Chronic pain is more prevalent in indigenous populations who often prefer traditional remedies ov... more Chronic pain is more prevalent in indigenous populations who often prefer traditional remedies over allopathic drugs. Our objective was to investigate the traditional uses of medicinal plants from the Canadian boreal forest for the management of chronic pain syndromes. We reviewed the most extensive database on medicinal plants used by aboriginal people of the Canadian boreal forest to investigate the plants used in the management of 3 of the most common chronic pain syndromes: arthritis/rheumatism; back pain; and headache/migraine. We also reviewed the pharmacology and phytochemistry literature to investigate concordance with indigenous knowledge. A total of 114 medicinal plant species were reported, of which 27 (23.5%) were used to treat more than 1 chronic pain syndrome. Pharmacological or phytochemical evidence to explain plant function as chronic pain remedy was available in the literature for only 38 species (33%), with several species reported to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties effective in treating chronic pain syndromes. Our study showed the potential of boreal plants as alternative and complementary medicines for the treatment of chronic pain syndromes that could be enhanced by further research on efficacy and safety issues.
Sustainable development goals series, Nov 24, 2018
The Himalayan giant nettle (Girardinia diversifolia), commonly called Allo in Nepali has been a m... more The Himalayan giant nettle (Girardinia diversifolia), commonly called Allo in Nepali has been a major source of income in many parts of the Himalayan region. It is a fiber yielding non-timber forest product (NTFP) which belongs to the botanical family Urticaceae. It has been harvested for many years in the Himalayan region for cultural, medicinal and economic purposes. The fiber has high economic value as it is considered superior to jute. Different parts of the plant such as roots, stems, leaves, and inflorescences are used to prepare traditional medicinal formulations to treat various diseases and ailments for the local people.
Nepal is a relatively small mountainous country surrounded by India to the south, east, and west ... more Nepal is a relatively small mountainous country surrounded by India to the south, east, and west and China to the north. Forest is one of the most important natural resources of Nepal. Some 35 major forest types occur in Nepal that change abruptly, owing to a wide variation of topography, climate, and edaphic conditions. Forests are the source of livelihoods of millions of people, in particular, for rural communities. Deforestation is one of the major environmental issues in Nepal. Deforestation pressures occur throughout Nepal but are most strongly felt in many parts of Tarai and Churia. In general, the drivers of deforestation and degradation are the mixture of direct and indirect causes, such as high dependency on forest resources, unsustainable harvesting practices, illegal harvest of forest products, infrastructure development, forest fire, natural calamities, encroachment, overgrazing, lack of good governance, and ambiguous policy. Deforestation has immediate consequences for the local population in terms of increased fuel scarcity, reduced supply of fodder, and leaf-litter manure. The unpredicted erosion, landslide, and lowland flooding, due to deforestation, are also major concerns in Nepal as well as in downstream countries. Several attempts have been made so far to control the deforestation and mixed success has been achieved. The focus of the government is on good forest governance through its long-term and short-term policy provisions. Community forestry and protected areas systems in Nepal have contributed significantly in forest conservation. A priority has also been given to private forestry. Since the fuelwood is still the major energy source, alternative sources of energy should be provided on a subsidized basis throughout the country to reduce dependency on forests. Public awareness about the importance of forests and the consequences of deforestation are also important to control deforestation.
BackgroundThere are handful hypothesis-driven ethnobotanical studies in Nepal. In this study, we ... more BackgroundThere are handful hypothesis-driven ethnobotanical studies in Nepal. In this study, we tested the non-random medicinal plant selection hypothesis using national- and community-level datasets through three different types of regression: linear model with raw data, linear model with log-transformed data and negative binomial model.MethodsFor each of these model, we identified over-utilized families as those with highest positive Studentized residuals and underutilized families with highest negative Studentized residuals. The national-level data were collected from online databases and available literature while the community-level data were collected from Baitadi and Darchula districts.ResultsBoth dataset showed larger variance (national dataset mean 6.51 < variance 156.31, community dataset mean 1.16 < variance 2.38). All three types of regression were important to determine the medicinal plant species selection and use differences among the total plant families, alth...
The Glycyrrhiza genus, generally well-known as licorice, is broadly used for food and medicinal p... more The Glycyrrhiza genus, generally well-known as licorice, is broadly used for food and medicinal purposes around the globe. The genus encompasses a rich pool of bioactive molecules including triterpene saponins (e.g., glycyrrhizin) and flavonoids (e.g., liquiritigenin, liquiritin). This genus is being increasingly exploited for its biological effects such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and cytotoxic activities. The species Glycyrrhiza glabra L. and the compound glycyrrhizin (glycyrrhizic acid) have been studied immensely for their effect on humans. The efficacy of the compound has been reported to be significantly higher on viral hepatitis and immune deficiency syndrome. This review provides up-to-date data on the most widely investigated Glycyrrhiza species for food and medicinal purposes, with special emphasis on secondary metabolites’ composition and bioactive effects.
Chronic pain is more prevalent in indigenous populations who often prefer traditional remedies ov... more Chronic pain is more prevalent in indigenous populations who often prefer traditional remedies over allopathic drugs. Our objective was to investigate the traditional uses of medicinal plants from the Canadian boreal forest for the management of chronic pain syndromes. We reviewed the most extensive database on medicinal plants used by aboriginal people of the Canadian boreal forest to investigate the plants used in the management of 3 of the most common chronic pain syndromes: arthritis/rheumatism; back pain; and headache/migraine. We also reviewed the pharmacology and phytochemistry literature to investigate concordance with indigenous knowledge. A total of 114 medicinal plant species were reported, of which 27 (23.5%) were used to treat more than 1 chronic pain syndrome. Pharmacological or phytochemical evidence to explain plant function as chronic pain remedy was available in the literature for only 38 species (33%), with several species reported to have anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties effective in treating chronic pain syndromes. Our study showed the potential of boreal plants as alternative and complementary medicines for the treatment of chronic pain syndromes that could be enhanced by further research on efficacy and safety issues.
Sustainable development goals series, Nov 24, 2018
The Himalayan giant nettle (Girardinia diversifolia), commonly called Allo in Nepali has been a m... more The Himalayan giant nettle (Girardinia diversifolia), commonly called Allo in Nepali has been a major source of income in many parts of the Himalayan region. It is a fiber yielding non-timber forest product (NTFP) which belongs to the botanical family Urticaceae. It has been harvested for many years in the Himalayan region for cultural, medicinal and economic purposes. The fiber has high economic value as it is considered superior to jute. Different parts of the plant such as roots, stems, leaves, and inflorescences are used to prepare traditional medicinal formulations to treat various diseases and ailments for the local people.
Nepal is a relatively small mountainous country surrounded by India to the south, east, and west ... more Nepal is a relatively small mountainous country surrounded by India to the south, east, and west and China to the north. Forest is one of the most important natural resources of Nepal. Some 35 major forest types occur in Nepal that change abruptly, owing to a wide variation of topography, climate, and edaphic conditions. Forests are the source of livelihoods of millions of people, in particular, for rural communities. Deforestation is one of the major environmental issues in Nepal. Deforestation pressures occur throughout Nepal but are most strongly felt in many parts of Tarai and Churia. In general, the drivers of deforestation and degradation are the mixture of direct and indirect causes, such as high dependency on forest resources, unsustainable harvesting practices, illegal harvest of forest products, infrastructure development, forest fire, natural calamities, encroachment, overgrazing, lack of good governance, and ambiguous policy. Deforestation has immediate consequences for the local population in terms of increased fuel scarcity, reduced supply of fodder, and leaf-litter manure. The unpredicted erosion, landslide, and lowland flooding, due to deforestation, are also major concerns in Nepal as well as in downstream countries. Several attempts have been made so far to control the deforestation and mixed success has been achieved. The focus of the government is on good forest governance through its long-term and short-term policy provisions. Community forestry and protected areas systems in Nepal have contributed significantly in forest conservation. A priority has also been given to private forestry. Since the fuelwood is still the major energy source, alternative sources of energy should be provided on a subsidized basis throughout the country to reduce dependency on forests. Public awareness about the importance of forests and the consequences of deforestation are also important to control deforestation.
BackgroundThere are handful hypothesis-driven ethnobotanical studies in Nepal. In this study, we ... more BackgroundThere are handful hypothesis-driven ethnobotanical studies in Nepal. In this study, we tested the non-random medicinal plant selection hypothesis using national- and community-level datasets through three different types of regression: linear model with raw data, linear model with log-transformed data and negative binomial model.MethodsFor each of these model, we identified over-utilized families as those with highest positive Studentized residuals and underutilized families with highest negative Studentized residuals. The national-level data were collected from online databases and available literature while the community-level data were collected from Baitadi and Darchula districts.ResultsBoth dataset showed larger variance (national dataset mean 6.51 < variance 156.31, community dataset mean 1.16 < variance 2.38). All three types of regression were important to determine the medicinal plant species selection and use differences among the total plant families, alth...
The Glycyrrhiza genus, generally well-known as licorice, is broadly used for food and medicinal p... more The Glycyrrhiza genus, generally well-known as licorice, is broadly used for food and medicinal purposes around the globe. The genus encompasses a rich pool of bioactive molecules including triterpene saponins (e.g., glycyrrhizin) and flavonoids (e.g., liquiritigenin, liquiritin). This genus is being increasingly exploited for its biological effects such as antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and cytotoxic activities. The species Glycyrrhiza glabra L. and the compound glycyrrhizin (glycyrrhizic acid) have been studied immensely for their effect on humans. The efficacy of the compound has been reported to be significantly higher on viral hepatitis and immune deficiency syndrome. This review provides up-to-date data on the most widely investigated Glycyrrhiza species for food and medicinal purposes, with special emphasis on secondary metabolites’ composition and bioactive effects.
Uploads