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Diospyros Abyssinica
''Diospyros abyssinica'' (also known as ''giant diospyros'', or ''Kôforonto'' and ''Baforonto'' in local languages spoken in parts of Mali, ''blidzo'', ''blitcho'', ''gblit∫o'', ''blonyat∫o'' or ''gblεt∫o'' in some Ghanaian languages) is a tree species in the family Ebenaceae which is native to Sub-Saharan Africa. Distribution and description While usually not a common species, ''Diospyros abyssinica'' is widespread in Africa, ranging from Guinea to Eritrea, southwards to the area covered by the Flora Zambesiaca, and Angola. The species is a large tree with a relatively sparse and shortly branched crown. Like other Diospyros, it is an evergreen species. The leaves are alternating, oblong-elliptic, and glossy dark green. Their margin is entire and often wavy. The young leaves are distinctly red. Flowers are small, growing axillary, and are found to be solitary or in few-flowered clusters. They have a creamy-white to yellow colour. The fruit is fleshy, spherical, and h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Philip Hiern
William Philip Hiern (19 January 1839 – 28 November 1925) was a British mathematician and botanist. Life Hiern attended St. John's College, Cambridge, from 1857 to 1861 and attained a "first class degree" in mathematics. Later, in 1886, he attended Oxford University. Upon his marriage he moved to Surrey and developed an interest in botany. In 1881, Hiern moved to Barnstaple in north Devonshire, and lived at the manor house adjacent to the Barnstaple Castle mound. Hiern was quite taken with the country squire role and he assumed many public duties including those of the Lord of the Manor of Stoke Rivers, northeast of Barnstaple, and he was one of the original aldermen of the County of Devon. Contributions Hiern published over 50 works on botanical subjects. Among his chief works was the catalogue of the plants Friedrich Welwitsch had collected in Angola. Awards and honours In 1903, Hiern was elected a fellow of the Royal Society. The African figwort genus '' H ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area and 20% of its land area.Sayre, April Pulley (1999), ''Africa'', Twenty-First Century Books. . With billion people as of , it accounts for about of the world's human population. Africa's population is the youngest amongst all the continents; the median age in 2012 was 19.7, when the worldwide median age was 30.4. Despite a wide range of natural resources, Africa is the least wealthy continent per capita and second-least wealthy by total wealth, behind Oceania. Scholars have attributed this to different factors including geography, climate, tribalism, colonialism, the Cold War, neocolonialism, lack of democracy, and corruption. Despite this low concentration of wealth, recent economic expansion and the large and young population make Afr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Betulinic Acid
Betulinic acid is a naturally occurring pentacyclic triterpenoid which has antiretroviral, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory properties, as well as a more recently discovered potential as an anticancer agent, by inhibition of topoisomerase. It is found in the bark of several species of plants, principally the white birch (''Betula pubescens'') from which it gets its name, but also the ber tree (''Ziziphus mauritiana''), selfheal (''Prunella vulgaris''), the tropical carnivorous plants '' Triphyophyllum peltatum'' and ''Ancistrocladus heyneanus'', '' Diospyros leucomelas'', a member of the persimmon family, '' Tetracera boiviniana'', the jambul (''Syzygium formosanum''), flowering quince (''Pseudocydonia sinensis'', former ''Chaenomeles sinensis KOEHNE''), (''Chaenomeles sinensis KOEHNE'' is now named ''Pseudocydonia sinensis'') rosemary, and ''Pulsatilla chinensis''. Antitumor activity In 1995, betulinic acid was reported as a selective inhibitor of human melanoma. Then i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flavanol
Flavan-3-ols (sometimes referred to as flavanols) are a subgroup of flavonoids. They are derivatives of flavans that possess a 2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2''H''-chromen-3-ol skeleton. Flavan-3-ols are structurally diverse and include a range of compounds, such as catechin, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin, epigallocatechin gallate, proanthocyanidins, theaflavins, thearubigins. They are found in most plants and have a role in plant defense. Chemical structure The single-molecule (monomer) catechin, or isomer epicatechin (see diagram), adds four hydroxyls to flavan-3-ol, making building blocks for concatenated polymers (proanthocyanidins) and higher order polymers (anthocyanidins). Flavan-3-ols possess two chiral carbons, meaning four diastereoisomers occur for each of them. They are distinguished from the yellow, ketone-containing flavonoids such as quercitin and rutin, which are called flavonols. Early use of the term bioflavonoid was imprecisely applied to include the flava ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bergenin
Bergenin, alias cuscutin, is trihydroxybenzoic acid glycoside. It is the C-glycoside of 4-O-methyl gallic acid. It possesses an O-demethylated derivative called norbergenin. These are chemical compounds and drugs of Ayurveda, commonly known as Paashaanbhed. It shows a potent immunomodulatory effect. Bergenin can be isolated from ''Bergenia'' species like '' Bergenia ciliata'' and '' Bergenia ligulata'', from rhizomes of ''Bergenia stracheyi''. It is also found in the stem bark of ''Dryobalanops aromatica'', in ''Ardisia elliptica ''Ardisia elliptica'' is an evergreen tree, also known as the shoebutton ardisia, duck's eye and coralberry, native to the west coast of India, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia and New Guinea. It is a prolific reproducer which has made i ...'' and in '' Mallotus japonicus''.Hepatoprotective effects of bergenin, a major constituent of Mallotus japonicus, on carbon tetrachloride-intoxicated rats. Lim HwaKyung, Kim HackSeang, Choi HongSerck, Oh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Natural Phenol
In biochemistry, naturally occurring phenols are natural products containing at least one phenol functional group. Phenolic compounds are produced by plants and microorganisms. Organisms sometimes synthesize phenolic compounds in response to ecological pressures such as pathogen and insect attack, UV radiation and wounding. As they are present in food consumed in human diets and in plants used in traditional medicine of several cultures, their role in human health and disease is a subject of research. Some phenols are germicidal and are used in formulating disinfectants. Classification Various classification schemes can be applied. A commonly used scheme is based on the number of carbons and was devised by Jeffrey Harborne and Simmonds in 1964 and published in 1980: C6-C7-C6 Diarylheptanoids are not included in this Harborne classification. They can also be classified on the basis of their number of phenol groups. They can therefore be called ''simple phenols'' or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lipoxygenase Inhibitor
Arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase inhibitors are compounds that slow or stop the action of the arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (5-lipoxygenase or 5-LOX) enzyme, which is responsible for the production of inflammatory leukotrienes. The overproduction of leukotrienes is a major cause of inflammation in asthma, allergic rhinitis, and osteoarthritis. Examples of 5-LOX inhibitors include the pharmaceutical drugs meclofenamate sodium, zileuton and the natural products myxochelins/pseudochelin as well as nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA). Some chemicals found in trace amounts in food, as well as some dietary supplements, have been shown to inhibit 5-LOX; these include baicalein, caffeic acid, curcumin, hyperforin and St John's wort ''Hypericum perforatum'', known as St. John's wort, is a flowering plant in the family Hypericaceae and the type species of the genus '' Hypericum''. Possibly a hybrid between '' H. maculatum'' and '' H. attenuatum'', the species can be found .... 1. Arachidon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scavenger
Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a herbivorous feeding behavior. Scavengers play an important role in the ecosystem by consuming dead animal and plant material. ''Decomposers'' and detritivores complete this process, by consuming the remains left by scavengers. Scavengers aid in overcoming fluctuations of food resources in the environment. The process and rate of scavenging is affected by both biotic and abiotic factors, such as carcass size, habitat, temperature, and seasons. Etymology Scavenger is an alteration of ''scavager,'' from Middle English ''skawager'' meaning "customs collector", from ''skawage'' meaning "customs", from Old North French ''escauwage'' meaning "inspection", from ''schauwer'' meaning "to inspect", of Germanic origin; akin to Old English ''scēawian'' and German ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dysentery
Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehydration. The cause of dysentery is usually the bacteria from genus ''Shigella'', in which case it is known as shigellosis, or the amoeba ''Entamoeba histolytica''; then it is called amoebiasis. Other causes may include certain chemicals, other bacteria, other protozoa, or parasitic worms. It may spread between people. Risk factors include contamination of food and water with feces due to poor sanitation. The underlying mechanism involves inflammation of the intestine, especially of the colon. Efforts to prevent dysentery include hand washing and food safety measures while traveling in areas of high risk. While the condition generally resolves on its own within a week, drinking sufficient fluids such as oral rehydration s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. Symptoms usually begin ten to fifteen days after being bitten by an infected mosquito. If not properly treated, people may have recurrences of the disease months later. In those who have recently survived an infection, reinfection usually causes milder symptoms. This partial resistance disappears over months to years if the person has no continuing exposure to malaria. Malaria is caused by single-celled microorganisms of the ''Plasmodium'' group. It is spread exclusively through bites of infected ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. The mosquito bite introduces the parasites from the mosquito's saliva into a person's blood. The parasites travel to the liver where they mature and reproduce. Five species of ''Plasmodium'' can infect and be spread by h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Leaf
A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, stem, flower, and fruit collectively form the shoot system. In most leaves, the primary photosynthetic tissue is the palisade mesophyll and is located on the upper side of the blade or lamina of the leaf but in some species, including the mature foliage of ''Eucalyptus'', palisade mesophyll is present on both sides and the leaves are said to be isobilateral. Most leaves are flattened and have distinct upper (adaxial) and lower ( abaxial) surfaces that differ in color, hairiness, the number of stomata (pores that intake and output gases), the amount and structure of epicuticular wax and other features. Leaves are mostly green in color due to the presence of a compound called chlorophyll that is essential for photosynthesis as it absorbs light ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Decoction
Decoction is a method of extraction by boiling herbal or plant material (which may include stems, roots, bark and rhizomes) to dissolve the chemicals of the material. It is the most common preparation method in various herbal-medicine systems. Decoction involves first drying the plant material; then mashing, slicing, or cutting the material to allow for maximum dissolution; and finally boiling in water to extract oils, volatile organic compounds and other various chemical substances. Occasionally, aqueous ethanol or glycerol may be used instead of water. Decoction can be used to make tisanes, tinctures and similar solutions. Decoctions and infusions may produce liquids with differing chemical properties, as the temperature or preparation difference may result in more oil-soluble chemicals in decoctions versus infusions. The process can also be applied to meats and vegetables to prepare bouillon or stock, though the term is typically only used to describe boiled plant extracts, usua ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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