• CELLMED
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.2.1-2.17
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• 2014

The plant kingdom is considered to be a repository of modern medicine, attributable to their rich source of bio-active molecules and secondary metabolites. It is indeed the Nutraceuticals that enhance immunity and ensure a healthier life because of their prophylactic and therapeutic values. Over centuries, papaya [Caricaceae; (Carica papaya Linn.)] is a renowned nutritious and medicinal plant. Each part of the papaya like root, stem, leaf, flower, fruit, seed, rinds, and latex has its own nutraceutical properties. It serves as food, cooking aid, and Ethnomedicine to prevent and treat wide-range of diseases and disorders. It has also been traditionally used as appetite enhancer, meat tenderizer, purgative, medicinal acne, abortifacient and vermifuge. Over decades, a series of scientific attempts were made to authenticate the nutraceutical properties of papaya. These studies validated that the papaya has antiplasmodial, antitrichochramal, antitrichomonal, antidengue, and anti-cancer activities. They have also exhibited that papaya possesses antiseptic, antiparasitic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and contraceptive features, and it helps in the management of sickle-cell anaemia, HIV, heart diseases and digestional disorders too. Nevertheless, the responsible bio-active molecules and their mode of actions remain indistinct and imprecise, and this calls for further pharmacological and clinical research on them. Conclusively, papaya is one of the naturally gifted plants; though its nutraceutical properties as a food or as a quasi-drug are poorly understood or undervalued by people. Accordingly, this scrutiny, demand for instigation of public health awareness campaigns to promote papaya consumption, so that the society shall acquire optimal benefits of papaya and in turn prevent and alleviate various diseases and illness.

• Journal of Society of Preventive Korean Medicine
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.29-42
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• 2017

Background : Efforts towards increasing insurance coverage for traditional Korean medicine (TKM) are being continued. However, various difficulties are faced in generating evidence for TKM due to limited financial support and the low quality of research methodology. Objectives : The objectives of this study were to review the Swiss evaluation program for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and assess the expansion in public health insurance coverage of complementary medicine as approved by referendum in Switzerland. Methods : The regulations of CAM in the European Union were assessed. Research articles, reports, government publications and websites which deal with the 'Programm Evaluation $Komplement{\ddot{a}}rmedizin$ (PEK)' and the referendum in Switzerland were searched for and analyzed. Results : The PEK was conducted from 1998 to 2005. The PEK evaluated the efficacy, utilization and cost-effectiveness of anthroposophical medicine, homeopathy, neural therapy, phytotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine. However, clear conclusions could not be drawn from the evaluation according to the PEK Report. Later, a referendum was implemented in which 5 therapies would be added to the Switzerland Constitution with the support of the public. The coverage of CAM was approved by Swiss a plebiscite with an approval rate of 67.0%. Conclusions : The reason for the successful referendum is suggested to be public support and the solidarity with CAM experts and politicians. It may be surmised that recognition of the political efforts and scientific aspects required to expand insurance coverage of TKM, and towards obtaining public support, is necessary.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.316-325
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• 2017

Background: Ginseng essence (GE) is a formulation comprising four medicinal and edible herbs including ginseng (Panax ginseng), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius), lotus seed (Nelumbo nucifera), and lily bulb (Lilium longiflorum). This study was aimed at investigating the hepatoprotective effect of GE against carbon tetrachloride ($CCl_4$)-induced liver injury in rats. Methods: We treated Wistar rats daily with low, medium, and high [0.625 g/kg body weight (bw), 1.25 g/kg bw, and 3.125 g/kg bw, respectively] doses of GE for 9 wk. After the 1st wk of treatment, rats were administered 20% $CCl_4$ (1.5 mL/kg bw) two times a week to induce liver damage until the treatment ended. Results: Serum biochemical analysis indicated that GE ameliorated the elevation of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase and albumin decline in $CCl_4$-treated rats. Moreover, $CCl_4$-induced accumulation of hepatic total cholesterol and triglyceride was inhibited. The hepatoprotective effects of GE involved enhancing the hepatic antioxidant defense system including glutathione, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, glutathione S-transferase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase. In addition, histological analysis using hematoxylin and eosin and Masson's trichrome staining showed that GE inhibited $CCl_4$-induced hepatic inflammation and fibrosis. Furthermore, immunohistochemical staining of alpha-smooth muscle actin indicated that $CCl_4$-triggered activation of hepatic stellate cells was reduced. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that GE improves $CCl_4$-induced liver inflammation and fibrosis by attenuating oxidative stress. Therefore, GE could be a promising hepatoprotective herbal formulation for future development of phytotherapy.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.350-356
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• 2015

Functional dyspepsia (FD) is a prevalent idiopathic upper gastrointestinal (GI) disorder characterized by diverse symptomatology including epigastric pain or discomfort, postprandial fullness, and early satiety. Although its pathophysiological mechanisms have not yet been fully established, the available studies suggest that the etiology of FD is invariably multifactorial. Benachio-F$^{(R)}$ (BF) is a proprietary liquid formulation of 7 herbal extracts that has been proposed to address this multifactorial etiology using multi-drug phytotherapy. The pharmacological effects of BF, in comparison with those of two other herbal products (Whalmyungsu$^{(R)}$; WM and Iberogast$^{(R)}$; IB) were evaluated in rats. In a laparotomy-induced rat model of delayed GI transit, BF significantly accelerated the delayed gastric emptying caused by morphine, apomorphine, and cisplatin, and also significantly increased mean gastric transit, as compared to the control animals. BF markedly increased gastric accommodation in rats and produced higher gastric volume values than did the control treatment. The effects of BF were generally comparable or superior to those of WM and IB in these models. Furthermore, BF significantly stimulated biliary flow, as compared to the control treatment. These results indicated that BF might have great potential as an effective phytotherapeutic agent capable of reducing GI symptoms and increasing quality of life in FD patients.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.1214-1218
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• 2011

We investigated the fruits of Rubus crataegifolius Bge, a plant which has been traditionally used in Korea in phytotherapy, to describe antioxidant materials from plant sources. R. crataegifolius fruits were extracted with methanol and further fractionated into n-hexane, diethyl ether, and ethyl acetate. The antioxidant activity of each fraction and the residue was assessed using a 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), $H_2O_2$ radical scavenging method, and their cytotoxicity on human primary kerationcyte (HK) was determined by an MTS assay. The R. crataegifolius fruit methanol extract showed strong antioxidant activity (75.04%, 50%) compared with vitamin C (79.9%, 54.1%) by the DPPH, and $H_2O_2$ method, respectively. The measured activity from the subsequent extracts of the methanol extract were 20.3% for n-hexane fraction (HF), 68.8% for diethyl ether fraction (DF), 67.1% for ethyl acetate fraction (EF), and 67.1% for the residue fraction (RE) by DPPH and 2.2% for HF, 1.6% for DF, 10% for EF, and 50% for the RE by $H_2O_2$ assay. An oxidative stress model of HK was established under a suitable concentration (1 mM). The cell viability of the RE treated group increased and the percentage of apoptotic cells decreased at concentrations of 0.005-0.02% RE compared with the $H_2O_2$ treated group. Fruit extracts of the medicinal plant R. crataegifolius showed potent antioxidant activity and the ability to relieve cell damage from $H_2O_2$ induced injury to HK.

• Journal of Naturopathy
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2022

Background: A validation study is needed to make domestic applications of German Kneipp therapy. Purpose: The study aims to test the effect of a Kneipp therapeutic program in a domestic forest environment on the autonomic nervous system. Methods: The program was made considering the 4 key elements ('exercise', 'regulative therapy', 'nutrition', and 'phytotherapy') of the Kneipp therapy. Total 3 sessions (once a week for 5 hours in each session) were performed to 40 domestic adults divided into four groups (10 in each group). HRV was measured on the subjects before and after the intervention, and its 6 characteristic parameters (TP, VLF, LF, HF, LF/HF, CSI: Cumulative Stress Index) were compared for statistical analysis. Results: For 33 subjects excluding 7 who were disturbed by interrupt factors during measurements, significant improvements after the intervention, were observed in TP(8.64%, p < ..001), VLF(6.96%, p < .05), LF(15.86%, p < .001), HF(8.46%, p < .01), LF/HF(5.77%, p < .05) and CSI(-16.06%, p < ..001). Conclusions: The Kneipp therapy performed in the forest environment was shown to activate the autonomic nervous system and in particular the sympathetic and parasympatheric nervous to promote heart activity, and was also shown to most significantly reduce cumulative stress. The present observations would be the first preliminary evidence that the Kneipp therapeutic interventation in a domestic forest environment results in positive responses of the autonomic nervous system including stress relief.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.26 no.12
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• pp.726-737
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• 2023

Piperine, the main bioactive component of black pepper (Piper nigrum Linn.), has anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. This study evaluated the supplemental effects of piperine or black pepper on innate immunity, growth, feed utilization efficiency, and intestinal morphology in red seabream (Pagrus major). Six experimental diets were formulated, supplementing piperine at 0.0, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 g/kg levels (Con, P25, P50, P100, and P200) or 1.0 g/kg black pepper (BP100). Juvenile fish (7.6 ± 0.1 g) were randomly stocked into 18 circular tanks (220 L), including 30 fish per tank. Each diet was randomly assigned to triplicate groups, and the feeding trial was conducted for 8 weeks. The results showed that final body weight, specific growth rate, weight gain, and feed utilization efficiency were significantly improved (p < 0.05) when piperine was supplemented into diets at 0.25-2.0 g/kg levels compared to the Con group. Compared to the Con diet, condition factor was significantly increased (p < 0.05) in fish fed with dietary piperine at 0.25-2.0 g/kg or BP100 diet. Serum myeloperoxidase activity was increased (p < 0.05) in P25 and P100 groups and antiprotease activity was increased (p < 0.05) in P100 group compared to the Con group. Significantly higher (p < 0.05) lysozyme activity was observed in P50, P100, P200 and BP100 groups, while total immunoglobulin level was increased in P50, P100 and BP100 groups than Con group. Superoxide dismutase activity was increased (p < 0.05) by dietary piperine at 0.25-2.0 g/kg levels and BP100 diet compared to Con diet. Plasma cholesterol was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in fish fed with piperine (0.5-2.0 g/kg) or BP100 compared to the Con diet. Compared to the Con diet significantly longer (p < 0.05) intestinal villi were observed in fish fed with piperine at 0.25-1.0 g/kg levels, and higher goblet cell count was observed in P25 and BP100 groups. Dietary inclusion of piperine would be a potent immunostimulant in fish diet and the optimum supplementation level would be 0.25-1.0 g/kg.