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ABSTRACT Background: Oral mucositis is a common adverse effect of antineoplastic chemotherapy limiting sufficient dose of chemoregimen. Numerous attempts to mitigate chemotherapy-induced oral mucositis have failed to identify an appropriate [...]

ABSTRACT Background: Natural products are one of the most important sources of drugs used in pharmaceutical therapeutics. Screening of several natural products in the search for novel anticancer agents against [...]

It is a great news for the entire scientific community dedicated to natural products that the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2015 was awarded by the Nobel Assembly at [...]

Problem statement: Artemisia Persia (AP) used for its therapeutic effects in folk medicine whiles some species of Artemisia shown a hypotensive effect. To determine the cardiovascular effect of AP, we tested the pharmacological responses of aqueous and methanolic extracts of AP on blood pressure (BP) and Heart Rate (HR) of normotensive and ephedrine induced hypertensive rats using a tail-cuff computerized registering device. Approach: Hypertension was produced by single dose of sephedrine (40 mg [kg.sup.-1] [IM.sup.-1]) to raise BP 20-30 mmHg. Animals were fed with different concentrations of each extracts (300, 400 and 500 mg [kg.sup.-1]) by gavage method. BP and HR were recorded before and during 40 min following aqueous and methanolic extracts administrations in 5 min intervals. Results: The most effective concentration of both extracts to reduced systolic BP of normotensive rats was 400 mg [kg.sup.-1] after 20 min consumption (p Key words: Artemisia persia, blood pressure, heart rate, rat, INTRODUCTION Artemisia is a plant found throughout the world including Iran and used for its therapeutic effects in folk medicine. In Iran it is used as a remedy for digestive [...]

Registration in Europe of several artemisinin drugs for the treatment of malaria can soon be expected. Artemisinin is isolated from the herb Artemisia annua, in use in China more than 2000 years as a herbal tea against fever. Artemisinin drugs are being used extensively in South-East Asia and increasingly in Africa. Active derivatives have been synthesized - artemether, arteether and artesunate - which are used for oral, intramuscular, rectal and intravenous administration. The origin, mechanism of action, efficacy and safety in patients, the pharmacokinetics and the position of this group of compounds among existing antimalarials are discussed in this review.

The article discusses the case of a 52-year-old man in Washington, who took an herbal supplement containing artemisinin and later developed hepatitis after 1 week of consumption of the supplement. The need is to create greater awareness among healthcare providers of the possibility of contracting hepatitis after consumption of such supplements containing artemisinin.

The emergence of parasites resistant to artemisinin at the border between Cambodia and Thailand could undermine global malaria control efforts. WHO said, on 25 February, that a recent shift from [...]