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- Herbal Medicine Products Sold in Nigeria: A Pilot Survey
Authors: Obi Peter Adigwe, Omolola Temitope Fatokun, Esievo Kevwe Benefit, Jemilat Aliyu Ibrahim, Bulus Adzu, Christianah Yetunde Isimi
Pages: 1 - 11
Abstract: Background: The use of herbal medicine is believed to be on the increase. There is a gradual shift from the use of crude drugs to well packaged, developed and registered herbal medicinal product. Evidence of this trend in Nigeria is seen in the increasing number of herbal medicine products on store shelves. Objectives: The aim of the survey was to examine and document herbal medicine products sold in retail stores, pharmacies, generally closed and open markets in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and neighbouring localities. Methodology: A cross-sectional study using open ended semi-structured questionnaires and data collection tool was employed; descriptive and inferential statistics were done. Results and Discussion: Open markets primarily stocked crude drugs (95.7%). In the open markets, only 26.1% of stalls had herbal medicine products. Over 70% of herbal medicines consumed in the FCT were administered orally. Sixty-eight percent of herbal medicine products were made in Nigeria with indications centred around bitters and detoxification (26.4%), fertility and aphrodisiac (16.7%), diabetes and cardiovascular disease (10%). Only 39.3% of products had a form of NAFDAC registration/listing. In the open markets, a huge gap exists in the knowledge of branding, packaging and registration of herbal medicines. Conclusion: There is a need to educate traditional medicine practitioners on the essence of drug development and packaging to improve acceptability, national relevance and international recognition. Herbal medicine producers must be further enlightened on the registration requirements and encouraged to register their products.
PubDate: 2022-07-06
DOI: 10.9734/jocamr/2022/v18i430356
- Phytochemical and FTIR Analyses of Six Medicinal Plants from Pankshin
Local Government Area of Plateau State, Nigeria
Authors: Daniel Victor Nenman, Daniang Ishaya Ezekiel, Ayuba Monica Luka, Patrick Yepnaan Elizabeth
Pages: 12 - 22
Abstract: Aim: To analyze the phytochemical and FTIR of six medicinal plants frequently used by the Ngas in Pankshin District of Plateau State, Nigeria in the traditional treatment of some ailments. Methods: The medicinal plants were extracted with water, ethanol and cyclohexane/hexane, screened for the presence and levels of phytochemicals by standard methods and the FTIR analyses were carried out on the ethanolic extracts. Results: The study revealed that the aqueous extracts contained most of the phytochemicals analyzed. The quantitative analysis of five phytochemicals in four of the plants showed that the order of the levels of phytochemicals in plants were: alkaloids; F. phytophylla > C. tinctorium > F. abutilifolia > F. phytophylla, saponins; F. abutilifolia > F. phytophylla > F. abutilifolia > C. tinctorium, terpernoids; F. phytophylla > F. abutilifolia > C. tinctorium > F. abutilifolia, flavonoids; F. phytophylla > F. abutilifolia > C. tinctorium > F. abutilifolia and glycosides, F. abutilifolia > F. phytophylla > C. tinctorium > F. abutilifolia with saponins being the most abundant phytochemical in the study and flavonoids the least. F. phytophylla was richest in the phytochemicals while F. abutilifolia was the least. The presence of characteristic functional groups such as ─OH, C─O, –C=C and C─H indicated the presence of phenolic compounds, carboxylic acids, alcohols, carbohydrates, and proteins in the plants that could be responsible for various medicinal properties in the plants. Conclusion: The results justified the local use of the plants in the treatment of illnesses like malaria fever, yellow fever, cough and healing of wounds among the Ngas people in Pankshin Local Government of Plateau State. These compounds can be harnessed for industrial and pharmaceutical utilization.
PubDate: 2022-07-12
DOI: 10.9734/jocamr/2022/v18i430357
- Can Acupuncture be an Adjunct Therapy for Bell’s palsy Post
COVID-19' Acupuncture for Bell’s Palsy: A Review
Authors: Tokika Yepthomi, Sangeeth Somanadhapai
Pages: 23 - 33
Abstract: Objectives: To evaluate the clinical evidence of acupuncture treatment for Bell’s palsy and analyze its therapeutical options in post COVID-19 Bell’s palsy patients. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was conducted by two independent investigators using PubMed, MEDLINE, Google scholar, LILACS and the Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials and others from 2000 up until 2021, using the following keywords: Bell’s Palsy, covid-19, acupuncture, Mucormycosis, vaccine and steroids. Selection of articles was restricted to full-text articles published in English language only. We included all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared the clinical effects of an acupuncture intervention (acupuncture used alone or add on) with no treatment. Accordingly, RCTs fulfilling the criteria were included in the review. Results: Most of the studies were generally of low methodological quality and only six randomized controlled trials (1076 people) were finally included for the study. In all of the included studies the treatment group or the acupuncture group reported advantageous effects or better outcomes compared to baseline or control group. No adverse events were reported in any of the included studies. Conclusions: Our review suggest that Acupuncture can be an adjunct or a good alternate therapy for patients with Bell’s palsy post recovery of COVID-19 infection and especially those with the risk of predisposed factor for mucormycosis and other severe health complication. However, the present evidence might not be sufficiently robust against methodological flaws of the included RCTs. Well-designed trials with high methodological qualities are essential to establish a strong conclusion about the efficacy of acupuncture for Bell’s palsy.
PubDate: 2022-07-13
DOI: 10.9734/jocamr/2022/v18i430359
- Inhibiting and Enhancing Effects on DNA Repair of Rare Metal Elements in
Cultured Human Lymphoblastoid Cells
Authors: Ayaka Sasaki, Satomi Hayashi-Shita, Takanori Nakamura, Yasuaki Kikuchi, Galbreath Hannah Elizabeth, Katsutoshi Matsumoto, Akira Hasegawa, Takayuki Saito, Kumiko Sato, Tetsuo Honma, Ayumi Yamamoto, Hirotada Arai, Yoshihiro Kadoma, Satomi Kawaguchi, Kazuyuki Furuya, Marina Kobune, Yu F. Sasaki
Pages: 34 - 41
Abstract: Along with increasing relevance of rare earth (RE) elements in industrial technology, the risk of their environmental release and occupational exposure on human health is of concern. Although many toxicological studies were reported for REs, it is not known how they affect DNA repair. In this study, the effects on DNA repair of all RE ions except radioactive promethium (Pm) were studied. Human lymphoblastoid WTK1cells were irradiated to UV followed by 2h exposure to each RE with and without DNA repair inhibitor cytosine-1β-D- arabinofuranoside (araC), and then single strand breaks (SSBs) were detected by the comet assay. UV-induced pyrimidine dimers are removed by nucleotide excision repair (NER) which consists of recognition of the DNA lesion, excision of a 24–32 nucleotide stretch containing the lesion by dual incision of the damaged DNA strand on both sides, and re-synthesis of the resulting gap by DNA polymerase, and ligation of the nick. SSBs are generated in the incision step of nucleotide excision repair (NER) and disappear in the re-synthesis step of NER. Seven REs, Yb, Lu, Dy, Er, Sc, Pr, and Ce, enhanced comet positive response without araC but not with araC, suggesting that araC is antagonistic to the 7 REs. Since araC inhibits re-synthesis of NER, these seven REs would inhibit the re-synthesis step of NER. Six REs, Tm, Sm, Tb, Gd, Eu, and Y suppressed comet positive responses with and without araC, suggesting that they decreased comet assay detectable SSBs. Therefore, these 6 REs are considered to inhibit the incision step of NER. Only La decreased tail length without araC but increased with araC, suggesting that La increased comet assay detectable SSBs and that only La would enhance the incision step of NER. Neither Nd nor Ho affected tail length with or without araC.
PubDate: 2022-07-25
DOI: 10.9734/jocamr/2022/v18i430360
- A Theory-driven Research Model to prove that Electrohomeopathic Medicines
are Nanoparticles and to validate the Mechanisms of Electrohomeopathic
Remedy Actions in a Complex Human System
Authors: Prasant Kumar Sabat
Pages: 42 - 52
Abstract: Introduction: Electrohomeopathy is a herbal-based alternative branch of medical science which has been projected by Dr. Count Ceasare Mattie of Italy in 1865. Since then it is comprehensively practiced in many countries by electrohomeopathic practitioners with safe and successful. Objective: To prove the Electrohomeopathic remedies that are nanoparticles and act by allostatic cross-adaptation, time-dependent sensitization, and balancing the blood and lymph in a complex human system. Methods: A narrative literature search was conducted by searching in databases including Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, Science Direct, PubMed Central, Elsevier, Springer Link, and many others from 2001 to 2020 with the following keyword search terms: nanoparticles, electro homeopathy, fluid homeostasis, allostatic network system, etc. All the information secured when searching the database using the above search criteria were assembled, analyzed, and scrutinized systematically in a systemic way and repeated articles were deleted. In the final step, to obtain more data, a manual search was conducted using the reference list of the included articles. Results: This paper suggests a novel model for the Electrohomeopathic remedies are a source of nanoparticles and act by organizing hormesis, time-dependent sensitization, and stabilizing blood and lymph constituents and characteristics (fluid homeostasis) via non-pharmacological but physiological effects on own specific biological adaptive and expanded mechanisms.
PubDate: 2022-07-28
DOI: 10.9734/jocamr/2022/v18i430361
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