@article {673, title = {Pharmacognosy Research : The Future Looks Very Promising}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {4}, year = {2012}, month = {december,2011}, pages = {1}, type = {editorial article}, chapter = {1}, abstract = {

From my point of view, 2011 has been a very fruitful year for this journal and the outstanding level of research and advances that have been achieved in the area of pharmacognosy research is very encouraging. I am happy to report that our publication Pharmacognosy Research continues to thrive, in 2011 we had a total of 151 articles submitted comprised of short communications, editorials, letters to the editor and of course original articles. Of the 132 articles submitted during the year just under a third were accepted for publication indicating the high standards of those selected articles that were committed to print. Many research groups have been very helpful in suggesting suitable scientists as reviewers. I would like to thank the promptness and thoroughness of our review panel. Read More ...

}, doi = {10.4103/0974-8490.91026}, author = {Ambrose Furey} } @article {886, title = {Pharmacognosy Research - Indexed on PubMed Central}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {3}, year = {2011}, month = {September 2011}, pages = {149-150}, type = {Editorial}, chapter = {149}, abstract = {

I am delighted to bring you the good news that our journal Pharmacognosy Research is now indexed on PubMed Central (PMC) and on the PubMed list. This is a wonderful achievement and a tribute to the hard work and dedication of all our editorial board members most especially the trojan work of our Managing Editor Prof. Muneen Ahmed KK. Read More ...

}, keywords = {Nil}, doi = {10.4103/0974-8490.84997}, author = {Ambrose Furey} } @article {711, title = {Prophylactic Measures}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {3}, year = {2011}, month = {April 2011}, pages = {1}, type = {Editorial}, chapter = {1}, abstract = {

Prophylactic or disease avoidance approaches feature prominently in the current issue of Pharmacognosy research.


Onasanwo\ et al.\ present a very interesting study on the antiulcerogenic and antioxidant activities of a plant native to tropical Africa called\ Lagenaria breviflora. The authors investigate the effect of plant extracts in rats that have been exposed to a number of typical peptic ulcer inducing agents including aspirin, pyloric ligation and alcohol.

Gastric ulcers have a very high prevalence worldwide. Infection with\ Helicobactor pylori\ infection was once the major cause of gastric ulcer this has recently been superseded by injury caused by aspirin preparations. Patients with peptic ulcers can develop life threatening complications like gastric hemorrhage, perforation and obstruction.\ The work of groups like Onasanwo{\textquoteright}s\ et al.\ affords the possibility of developing a plant-derived antiulcerogenic agent which could be used in conjunction with drugs and compounds known to injure the gastric mucosa or in those carrying the pylori infection, thus reducing or averting the risk of ulcer. Further, such a product could be used to alleviate and reduce the discomfort of those already suffering from peptic ulceration.

Two papers in the current issue also deal with preventative measures against hepatic injury. Lahore and Das are concerned with the hepatoprotective properties of a plant colloquially known in its native India as Holy or Sacred Basil (the name implies that this plant is revered by many) against paracetamol-induced liver injury. Again an\ in vivo\ rat model is used to illustrate the efficacy of the plant extract in reducing the liver damage associated with this common analgesic. Yearly, many patients both young and old are admitted to hospital following deliberate or inadvertent paracetamol overdose most recover but in some cases liver failure can result.\ 

Patients presenting with paracetamol poisoning are usually treated with activated charcoal or with N-acetylcysteine; however, the prognosis for some is poor with liver transplant the only viable option.\ \ In this context we can appreciate the relevance of the work of Lahore and Das.

The second paper in this issue concerned with hepatoprotective plant extracts is by Babu\ et al.\ The authors research both the toxicity and liver protecting properties of a plant called\ Dichrostachys cinerea\ that is found in Southeast Asia, parts of Africa and Australia; a mouse model was used for the investigation. In phase I of the study, mice were dosed with the plant extract to assess its toxicity and in phase II, silymarin was administered concurrently with the plant extract (in controlled studies). The objective was to investigate if the plant extract was effective in protecting the liver from CCl\ 4\ . Results were very encouraging indicating that the extract can indeed protect the liver.

The papers that I have selected this month are very refreshing as they present the possibility of a proactive and logical approach to patient treatment. Many conventional medications are indispensible but induce serious side effects; these research papers offer the potential of developing parallel treatments to reduce the risk of harm to the patient.

}, keywords = {Nil}, doi = {10.4103/0974-8490.79107}, author = {Ambrose Furey} } @article {851, title = {Assessing Bioactivity}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {2}, year = {2010}, month = {September 2010}, pages = {203-204}, type = {Editorial}, chapter = {203}, abstract = {

In this month{\textquoteright}s issue of Pharmacognosy Research, I would like to concentrate on the methodologies that are employed to assess the nature of the bioactivities of plant extracts. In vivo and / or in vitro test models, together with the structural determination of the chief components, are of course the gold standard in determining the active constituents. Despite the development of very rapid and sophisticated analytical techniques, for example, Liquid chromatography (LC) and Gas chromatography (GC) hyphenated with Mass Spectrometry (MS) and elaborate one and two-dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) techniques, the bioassay remains indispensable. In general, bioassays examine the response of a whole animal, an isolated tissue / cell line or an organism, to a given extract (or drug, chemical or pollutant) in order to evaluate the bioactivity or toxicity or both. Paradoxically the difference between a {\textquoteleft}cure{\textquoteright} and a {\textquoteleft}poison{\textquoteright} is quantity. Scientists must be able to determine the activity (biological mechanisms) and the identity of the plant-borne substances in order to extrapolate safe levels, dosage forms, and delivery modes, for human use. Read more...

}, doi = {10.4103/0974-8490.69101}, author = {Ambrose Furey} } @article {809, title = {Looking Backward to Find the Path Forward}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {2}, year = {2010}, month = {July 2010}, pages = {121-124}, type = {Editorial}, chapter = {121}, abstract = {

This month I have the pleasure of having a co-author, Rosari Kingston. Ms. Kingston is the former chair of the Professional Association of Medical Herbalists in Ireland - the Irish Institute of Medical Herbalists. Over the past two decades, Ms. Kingston has sought to develop research for practicing herbalists, so as to provide information about their clinical practice. She is currently carrying out research in the continuity of the Irish herbal tradition through the centuries.

As I did not provide an editorial in last month{\textquoteright}s Pharmacognosy Research, in the current issue I will cast my eye over interesting articles from both the present issue and the previous one. In both issues, I was struck by the very obvious fact of how many countries have utilized their indigenous botanicals for many generations. You may say that they had no alternative, and this is quite true! This has prompted me to consider and examine the parallels between Irish and British {\textquoteright}herbal cures{\textquoteright} and traditional remedies from other regions of the world. Another seemingly obvious fact is that it is only relatively recently, when scientific techniques and technologies became available that we have realized that the use to which the herbs were put in the past were entirely valid and appropriate, and in fact in many instances, had a very sound scientific basis. Read more...

}, doi = {10.4103/0974-8490.65503}, author = {Ambrose Furey and Rosari Kingston} } @article {723, title = {Natural Product Taking its Own Place!!!}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {2}, year = {2010}, month = {March 2010}, pages = {1-3}, type = {Editorial}, chapter = {1}, abstract = {

As researchers we are well aware that plants provide an abundance of compounds, many of which have been shown to be effective in the treatment of ailments for hundreds of years. In the recent past, much work has been undertaken to investigate active compounds in plants traditionally used in herbal medicine, venoms and toxins of animal origin and micro organisms. Researchers have developed in vivo and in vitro models to study bioactivity and have used instrumental means to determine their structure and metabolites. Natural products versus synthetic pharmaceuticals are expanding their market share world wide, even in Western countries like France and Germany. [1] Many {\textquoteright}natural medicine{\textquoteright} practitioners claim that by using natural whole extracts the active ingredient is accompanied by other {\textquoteright}synergistic compounds{\textquoteright}, including related analogues, which influence (enhance or moderate) their therapeutic effect making the action of the active ingredient safer and, thereby, diminishing unpleasant side effects (many of these claims are scientifically unproven). Patients often favor plant (or naturally derived) medications for the treatment of long term chronic diseases, for their perceived long standing efficacy and good safety record (occasionally a mistaken belief, a point that I will return to later). Therefore there is a clear need for chemical characterization of plant-derived materials, scientific rigor, clinical trails and stringent quality control measures. Often, naturally derived and isolated compounds are used by pharmaceutical companies as lead compounds (drug targets) in the development of new synthetic drugs. In 1991, Kinghorn and Balandrin estimated that over half of the world{\textquoteright}s best selling drugs owed their origin to natural products, including enalapril and capropril: ACE inhibitors; the β2-agonist salbutamol; the immunosuppressant ciclosporin, and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents - diclofenac and naproxen. [2]

}, doi = {10.4103/0974-8490.60574}, author = {Ambrose Furey} }