[Antimicrobial effect of some medicinal smoke, Iranian traditional medicine]

Background: Nowadays, science tries to find a way to control the pathogens in public place and health centers. The use of medicinal smokes is common in Iranian traditional medicine to improve air quality and purify air

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the antibacterial activity of Herbal fume, contain frankincense, clove, sandalwood and camel grass against a variety of microorganisms

Methods: Herbal smoke include, sandalwood [Santalum album], camel grass [Cymbopogon schoenanthus], condor [Boswellia sacra] and clove [Syzygium aromaticum], against microorganisms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and Candida albicans, was investigated

Results: Sandalwood and camel grass fumes could inhibit C. albicans completely both in 7 minutes and inhibit B. subtilis in turn in 9 minute and 11 minute. Also they could inhibit E. coli and S. aureus in turn in 10 and 9 minute. Frankincense and clove fume had no significant effects. Mixing two plants, sandalwood and camel grass in the ratio 1:1, will enhanced the antimicrobial effects of these smoke and the inhibition time come shorter

Conclusion: According to this research, Sandalwood and camel grass smoke have significant effect. Microbes and fungi showed great sensitivity against herbal fume and the smoke expressed the possibility of industrial usage. Further research is required to identify the chemical composition of these plant smokes

[ comparative study on uterus and kidney inflammation and their treatments described in the book [Hidayat al-Muta'allimin fit-Tib] with modern medicine]

[Hidayat al-Muta'allimin fit-Tib] [A Guide to Students of Medicine] is one of the oldest Persian medical books written in Persian by Akhawayni around llth century in Bukhara. In this book, each disease is described as a separate monograph including signs and symptoms as well as treatment orders. Two of the well explained monographs are concerned to inflammation of uterus and kidney. The purpose of this study was to compare the signs, symptoms, and treatment procedures written in the above mentioned book with what written in modern medical texts for Pelvic Inflammatory Disease [PID] and kidney abscess. For this purpose, a comparative study on signs, symptoms, and treatment procedures of these diseases with modern medicine was done. According to this study, the inflammation of uterus in primary stage showed some similarities with PID and in final stage with tubo- ovarian abscess. The inflammation of kidney at its first stage had a lot of resemblance with pyelonephritis, in advanced stage with interarenal or perinephric abscess, and in final stage with renal failure. The treatment procedures in the old traditional medicine were originally based on herbal treatments that are completely different with modern antibiotic therapy. However, the anti-inflammatory and anti-infective herbal drugs used in this book are in support of the antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory data reported for the most of these herbs in scientific literatures. The results point out that the ancient Iranian physicians had a reasonable concept of the infective diseases. The herbs used by traditional physicians have ethnopharmacological potential for further research to develop new antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agents from these plants

ethnopharmacological study on antibacterial activity of some selected plants used in Iranian traditional medicine

Iran is a land of great heritage of ancient medical scholars. Herbal medicines, as a basement of treatment of diseases have been clearly described in the medical texts of these scholars including Rhazes, Avicenna, and others. Numerous plants are introduced in these texts to treat those diseases likely to be infective ones. Few attempts have been made to evaluate ethnopharmacological aspects of these plants. In the present study selected specimens of plants described in ancient Iranian medical texts to treat infective conditions were evaluated for antibacterial activity. The hypothesis of this study was that the plants described in the ancient medical texts possess antibacterial properties. In this study, ten specimens of these plants were selected from various texts. Their scientific terminologies were prepared based on various respected sources. The antibacterial activity of hydroalcoholic extracts of these herbs, as well as their MICs and MBCs were evaluated according to standard techniques. Results of this study showed that almost all of 10 specimens showed considerable antibacterial activity. The MIC and MBC of some herbs showed strong activity against gram positive and gram negative microorganisms. MICs and MBCs of Heracleum persicum and antibacterial activity of Zea mays are reported for the first time in this study. The antibacterial activity of the selected plants supports their old uses as anti-infective agents. The results of this survey also showed antibacterial activity of Arnebia euchroma [Royle] Johst. and Teucrium polium L. traditionally used as poultice for infective wounds. H. persicumi traditionally used in Iran as spice can play a valuable role in preventing food poisoning. The data of this study supported the importance of ethnopharmacological approach and opened also the new doors to future researches in this field

review on antimicrobial activities of sumac fruit [Rhus Coriaria L.]

Sumac is a shrub with a long history of application in traditional medicine and Iranian cuisine. It grows wild in the region from the Canary Islands over the Mediterranean area to Iran and Afghanistan. The word [sumac] is derived from Aramaic word [sumaqa] which means red. Aside from some studies on sumac as an antioxidant, an anti hyperglycemic, and an anti hyperuricemic agent, many articles have been recently published on antimicrobial activities of sumac because of the advent of new microbial resistances and the need to find new antimicrobial agents. Reviewing the articles suggests that total extracts of sumac fruit have antibacterial activity against both Gram- positive and Gram- negative bacteria but it also shows that sumac fruit has no effect on fungi and anaerobics. More investigation should be conducted on: 1] Fractionization of total extracts and purification of their components to recognize safety use of and ability of sumac as an antimicrobial; 2] Effects of sumac on resistant bacteria and its potential capability as an antimicrobial agent

effects of autoclaving, salt and protein on antimicrobial activities of Iranian sumac

Although many compounds have already approved for use in food as antimicrobials, research for finding greater number of these compounds are still interesting because most currently approved food antimicrobials have limited applications due to food compound interactions. Finding new food antimicrobials requires expensive investigations. Traditional herbal antimicrobial agents like sumac can play an important role. If it is demanded to promote sumac to the rank of a food antimicrobial agent, its stability and interactions must be evaluated. The evaluation of sumac heat stability was done by measuring MICs and MBCs of the extract against some food- related bacteria in extreme condition of autoclaving. The main components of sumac extract are tannic compounds. Tannins have interactions with salt and proteins, and they become sediment in such conditions. Antimicrobial activities of the extract were measured by well diffusion method in the presence of salt and protein and compared with the activities of pure extract. The results show that sumac is heat stable but has interactions with salt and proteins that reduce its activity against Gram- negatives