Hot Articles

  • Antimicrobial activity of crude leaf extracts against Enterococcus faecalis

    Enterococcus faecalis is a Gram negative, commensal enteric bacterial pathogen usually located in the intestinal tracts of either animals or human beings. The pathogenic members of enteric bacteria’s are usually associated to infections that are characterized by enteric fevers, abdominal pain, and diarrhoea and vomiting. This study aimed at determining the effects of the selected medicinal plants extracts against Clinical isolate of Enterococcus faecalis obtained from Kenyatta University health Centre. Kirby Bauer method was used to determine the antimicrobial activity of the plants extracts against Enterococcus faecalis. All the plant extracts showed antimicrobial activity against Enterococcus faecalis with Tagetes minuta producing the largest average zones of inhibition of 18.67±1.03mm when compared to the other plant extracts. Vernonia lasiopus was more active at low concentrations (MIC 3.9µg/ml; MBC 5.0µg/ml) while Aloe secundiflora was less active (MIC 7.0µg/ml; 9.7µg/ml). Ciprofloxacin (5µg/ml) was used as a positive control producing an average zone of inhibition of 21.67±2.66mm while Methanol (33.50±2.56mm) and 4% Dimethyl sulphoxide (0.00±0.00mm) were used as negative control. Qualitative phytochemical screening showed the presence of four phytochemicals namely; saponins, tannins, alkaloids and flavonoids. The study provides insight about the antimicrobial activity of the plant extracts and if they can be used in treatment of as an antimicrobial agent against infections caused by Enterococcus faecalis.

  • Diana’s Diary. A Case-Study of Hypnotherapy

    This case-study accounts on a 25 year’s old woman’s serious suffering and recovery due to successful hypnotherapy conducted by the author. Diana, the patient was a salesgirl in a little store. She was inflicted numerous stab-wounds with culpable homicide, and her life depended on few seconds only. After having had a chest surgery she was gradually becoming anxious while reliving her trauma again and again, and she became ill suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and she had to take antidepressant and anxiolytic drugs. Her Jungian type of psychotherapy including hypnotic sessions with Guiding Spirit Method divided into two periods. In the course of the first period longing for a year she was relieving from anxious attacks and intrusive traumatic images as characterized by PTSD, and she has become balanced mentally. Although, she had been quite well after the first period of therapy, a new serious problem came to light since she aborted twice, and she was unable to be pregnant again. Then, the second period of therapy started for her request, and ended when she became pregnant again, and she had a newborn baby, later. This study is divided into two parts. In the first part the patient will be the leading character, whose subjective report serves as a basis of the case-study. In doing so an intimacy of the report is felt as it is told in Diana’s voice written in her diary. The therapist’s interpretation upon the therapeutic process can be read in the second part. The patient made reports based on her own experiences and gave her written consent for publication. The client’s name mentioned in this paper is fictional and non-identifiable.

  • Insecticidal Efficacy of Plumeria Species Leaf Extract on Two Economically Important Insects Populations: Mosquito (Anopheles) and Bean Weevils (Callosobruchus Maculatus)

    Insecticidal efficacy of two Plumeria species (P. rubra and P. obtusa) foliar extracts was tested on mosquito and beans weevil populations. The extent of efficacy was analysed using linear regression model. The aim was to determine if the plant, as a safer biological control method, could possibly solve the problem of increasing populations of these insects implicated in malaria ailment and food shortages respectively. Completely randomized experimental designs were set up with 4 interaction effects. Each treatment had 5 levels of concentration applied on the test organism and replicated 4 times. Number of dead organisms was recorded at a constant time interval. Percentage mortality was computed at 48hrs. Correlation coefficient R and Coefficient of determination R2 were computed. Equations connecting the dependent variable (mortality) and independent variable (extract concentration) were formulated with corresponding t-values at 95% confidence interval. Residual statistics was also computed. Explanatory power of the extract-mortality model was depicted by analysis of variance. Reliability Statistics of the overall result was tested using the Cronbach’s Alpha. As a result, P. obtusa yielded mosquito mortality rate of 86.2% while P. rubra was 88.75%. P. obtusa and P. rubra accounted for 90% and 95% weevil mortality respectively. Correlation coefficients were very high (Plumeria–mosquito =0.970; Plumeria-weevil =0.968) yielding high coefficients of determination R2 (94% and 93.7% respectively). The two linear regression equations thus allows for accurate predictability of the mortality rate of the insects with 95% confidence limit. Mosquito mortality rate= -7.812 + 38.875 x (Extract concentration). Weevil mortality rate=-4.875 + 39.250 x (Extract concentration). The explanatory power of the two models is significantly high (p

  • Popularization of traditional and complementary medicine: Urging voluminous effort driving towards scientific evaluation of safety and efficacy

    Traditional medicines are widely used in developing countries with fast gaining popularity all over the world. Traditional medicine practices has long historical background that passes on from generation to generation. The quantity and quality, safety and efficacy of traditional medicine has became a worldwide concern emphasizing the need to develop harmonized international standards. The global market for herbal remedies is about $83 billion and growing at 10 to 20 percent yearly with the top global players like Germany, Asia, Japan, Europe and North America. Traditional therapies have a popular perception lower adverse effects rate as consumers perceive that natural sourced products are less likely to cause problems. The common causes of herbal product related adverse reaction occurrence are use toxic herbs, overdose, drug–herb interactions and idiosyncratic reactions. Herbal are mostly used over the counter without knowledge or advice of practitioner rising safety concern. Quality issues of traditional products are due to improper processing, adulteration, misidentification, missing of one or more herbs in a product, substitution, inclusion of prescription drugs, contamination and variability in active ingredient. Scientific study to assess safety and efficacy, composition, dosage form requirements are need of the time. Regulations governing the safety, quality and efficacy of traditional and complementary therapies vary widely from country to country and many countries do not have formal system for traditional and complementary medicine registration. Implementation of good manufacturing practice in cultivation, harvesting and processing along with chromatographic fingerprinting will greatly contribute to quality control of traditional medicines. Rigorous research is required for preclinical safety-efficacy, toxicology and clinical trials of traditional and complementary medicine. Boosting research with availability of funds are a major issue. Credibility of traditional and complementary will depend on development of evidence base approval system by encouraging spontaneous reporting, implementing active pharmacovigilance and clinical safety monitoring system.

  • Study on Vegetative Propagation using bulbs of Wild onion [Urginea indica (Roxb.) Kunth] in Herbal Garden for Ex-situ conservation

    Plants are showing variable tendency in their morphological structure and also in their habit, habitat and presence in nature. These are also performing a major role in construction of biodiversity in certain ecological areas. Fr seasonal appearances in nature plants are showing diversity in their propagation rate and modes. Seeds are important structure developed after fertilization in plants but the plants which does not includes seeds in their life are well potent to propagate using their vegetative parts and/or by the modified structures like bulb, tuber, rhizome etc. Wild onion [Urginea indica (Roxb.) Kunth] includes bulbs inside of soil which after maturation produces many small bulbs. These adventitious buds are separated from mother bulb carefully without damage the bulbs and are used as a plant source to develop new individuals of this plant. The current experiment was done in prepared poly bags (filled with soil, sand and manure mixture equally) followed by the proper supply of the water. During of the experimentation necessary facilities provided as per need of the developing bulbs to convert in to new plant. Above rapid propagation was made in herbal garden aimed for its propagation as well as for ex-situ conservation.

  • Evaluation of ameliorative potential of isolated flavonol fractions from Thuja occidentalis in lung cancer cells and in Benzo(a)pyrene induced lung toxicity in mice

    Relative anticancer potentials of six flavonol fractions (F1-F6) isolated from Thuja occidentalis extract were first evaluated against lung cancer cells A549 in vitro, and fraction- F4 showing the maximum protective ability, was then tested in mice intoxicated with Benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), a known carcinogen with major effect on lung, to learn if this could also have ameliorative action against lung toxicity and tissue damage in mice in vivo. Chemical nature of F1-F6 fractions was confirmed with specific flavonol confirmatory test and mass spectral analysis; all fractions were tested for their possible anticancer effects against A549 cells. Results suggested that fraction 4 (F4) had the strongest anticancer effect. When treated to BaP intoxicated mice, F4 induced recovery of damaged lung tissue, presumably through inhibition of ROS generation, and enhanced production of major antioxidant molecules, that in turn blocked PI3K-activated expressions of Akt. Decrease in Bcl2/Bax ratio, over-expression of p53 gene and activation of caspase 3 were observed in tissues of F4 treated mice, further confirming apoptotic cell death as its major target. The F4 fraction of Thuja occidentalis extract showed remarkable apoptotic potential against lung cancer cells and ameliorative ability against BaP induced lung toxicity.

  • The effects of Chinese Herbal Medicine on Blood- Brain Barrier

    The blood-brain barrier (BBB), which can open under both physiology and pathophysiology, is an important diffusion barrier to brain. It can block many componds from blood and protect the brain. BBB is mainly built by cerebral endothelium, tight junctions, adherens junctions, astrocytes, and pericytes and extracellular matrix. Each element plays specific roles to protect the brain. Currently, one of the limitations to treat CNS diseases is that most drugs can not pass through the BBB and can not directly affect the focus of infection. So drugs which could help BBB open would help us to treat CNS diseases. Chinese herbal medicine has been wildly used in China to treat all kinds of diseases, and some of them, like Borneol, Acorus tatarinowii Schott, Moschus, Storax and Benzoin, has notably dual effects on the permeability of the BBB. They can both reduce and increase the the permeability of the BBB. More studies on the effects on Chinese herbal medicine’s effects on BBB may help us out of the limitation that brain drugs can not pass through the BBB.