This book provides a description of cognitive impairment in the elderly population through the lens of Thai Traditional Medicine as it is practiced in northern Thailand. It provides an overview of Thai Traditional Medicine and the memory loss presented in elderly dementia. Some medicinal plants used by traditional Thai healers to treat cognitive decline and memory issues in the elderly are reviewed. Medicinal Plants of Northern Thailand for the Treatment of Cognitive Impairment in the Elderly provides readers with the detailed description of the in vitro screening of ten plants and those results. The bioactivity of these single plants exemplifies the success of using an ethnobotanical filter to identify plants with cognitive enhancing activity.
Dementia is a progressive neurological disease affecting memory and behavior. The diagnosis of dementia is increasing exponentially worldwide and with it the potential risk for a severe social and economic burden of caring for an increasing debilitated elderly population. Cognitive impairment, and especially memory loss, can be the first indication of dementia. This study documents the treatment of cognitive impairment in the elderly by Thai traditional healers in northern Thailand using medicinal plants. Interviews were conducted from 2008-2012 to investigate the etiology of dementia in Thai Traditional Medicine and identify plants used to treat memory loss in the pharmacopeia of northern Thailand. Multi-plant herbal formulas from ancient manuscripts of the Lanna Kingdom were obtained from Thai traditional healers. These formulas were analyzed through ethnobotanical inquiry for plant species with potential bioactivity against memory loss in the elderly. Crude extracts of eleven selected plant species were screened through four in vitro bioassays to measure their general antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity. Of these eleven species, five plants exhibited high levels of acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity: Cinnamomum bejolghota (Buch-Ham.) Sweet, Dracaena loureiroi Gagnep., Diospyros decandra Lour., Jasminum sambac (L.) Aiton., and Eurycoma longifolia Jack. One plant, Cinnamomum bejolghota demonstrated high activity in all four in vitro bioassays. Three different doses of an ethanol extract of Cinnamomum bejolghota were evaluated for their memory enhancing ability on in vivo rat behavioral models and enzymatic marker tests on their brain tissue. Results from the Morris Water Maze navigation task showed that the two highest dosages of the extract produced significant memory improvement after two weeks of treatment. Enzymatic marker analyses in three portions of the rats' brains associated with memory formation, the hippocampus, striatum and cortex, showed significant acetylcholinesterase inhibition activity thereby increasing acetylcholine levels in these parts of the brain. This study identified a plant with memory enhancing activity that, with further study, could help to alleviate the suffering of those afflicted with age-related memory decline. Ethnopharmacological studies support the viability of traditional medicine to treat diseases that are relevant in modern society.
From the Foreword Umberto Quattrocchi has brought us some amazing and useful works through the various dictionaries that he has compiled. This time it is for two very important plant families the palms and the cycads that are synthesized here in these two volumes. Each entry is fascinating not just for the botany and full nomenclature of the plant species but for all the associated uses, folklore and interactions with other organisms. ...These entries are fascinating glimpses of natural history. ... Botanists, conservationists, ethnobotanists, anthropologists, geographers, bird watchers, naturalists, historians and those of many other disciplines will find these volumes a most valuable and useful resource. It is the sort of book that will be in frequent use in my library. ----- Professor Sir Ghillean Prance FRS, VMH, Former Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Following the same format as Umberto Quattrocchi’s highly praised and well-used previous works, The CRC World Dictionary of Palms: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, Synonyms, and Etymology brings together the vast and scattered literature on palms and cycads to provide better access to information on these economically important plants. Each genus and species has a detailed morphological description and includes a list of synonyms and vernacular names in many languages. Bibliographies accompany each entry which are comprehensive, up-to-date and multi-lingual. The detailed information for every entry on habitats, economic uses, historical and biographical data, botanical exploration, and linguistics will be useful for any library involved with botany, herbal medicine, pharmacognosy, medicinal and natural product chemistry, ecology, ethnobotany, systematics, general plant science, agriculture or horticulture. Umberto Quattrocchi is the author of the bestselling CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names, winner of the prestigious Hanbury Botanical Garden Award. His most recent multi-volume work, CRC World Dictionary of Medicinal and Poisonous Plants, received strong praise as being "... an unparalleled starting place—a tool of first resort for any thoughtful researcher. Quattrocchi and CRC have delivered a dictionary like no other, a learned finger pointing in the right direction." —John de la Parra, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, from Economic Botany, Vol. 68, 2014
This is the second volume in a series of monographs which are intended to promote information exchange and international harmonised standards for the quality control and use of herbal medicines. It contains scientific information on 30 selected plants, and each entry includes a pharmacopoeial summary for quality assurance purposes, information on its clinical application and sections on contraindications, pharmacology, safety issues, and dosage forms. It provides two cumulative indexes with entries in alphabetical order by plant name and according to the plant material of interest.
When workmen excavating the ruins of Pompeii eagerly gathered the native medicinal plants growing there, Wilhelmina Jashemski discovered that this was another example of the continuity of life in the shadow of Vesuvius. Many of the plants used for herbal medicine around Pompeii today are the same ones that ancient authorities such as Pliny the Elder and Dioscorides recommended for treating the same types of disorders. In this book, Jashemski presents an herbal of thirty-six medicinal plants, most of them known to the ancients and still employed today. She describes each plant's contemporary medicinal uses and compares them to ancient practices as recorded in literary sources. Scientific, English, and Italian names and the plant's mythological associations complete the entries, while elegant, full-page portraits depict each plant visually.
Designed to cover the core subject of pharmacognosy offered to undergraduate students of pharmacy, this book presents the theoretical concepts in a lucid style. Its in-depth coverage of topics quintessential to the Indian plant drug sector makes the book unique, as does its exposition on herbal cosmetics and quality control of herbal drugs. The book abounds with a rich pedagogy that enables effortless recapitulation of the subject.
In 1860, Oliver Wendell Holmes pointedly expressed himself to the Massachusetts Medical Society: “I firmly believe that if the whole Material Medica, as now used, could be sunk to the bottom of the sea, it would be all the better for mankind, and all the worst for the fishes.” Should one think the same about the current approach in drug discovery from plants? Probably yes. Despite the spending of billions of US dollars, and three decades of efforts, high-throughput screenings have only allowed the discovery of a couple of drugs. One could have reasonably expected the discovery of an arsenal of drugs from the millions of plant extracts randomly tested, but “hits” can be inactive in vitro or too toxic, some molecules need to be metabolized first to be active, and false-positive and false-negative results are common. The bitter truth is that the robotic approach in discovering drugs from plants has proven, to date, its inability to excavate the hundreds of molecules that will contribute to the health progress of Man. However, one can reasonably see that the last patches of primary rainforest on earth hold still hundreds of spectacularly active drugs that await discovery.
Completely rewritten and updated, this new edition is almost twice the size of its predecessor. Illustrated in colour throughout, and with contributions from the world's leading authorities, it is the definitive reference on the neuropathology of dementia. It gives practical guidance to pathologists, describes the contribution of neuroimaging to diagnosis, and surveys the clinical features of dementia. New material includes: Three entirely new chapters on neuroimaging, molecular diagnostics, and transgenic models. Two chapters on tauopathies under new authorship. A chapter under new authorship on synucleinopathies, which includes multiple system atrophy.
Sustained Energy for Enhanced Human Functions and Activity addresses the basic mechanistic aspects of energy metabolisms, the chemistry, biochemistry and pharmacology of a variety of botanical ingredients, micronutrients, antioxidants, amino acids, selected complexes, and other nutracueticals which have demonstrated a boost in and the sustainability of functional energy. The role of exercise and physical activity is also discussed, and the conclusion addresses paradigm shifts in the field and envisions the future. Intended for researchers and industry professionals, the book is as an essential reference on the impact of proper nutrient balance on sustained energy. Serves as a comprehensive reference on natural products that can boost and sustain energy Encompasses information on diverse energy ingredients and their potential role in optimal health and sustained energy Conceptualizes the key features in diverse nutraceuticals that can boost sustained energy and well-being Presents the intricate mechanistic aspects and balance between optimal and sustained energy Addresses the pathophysiology and mechanistic insight of diverse nutraceuticals and functional foods that can help in maintaining optimal health and sustain functional energy
