Ingredients are used in cosmetics to give them specific properties. Certain ingredients, so called active ingredients, may produce pharmacological or toxic effects under certain conditions. Cosmetic products containing such ingredients may pose a health risk both because of their potential toxicity and because they may mask underlying serious diseases and consequently cause a dangerous delay in diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this study is to give safety information on certain active ingredients which give raise to toxicological concerns and for which restrictions of use in cosmetics should be considered. Monographs were prepared for 45 active ingredients for which no specific regulations exist including, inter alia, information about uses, properties, a risk evaluation of the use in cosmetic products considering as toxicological endpoints both systemic and local effects. Each monograph includes a bibliography, conclusions and recommendations. The study complements a series of three volumes containing monographs about the safety of certain natural ingredients used in cosmetics and will serve as a useful reference in the field, for health authorities, manufacturers and health professionals in particular.
Ingredients are used in cosmetics to give them specific properties. Certain ingredients, so called active ingredients, may produce pharmacological or toxic effects under certain conditions. Cosmetic products containing such ingredients may pose a health risk both because of their potential toxicity and because they may mask underlying serious diseases and consequently cause a dangerous delay in diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this study is to give safety information on certain active ingredients which give raise to toxicological concerns and for which restrictions of use in cosmetics should be considered. Monographs were prepared for 45 active ingredients for which no specific regulations exist.
Traditional medicinal knowledge, especially the use of ethnomedicinal plants in developing countries, has been passed down for generations. Today, however, scientists are poised to combine traditional medicinal plants and modern drug discoveries to further develop essential products that have followed the leads of indigenous cures used for centuries. Ethnomedicinal Plant Use and Practice in Traditional Medicine provides emerging research exploring the theoretical and practical aspects of indigenous knowledge and therapeutic potential within ethnobotany. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics such as drug discovery, traditional knowledge, and herbal medicine, this book is ideally designed for doctors, healers, medical professionals, ethnobotanists, naturalists, academicians, researchers, and students interested in current research on the medical use and applications of natural-based resources.
For hundreds of years, indigenous populations have developed drugs based on medicinal plants. Many practitioners, especially advocates of traditional medicine, continue to support the use of plants and functional foods as methods by which many ailments can be treated. With relevance around the world as a complementary and alternative medicine, advancements for the use of both ethnopharmacology and nutraceuticals in disease must continually be explored, especially as society works to combat chronic illnesses, increasingly resilient infectious diseases, and pain management controversies. The Research Anthology on Recent Advancements in Ethnopharmacology and Nutraceuticals discusses the advancements made in herbal medicines and functional foods that can be used as alternative medical treatments for a variety of illness and chronic diseases. The anthology will further explain the benefits that they provide as well as the possible harm they may do without proper research on the subject. Covering topics such as food additives, dietary supplements, and physiological benefits, this text is an important resource for dieticians, pharmacists, doctors, nurses, medical professionals, medical students, hospital administrators, researchers, and academicians.
There has been emergence of multidrug resistance problem all over the world due to overuse or underuse of antibiotics. Most microbes including bacteria, fungi, protozoans and others have developed resistance to antibiotics, and therefore, this problem is now recognized to be of global concern. Ubiquitous occurrence of multidrug-resistant bacteria decreases effectiveness of current treatment, which results in thousands of deaths all over the world. Hence, investigations for new alternatives and novel strategies are urgently needed to address the problem of multidrug resistance. The antimicrobial potential of essential oils and metallic nanoparticles represent an effective solution for microbial resistance. Moreover, the use of essential oils in combination with metallic nanoparticles may exert synergistic antimicrobial effects and would be a novel approach. Essential oils (EOs) are volatile, natural, aromatic oily liquids that can be obtained from several parts of plants especially the aerial ones such as leaves and flowers. They are derived from complex metabolic pathways in order to protect plants from diverse pathogenic microorganisms. In fact, the bioactivity of EOs have been confirmed by several studies which have demonstrated their antibacterial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, and antioxidant properties. Nanotechnology is one of the most important and emerging technologies, which has brought about a technological revolution in the world. It has enormous applications in the field of medicine. Nanoparticles are very important tools in curing different diseases in general and microbial diseases in particular due to their significantly novel and improved chemical, physical and biological properties and high surface area-to-volume ratio. Among these, metal nanoparticles are known to play pivotal role in various biomedical applications. In this context, nanoparticles such as silver have shown their potential and could emerge as the new generation of antimicrobials. Silver nanoparticles have broad-spectrum biological activities and hence are used in many biomedical applications. The various biomedical applications of silver nanoparticles include treatment of wounds, burns, in water-disinfecting systems, in nanobased bone implantations, in dentistry for the development of dental materials and as antibacterial, antivirals, anti-protozoals, anti-arthropods and anticancerous agents. Apart from silver, noble metal nanoparticles like gold and platinum and other nanoparticles copper, oxides of different metals, etc. have been also the materials of choice for many scientists for their biological applications. The book will be of interest to chemists, microbiologists, biotechnologist, food technologists, nanotechnologists, pharmacologists, clinicians and those interested in nature cure. Students will find this book useful and reader friendly.
Biodegradable Polymers, Blends and Composites provides a comprehensive review on recent developments in this very important research field. The book's chapters cover the various types of biodegradable polymers currently available and their composites, with discussions on preparation, properties and applications. Sections cover natural rubber-based polymer blends, soy-protein, cellulose, chitin, starch-based, PLA, PHBV, PCL, PVA, PBAT-based blends, Poly (ethylene succinate), PHB and Poly (propylene carbonates). The book will be a valuable reference resource for academic and industrial researchers, technologists and engineers working on recent developments in the area of biodegradable polymers, their blends and composites. - Discusses the various types of biodegradable polymers, blends and composites - Covers natural rubber, cellulose, chitin, starch, PLA, PCL and PBAT - Features modern processing technologies, properties, applications and biodegradability
As the third volume of a trilogy on Plants in cosmetics, this study concerns potentially harmful components which occur naturally in some plants the ingredients of which could likely be used in cosmetic products. Its aim is to raise awareness on the implication on consumer health by use of such ingredients and to trigger preventive measures. The 24 data sheets of components, selected by the authors because they are not regulated specifically in cosmetic legislation, give useful information particularly for the competent authorities and the manufacturers of raw materials and cosmetic products, mainly based on currently available pharmaco-toxicological data. Each monograph includes a bibliography and conclusions / recommendations.