antiquity. From the late nineteenth to the early to mid-twentieth century, Italian folk remedies to treat headache were documented in a vast corpus of literature sources. Aim The purpose of this paper is to bring to light the plant-based treatments utilized by Italian folk medicine to heal headache in an attempt to discuss these remedies from a modern pharmacological point of view. Moreover, we compare the medical applications described by Hippocrates, Pliny the Elder, Dioscorides, Galen and Serenus Sammonicus with those utilized by Italian folk medicine to check if they result from a sort of continuity of use by over two thousand years. Results A detailed search of the scientific data banks such as Medline and Scopus was undertaken to uncover recent results concerning the anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive and analgesic activities of the plants. Fifty-eight (78.4%) plant-based remedies have shown in vivo, in vitro or in human trials a large spectrum of anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive and analgesic activities. Moreover, thirty-one of remedies (41.9%) were already included in the pharmacopoeia between the 5th century BC and the 2nd century AD. Conclusion Italian folk medicine could be a promising source of knowledge and could provide evidences for active principles that have not as of yet been fully used for their potential.

A comprehensive ethnobotanical study was conducted in Acipayam, situated in the western part of Turkey. This paper includes details of plants used in folk medicine and ethnopharmacological information obtained during this study. The aim of the authors was to collect and identify plants used by local people for therapeutic purposes and to present information about traditional herbal medicine. Plant specimens collected during field‐work form the subject of this investigation. Information was obtained by means of open and semi-structured interviews with local people. In addition, cultural importance index (CI) and use report (UR) values were calculated. Ninety-one taxa of plants used in folk medicine and belonging to 38 families were identified in this study. Of these, 82 species were wild, and 9 species were cultivated. The most common families were Lamiaceae (18.7%), Asteraceae (14.3%) and Rosaceae (6.6%). Consequently, 191 medicinal uses (remedies) of 91 taxa were recorded. According to the use reports (UR), the most important medicinal plants were Cydonia oblonga (99 UR), Juniperus oxycedrus subsp. oxycedrus (99 UR), Pinus brutia (98 UR), Hypericum perforatum (90 UR), Viscum album subsp. austriacum (82 UR) and Salvia tomentosa (80 UR). Infusion (38.2%) was the most common preparation method used within the research area. The ethnomedicinal capabilities of eight species (Amelanchier parviflora var. dentata, Echinops viscosus subsp. bithynicus, Onopordum sibthorpianum, Origanum hypericifolium, Quercus trojana, Salvia adenophylla, Sideritis montana. subsp. remota and Tamarix smyrnensis) have been recorded for the first time in Turkey.

The manufacturing sector was an early promoter of CO2 mitigation and low-carbon development strategies in many countries. The basic unit for these development strategies is enterprises. In order to quantify their performance on resource saving and emission reduction, this study proposed a carbon flow analysis (CFA) approach based on substance flow analysis (SFA). Four special evaluation indicators including the percentage of carbon stored in the product (RC-P), the percentage of carbon as CO2 ( R C - C O 2 ), the percentage of carbon in solid waste (RC-SW), and the percentage of carbon in COD (RC-COD) were developed. A case study was conducted in an herbal medicine plant, which consumes huge amounts of fossil fuel and discharges 255 tons of biomass waste per year. Cleaner production (CP) technologies were introduced to achieve low-carbon transformation and the CFA approach was used to evaluate the effectiveness. After implementing CP technologies, RC-P was 4.23%, 1.65 times higher than before, meaning that the carbon utilization efficiency of the firm increased by 65%. The R C - C O 2 was 62.70%, meaning that an 11.13% reduction was obtained. The RC-SW increased by 23.05%, and the absolute amount of carbon in solid waste was reduced by 45.35 tons. If the whole Chinese herbal medicine industry implemented this CP technology integration, it would save 914,622 tce of fossil fuels, reduce herb residue discharge by 1.14 million tons and reduce CO2 emissions by 1.72 million tons per year. This research provided a model and an effective assessment tool for low-carbon transformation of industries that produce large amounts of biomass waste.

Objective We present the case of a 52-year-old patient, 108 kg, admitted to the Emergency Department (ED) of New Caledonia Hospital Center in August 2018 for confusional syndrome and major agitation requiring the establishment of an important chemical restraint. Case history In terms of medical history, the patient, a bricklayer with chronic cough in a context of diffuse interstitial pneumonitis related to chronic cement inhalation treated with long-term oxygen therapy and an association of micophenolate mofetil and prednisone, presented a month earlier a respiratory decompensation of infectious origin. On the morning of his new admission, he was perfectly fine. Then, he progressively presented coughing fits as well as neurological disorders. Medical examination in ED found tachycardia with heart rate = 92, confusional state associated with non-reactive bilateral mydriasis, language disorder, obsession and severe agitation, no fever. A mucocutaneous dryness was also noted. Blood and CSF biological investigations, cerebral CT with injection performed under midazolam sedation, revealed no abnormality. Patient was transferred to ICU for further sedation in front of persistent agitation, despite cyamemazine, haloperidol and clorazepate administrations. EEG found well-organised activity without seizure or paroxysm. From the interview with the family, it finally emerged that, if the patient did not consume any intoxicant, he was treated in addition to his immunosuppressive treatment with Lercanidipine, Esomeprazole, Allopurinol and Amitryptiline. Furthermore, he has been self-medicating for a week by plant decoctions for an episode of ichthyosarcotoxism of the ciguatera type. In front of the characteristic symptomatology of an anticholinergic syndrome, a poisoning by plants of the genus Datura or Brugmensia was considered. Methods Blood and urine samples were taken 4 h after the appearance of the disorders for toxicological analysis using LC-UV-DAD (Acquity® Waters® system) and LC-MS/MS (Alliance® and QuatroMicro® Waters® system). Results LC-UV-DAD urine analysis showed the presence of scopolamine and signed an acute intoxication by a probable tropical datura. Quantification, performed a posteriori by LC-MS/MS, confirmed the intoxication. Atropine concentrations were: undetected and 6.2 ng/mL in blood and urine, respectively; scopolamine concentrations were: 1.6 ng/mL and 643 ng/mL in blood and urine, respectively. Taking into account an elimination half-life of scopolamine between 1 h and 3 h, these concentrations are compatible with the clinical signs observed. It is likely that the patient has mistaken the leaves of “octopus bush” (Heliotropium foertherianum, Boraginaceae), a reputed traditional medicine plant to treat ciguatera fish poisoning, with leaves of a Brugmensia spp (Solanaceae). Conclusions Given the heavy medical history of this patient, the questioning of his entourage has been crucial in the rapid orientation of the investigations in search of poisoning by plant and, taking into account the toxidrome presented in a tropical context, to look more specifically for the presence of scopolamine in the patient's urine. Subsequently, evolution was gradually favourable with normal neurological examination and hospital discharge at day 7.