• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.282-287
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• 2015

BACKGROUND: The current study was carried out to investigate Cd, Hg, Pb and As contaminations in 222 commercial medicinal plants and to estimate the potential health risk through dietary intake of commercial medicinal plants in Korea.METHODS AND RESULTS: The Cd, Hg, Pb, and As in medicinal plants were analyzed by ICP/MS and mercury analyzer.The potential health risk was estimated using risk assessment tools. Total amount of Cd in medicinal plants with 29% samples exceeded the standard limit legislated in 'Pharmaceutical Affairs Act' while all plant samples were lower than the standard limit value for As, Hg, and Pb. However, when applying the standard limit for root vegetable (fresh weight) in the Food Sanitation Act, four samples exceeded the standard limit of Pb. For health risk assessment, the values of cancer risk probability were 0.3~5.9×10^-7which were less than the acceptable cancer risk of 10^-6~10^-4for regulatory purpose. Also, Hazard quotientvalues were lower than 1.0.CONCLUSION: Therefore, these results demonstrated that human exposure to Cd, Hg, Pb, and As through dietary intake of commercial medicinal plants might notcause adverse health effects although some medicinal plants were higher than the standard limit values for Cd and Pb.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.185-189
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• 2015

In this study, the clinical safety and toxicology of oral ingestion of supplement capsules containing ginseng radix was investigated in healthy young volunteers. This study was a pilot randomized, double blinded, placebo controlled trial. The healthy volunteers were divided into 6 groups of 20 each (10 males and 10 females). They took the ginseng powder for 35 days (3g/day) for safety evaluation. There were measured general healthy levels such as hematological, biochemical and electrocardiographic parameters. After the first week, besides Korean white ginseng the other treatments led to an significant increase of white blood cells. Korean red ginseng increased UREA (blood urea nitrogen) in healthy volunteers, but it didn't exceed the range of normal values, and in the subsequent process of treatment there is no effect of elevating UREA. After the three weeks, Korean white ginseng showed relatively low the content of blood glucose and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. After the five weeks, compared with the other treatments, Korean red ginseng increased white blood cells, platelet distribution width and average volume of platelet. Korean white ginseng decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. American ginseng decreased blood creatinine in healthy volunteers. In conclusion, through test the blood routine, urine routine, liver function, renal function, blood glucose, blood lipid and electrocardiogram, the healthy volunteers continuous taking ginseng for 35 days (3 g/day) is safe and reliable, and have no obvious adverse reactions and side effects.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.47
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• pp.186-199
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• 2002

This is a brief review and discussion for present status and prospects of quality evaluation in medicinal plants as oriental medicine materials (OMM). Quality in medicinal plants could be defined as the combination of origin, external appearance, effectiveness and safety, and be evaluated by plant taxonomic, morphological, physiochemical and biological methods. For high-quality improvement and standardization of OMM, medicinal plants should be produced through using proper species or good variety and standard cultivation method in suitable cultivation area. Standardizing of quality means to meet with minimum qualifying criteria of OMM in the market while improving of quality to be over standard quality of medicinal piano in production. For making new high quality and standardized products, we need to keep standard field plants, standard OMM, standard plant specimen, and standard compounds. Researchers and administration have to study and propose the quality factors and their evaluating techniques and criteria, so high-quality and standardized produce of medicinal plane could be produced and distributed under the control of the relevant regulations, and would be contributed to increasing of national health.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.191-201
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• 2016

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial effects of the ethanol extracts from various medicinal herbs against plant pathogens to understand the possible the crop protection agents.METHODS AND RESULTS: Among the tested medicinal herbs, Zizyphus jujuba ethanol extract had the potent antimicrobial activity against Phytophthora capsici, Erwinia carotovorum subsp. carotovora, Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae and Ralstonia solanacearum. The major constituents of Z. jujuba were identified to eugenol(40.45%), dodecanoic acid(18.40%), β-caryophyllene (10.05%) and isoeugenol(9.85%) by GC/MS. Eugenol and isoeugenol had strong inhibitory activity on spore germination against P. capsici and growth against E. carotovorum subsp. carotovora, P. syringae pv. syringae and R. solanacearum.CONCLUSION: In this regard, eugenol and isoeugenol were found to be responsible for the antimicrobial activity of Z. jujuba ethanol extract against plant pathogens. In addition, Z. jujuba ethanol extract, eugenol and isoeugenol can be used the potent antimicrobial agents.

• 한국약용작물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.09a
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• pp.23-29
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• 2011

• 한국약용작물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.149-154
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• 2006

• 한국약용작물학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.121-124
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• 2006

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.271-274
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• 2016

This study examined variation in Cd and Pb uptake among different medi cinal plants grown under the same soil environment together with immobilizing effect of lime to decrease these metals accumulation by the medicinal plants. For this, lime was incorporated into a heavy metal-contaminated soil at 1% followed by cultivation of seven different annual and 5 different biennial medicinal plants. In order for comparison, control soil without lime treatment was included and all the pot trials were carried out four replicates. Cadmium and Pb concentrations in medicinal plant roots grown in the control soil varied between 0.5 and $2.8mg\;kg^{-1}$ for Cd and 3.2 and $82.4mg\;kg^{-1}$ for Pb. The highest accumulation occurred in C. officinale and the lowest in D. batatas. Lime application decreased average Cd and Pb concentrations in the examined medicinal plants from $1.3mg\;kg^{-1}$ and $25.7mg\;kg^{-1}$ to $0.6mg\;kg^{-1}$ and $11.9mg\;kg^{-1}$, respectively in comparison with those grown in the control soil.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2001.11a
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• pp.489-492
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• 2001

There were many reports on the natural antioxidants, but only tocopherol has been widely used despite of its high market price because of its recognized safety. On the other hands, antimicrobial effects of various plant extracts also have been extensively studied. There exist many substances showing antimicrobial activity in plants and their activities have been studied.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.262-267
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to research for anti-oxidation and anti-wrinkle effects of Acar mono Sap (AM). To cosmetic effect of AM, safety effect (MTT assay), anti-wrinkle effect (elastase, MMP-1 inhibition assay) and anti-oxidant effect (DPPH assay) were measured. When water extract of AM was used for cell viability, it was over 100% at 6% (6 ml/100 ml in phosphate buffer) concentration. AM showed 45.7% elastase inhibition and 23.7% MMP-1 inhibition at 50% (50 ml/100 ml in phosphate buffer) concentration so that it had good anti-wrinkle characteristic. And AM showed 68.9% antioxidation capacity at 50% concentration by using a DPPH assay. Consequently, AM can be used as natural materials or additives for human skin owing to their beneficial biologic functions, including the anti-wrinkle effect, for cosmetic compositions.