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Harpagophytum
''Harpagophytum'' ( ), also called grapple plant, wood spider, and most commonly devil's claw, is a genus of plants in the sesame family, native to southern Africa. Plants of the genus owe their common name "devil's claw" to the peculiar appearance of their hooked fruit. Several species of North American plants in the genus '' Proboscidea'' and certain species of ''Pisonia'', however, are also known by this name. Devil's claw's tuberous roots are used in folk medicine to reduce pain. Range ''Harpagophytum procumbens'' is mainly found in the eastern and south eastern parts of Namibia, Southern Botswana, and the Kalahari region of the Northern Cape, South Africa. '' H. zeyheri'' is found in the northern parts of Namibia (Ovamboland) and southern Angola. Etymology The generic name, ''Harpagophytum'', is derived from the Greek words ''harpago'' meaning "hook" and ''phyton'' meaning "plant".Ib Friis and Olof Ryding (Editors) Folk medicine and research The ethnobotanical us ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harpagophytum Procumbens MHNT
''Harpagophytum'' ( ), also called grapple plant, wood spider, and most commonly devil's claw, is a genus of plants in the sesame family, native to southern Africa. Plants of the genus owe their common name "devil's claw" to the peculiar appearance of their hooked fruit. Several species of North American plants in the genus ''Proboscidea (plant), Proboscidea'' and certain species of ''Pisonia'', however, are also known by this name. Devil's claw's tuberous roots are used in folk medicine to reduce pain. Range ''Harpagophytum procumbens'' is mainly found in the eastern and south eastern parts of Namibia, Southern Botswana, and the Kalahari region of the Northern Cape, South Africa. ''H. zeyheri'' is found in the northern parts of Namibia (Ovamboland) and southern Angola. Etymology The Genus, generic name, ''Harpagophytum'', is derived from the Greek language, Greek words ''harpago'' meaning "hook" and ''phyton'' meaning "plant".Ib Friis and Olof Ryding (Editors) Folk medici ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harpagophytum Procumbens00
''Harpagophytum'' ( ), also called grapple plant, wood spider, and most commonly devil's claw, is a genus of plants in the sesame family, native to southern Africa. Plants of the genus owe their common name "devil's claw" to the peculiar appearance of their hooked fruit. Several species of North American plants in the genus ''Proboscidea'' and certain species of ''Pisonia'', however, are also known by this name. Devil's claw's tuberous roots are used in folk medicine to reduce pain. Range ''Harpagophytum procumbens'' is mainly found in the eastern and south eastern parts of Namibia, Southern Botswana, and the Kalahari region of the Northern Cape, South Africa. ''H. zeyheri'' is found in the northern parts of Namibia (Ovamboland) and southern Angola. Etymology The Genus, generic name, ''Harpagophytum'', is derived from the Greek language, Greek words ''harpago'' meaning "hook" and ''phyton'' meaning "plant".Ib Friis and Olof Ryding (Editors) Folk medicine and research The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sesame Family
Pedaliaceae, the pedalium family or sesame family, is a flowering plant family classified in the order Lamiales. The family includes sesame (''Sesamum indicum''), the source of sesame seeds. It comprises 13 genera and approximately 70 species. Eight genera are native to the African continent and one genus (''Uncarina'') is endemic to Madagascar. Four genera (''Sesamum'', ''Josephinia'', ''Pedalium'' and ''Dicerocaryum'') are mainly African natives but they also include regions to the east (including Madagascar, India, Sri Lanka, Malayan Islands and northern Australia).Ib Friis and Olof Ryding (Editors) The family has a diverse range of seed and fruit dispersal throughout the various species. Including; animal dispersal via burrs, carried by feet (in ''Dicerocaryum'', ''Harpagophytum'' and ''Josephinia'') or caught in the fur of passing animals (''Uncarina''), winged fruits using the wind for dispersal (''Holubia'' and ''Pterodiscus''), or even winged seeds (''Sesamothamnus ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harpagoside
Harpagoside is a natural product found in the plant '' Harpagophytum procumbens'', also known as devil's claw. It is the active chemical constituent responsible for the medicinal properties of the plant, which have been used for centuries by the Khoisan people of southern Africa to treat diverse health disorders, including fever, diabetes, hypertension, and various blood related diseases. Biosynthesis Harpagoside is characterized as an iridoid glycoside, which is a product of the mevalonate pathway present in the metabolism of eukaryotes, archaea and some bacteria. The iridane skeleton found in iridoids is monoterpenoid in origin and contains a cyclopentane ring fused to a six-membered oxygen heterocycle. The iridoid system arises from geraniol, which itself is synthesized from geranyl pyrophosphate (GPP) by geraniol diphosphate synthase (E1). A p450 type enzyme, geraniol 8-hydroxylase (E2), then hydroxylates geraniol at the 8 position to form 8-hydroxygeraniol. The diol then ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proboscidea (plant)
''Proboscidea'' is a genus of flowering plant in the family Martyniaceae, some of whose species are known as devil's claw, devil's horn, ram's horn, or unicorn plant. The plants produce long, hooked seed pods. The hooks catch on the feet of animals, and as the animals walk, the pods are ground or crushed open, dispersing the seeds. The name devil's claw is shared with the South African plant '' Harpagophytum procumbens''. Uses The fruits of all species are edible before they ripen and become woody. They can be steamed and eaten much like okra. Some species (particularly ''P. parviflora'') are used in basket weaving by the Tohono O'odham who have selected for varieties with longer "claws." The Chemehuevi also use devil's claw pods in basketry. The Hia C-eḍ Oʼodham and the Tohono O'odham eat the seeds, which provided an important source of dietary oils. ''P.'' ''parviflora'' was also used as a remedy for rheumatism. Species Species include: * ''Proboscidea althaeifolia'' - ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Greek Language
Greek ( el, label=Modern Greek, Ελληνικά, Elliniká, ; grc, Ἑλληνική, Hellēnikḗ) is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages, native to Greece, Cyprus, southern Italy (Calabria and Salento), southern Albania, and other regions of the Balkans, the Black Sea coast, Asia Minor, and the Eastern Mediterranean. It has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning at least 3,400 years of written records. Its writing system is the Greek alphabet, which has been used for approximately 2,800 years; previously, Greek was recorded in writing systems such as Linear B and the Cypriot syllabary. The alphabet arose from the Phoenician script and was in turn the basis of the Latin, Cyrillic, Armenian, Coptic, Gothic, and many other writing systems. The Greek language holds a very important place in the history of the Western world. Beginning with the epics of Homer, ancient Greek literature includes many works of lasting impo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ethnobotanical
Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people. An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for many aspects of life, such as plants as medicines, foods, intoxicants and clothing. Richard Evans Schultes, often referred to as the "father of ethnobotany", explained the discipline in this way: Ethnobotany simply means ... investigating plants used by societies in various parts of the world. Since the time of Schultes, the field of ethnobotany has grown from simply acquiring ethnobotanical knowledge to that of applying it to a modern society, primarily in the form of pharmaceuticals. Intellectual property rights and benefit-sharing arrangements are important issues in ethnobotany. History The idea of ethnobotany was first proposed by the early 20th century botanist John William Harshberger. While Harshberger did perform ethnobotanical ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Floral Emblem
In a number of countries, plants have been chosen as symbols to represent specific geographic areas. Some countries have a country-wide floral emblem; others in addition have symbols representing subdivisions. Different processes have been used to adopt these symbols – some are conferred by government bodies, whereas others are the result of informal public polls. The term floral emblem, which refers to flowers specifically, is primarily used in Australia and Canada. In the United States, the term state flower is more often used. National plants Africa Mauritius The national flower of Mauritius is '' Trochetia boutoniana''. Seychelles The national flower of the Seychelles is the tropicbird orchid (known locally as ''orkid payanke''), '' Angraecum eburneum''. South Africa The national flower of South Africa is the King Protea, ''Protea cynaroides''. Tunisia The national flower of Tunisia is jasmine. It was chosen as a symbol for the 2010 Tunisian Revolution. Asia Ban ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Botswana
Botswana (, ), officially the Republic of Botswana ( tn, Lefatshe la Botswana, label=Setswana, ), is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Botswana is topographically flat, with approximately 70 percent of its territory being the Kalahari Desert. It is bordered by South Africa to the south and southeast, Namibia to the west and north, and Zimbabwe to the northeast. It is connected to Zambia across the short Zambezi River border by the Kazungula Bridge. A country of slightly over 2.3 million people, Botswana is one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world. About 11.6 percent of the population lives in the capital and largest city, Gaborone. Formerly one of the world's poorest countries—with a GDP per capita of about US$70 per year in the late 1960s—it has since transformed itself into an upper-middle-income country, with one of the world's fastest-growing economies. Modern-day humans first inhabited the country over 200,000 years ago. The Tswana ethnic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Augustin Pyramus De Candolle
Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle had established a new genus, and he went on to document hundreds of plant families and create a new natural plant classification system. Although de Candolle's main focus was botany, he also contributed to related fields such as phytogeography, agronomy, paleontology, medical botany, and economic botany. De Candolle originated the idea of "Nature's war", which influenced Charles Darwin and the principle of natural selection. de Candolle recognized that multiple species may develop similar characteristics that did not appear in a common evolutionary ancestor; a phenomenon now known as convergent evolution. During his work with plants, de Candolle noticed that plant leaf movements follow a near-24-hour cycle in constant light, suggestin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Phytotherapy
Herbal medicine (also herbalism) is the study of pharmacognosy and the use of medicinal plants, which are a basis of traditional medicine. With worldwide research into pharmacology, some herbal medicines have been translated into modern remedies, such as the anti-malarial group of drugs called artemisinin isolated from ''Artemisia annua'', a herb that was known in Chinese medicine to treat fever. There is limited scientific evidence for the safety and efficacy of plants used in 21st century herbalism, which generally does not provide standards for purity or dosage. The scope of herbal medicine commonly includes fungal and bee products, as well as minerals, shells and certain animal parts. Herbal medicine is also called phytomedicine or phytotherapy. Paraherbalism describes alternative and pseudoscientific practices of using unrefined plant or animal extracts as unproven medicines or health-promoting agents. Paraherbalism relies on the belief that preserving various substances ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ovamboland
Ovamboland, also referred to as Owamboland, was a Bantustan in South West Africa (present-day Namibia), intended by the apartheid government to be a self-governing homeland for the Ovambo people. The term originally referred to the parts of northern Namibia inhabited by the Ovambo ethnic group, namely the area controlled by the traditional Ovambo kingdoms in pre-colonial and early colonial times, such as Ondonga, Ongandjera, and Oukwanyama. Its endonym is ''Ovambo ~ Owambo''. Background In the 1960s South Africa, which was administering South West Africa under a League of Nations mandate, came under increased international pressure regarding its minority White rule over the majority of Blacks. The solution envisaged by South Africa—the Odendaal Plan—was to separate the white and the non-white population, grant self-government to the isolated black territories, and thus make Whites the majority population in the vast remainder of the country. Moreover it was envisaged t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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