Survey and documentation of anthelmintic plants used in traditional medicine system of tribal communities of Udalguri district of Assam, India

The present study was aimed to survey and document the anthelmintic medicinal plants traditionally used by the tribalcommunities of Udalguri district of Assam. The survey was conducted in different villages of the district followinga face-to-face interview and a readymade questionnaire. The study found that a total of 75 plant species belonging to67 genera and 44 plant families were used as deworming agents. The result showed that Andrographis paniculata,Ananas comosus, Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides, and Centella asiatica were the most popular plant species. Acanthaceaefamily was found to be most common among the traditional healers. The leaves were found to be commonly used plantparts for herbal preparation. Decoction, infusion, and raw preparations were found to be the most commonly usedtraditional formulation methodologies. The present study could be used to identify the potential anthelmintic plantsand in designing new anthelmintic drug having better property and efficacy

The Indigenous Cultural Ways of Diagnosis in the Ashanti Region of Ghana

The primary aim of this study is to make the indigenous cultural ways of identifying diseases known in order to promote and remove the mystery and superstition associated to them.Due to the nature of the study, the purposive sampling technique was largely employed.Interviews and observations were the main datacollecting instruments used. The four study areas which are Bongari Shrine at Adumakasekese, Asuo Abresua Shrine of Ahwirewam, Bokankye Akua Gyabon Shrine (currently situated at Mankranso Peposo), and Apomasu Kwao Shrine of Ntenserewere purposively selected.The study revealed that the traditional healers use items ranging from natural to artificial such as eggs, talismans, cowries, money and other objects to diagnose various diseases. In diagnosing of diseases, the traditional healers take a holistic approach which are the social, natural, spiritual and the cosmic environment which are not in the case of the orthodox medication.It is therefore importantfor government and stakeholders to give recognition to these diviners and spiritual healers by putting up nice buildings (clinics and hospitals) and providing them the necessary needs like what they have been doing for the orthodox health centres and if possible integrate the traditional medication into the orthodox ones.

Antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoid contents of selected medicinal plants used for liver diseases and its classification with chemometrics

Liver disease has become one of the major health problems in the world, and the death rate is going rapidly toincrease. Oxidative stress plays a crucial role in the emerging, development, and the progression of liver diseases.Ethnobotanical research has an undoubted profound impact on the development of numerous new drugs. The aimof this research, therefore, was to examine the antioxidant activities of 14 selected plants used for treating liverdiseases by traditional healers of Indonesia ethnicities and to classify these plants using chemometrics of principalcomponent analysis (PCA). The extraction using methanol as the solvent was performed with two stages maceration.Total phenolic and flavonoid compounds were determined by Folin–Ciocalteau and AlCl3 method, respectively,whereas antioxidant activity was estimated using 2,2′-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging,trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. Among 19methanol extracts of 14 plants, the leaves of Baccaurea racemosa, Macaranga subpeltata, and Piper sp. showed thehighest antioxidant properties. The phenolic content correlated with TEAC, FRAP, and DPPH radical scavengingactivity, while flavonoid did not significantly affect these antioxidant activity methods. PCA successfully classifiedthe plant samples using the variables of antioxidant activities and phenolic-flavonoid contents. The selected plantshave promising antioxidant properties which support their utilization for either liver diseases medication or oxidativestress-related diseases prevention

Medicinal Plants for Treatment of Neonatal Jaundice by Community of Attars (Traditional Healers) of Several Urban Areas in Mazandaran Province, Northern of Iran.

Aims: This study aimed to determine the use of specific medicinal plants based on traditional medicine from community of Attars (Traditional healers) in the province of Mazandaran (North Iran). Place and Duration of Study: The province of Mazandaran in north Iran, between March until July 2015. Methodology: Eighty-eight Traditional healers consisting of 62 men (70.5%) and 26 women (29.5%) from among the community of Attars (i.e. The Owners of shops, selling medicinal plants, providing traditional medications and some time act as traditional healer) of the province of Mazandaran in north Iran were randomly selected using questionnaires from March until July 2015. Results: In this study, 50 plant species belonging to 29 plant families were recommended for treating neonatal jaundice. Asteraceae, Fabaceae and Rosaceae were the most commonly used plant families. The five main plants with the highest reported use included: Contoneaster discolor, Descurainia sophia, Cichorium intybus, Alhagi camelorum, and Fumaria parviflora. The most important reason for prescribing medicinal herbs was to help detoxify the body, and the most important reason that people visit Attaries (i.e., shops selling medicinal plants, providing traditional medications) to receive remedies was stated as the lower side effects of these traditional remedies. Conclusion: This study shows that numerous medicinal plants are recommended for treating neonatal jaundice in Mazandaran province by Attars (Traditional healers). To the best of our knowledge, the wide range of herbs used for the treatment of neonatal jaundice has not been previously reported in any other study as extensively as shown here. Naturally, it is necessary to perform comprehensive studies on the above-mentioned medicinal plants to make use of these herbal remedies.

Help-seeking Pathways for In-patients with First-episode Psychosis in Hospital Kuala Lumpur

Introduction: Help-seeking pathway in psychiatry is the important link between the onset of a mental disorder and mental health service provision. Understanding of the help-seeking pathway can help us to device more effective strategies for early detection and treatment. Objectives: To determine the help-seeking pathways and treatment delaying factors of in-patients with first-episode psychosis in Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL). Methods: This is a hospital-based cross-sectional descriptive study of 50 in-patients with first-episode psychosis in HKL. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV - Clinical Version for Axis I Disorders (SCID-CV) was used for establishing diagnosis. Socio-demographic data, information on help-seeking pathways, and treatment delaying factors were determined through faceto- face interview and semi-structured questionnaires. Results: The number of non-psychiatric helpseeking contacts prior to first consultation with psychiatric service ranged from 0 to 10. The mean number of contacts was 2.3 ( 2.6), and median was 1 (IQR = 0 to 3). About a third of them (32%) had three or more non-psychiatric contacts. The most common point of first non-psychiatric contact was with traditional healer 24 (48%), followed by general practitioners 12 (24%), and only 14 (28%) of them sought help directly from psychiatric service. The most common reason reported for delay in seeking psychiatric treatment was, “not aware that changes were related to mental illness” (74%). Conclusions: History of contacts with traditional healers was common among in-patients with first episode psychosis in HKL. Treatment delay was mainly contributed by factors related to lack of awareness on psychosis. More strategic mental health education program is needed for early detection and treatment of psychosis.

Traditional healers are causing treatment delay among patients with psychosis in Hospital Kuala Lumpur: Fact or Fallacy?

Objective: Mental health services in Malaysia often face competition from traditional healers especially among patients with psychosis. The objective of the study is to determine whether patients who sought help earlier from traditional healers had longer duration of untreated psychosis (DUP), and more adverse experiences in pathways to psychiatric care. Methods: This is a hospital-based cross-sectional study of 50 inpatients with first-episode psychosis in Hospital Kuala Lumpur. Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (Diagnostic and statistical manual, 4th edition) Clinical Version for Axis I Disorders (SCID-CV) was used for establishing diagnosis. Onset of psychosis was defined as any one positive symptom with a score of >3 on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Socio-demographic data, information on pathways and treatment delaying factors were determined through face-to-face interview and semi-structured questionnaire. Results: Fifty-four percent of the patients had at least one contact with traditional healers prior to consulting psychiatric service, and it was the most popular first point of non-psychiatric help-seeking contact (48%). Contact with traditional healers was not associated with age, gender, ethnic, education level, longer DUP or treatment delay, and admissions with violent behaviour or police assistance. Of those who had sought help from traditional healers, one third were recommended by at least one of their traditional healers to seek medical help. Conclusion: Consultation involving traditional healers was a popular choice, and not associated with treatment delay. Traditional healers in an urban setting may be potential collaborators in managing patients with first-episode psychosis. Future research should explore the frontiers of such collaborative work.