Applications of Dietary Supplements and Aromatherapy for Prophylactic and Treatment Purposes During COVID-19 Pandemic.

Objectives: The lack of a specific proven treatment for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has led individuals to use different treatment options. Although their effects on COVID-19 have not been proven, interest in dietary supplements and aromatherapy has increased during the pandemic period. In this study, use of dietary supplements and aromatherapy was investigated for COVID-19 among individuals living within the borders of Türkiye. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional survey study was conducted among 310 individuals. The questionnaire was prepared using online Google Forms and communicated to the participants via social media platforms. The data obtained from the study were analyzed with the statistical program. Results: The analyzes of the survey revealed that participants increased the usage of supplements mostly prophylactic and for treatment purposes during COVID-19 pandemic, 31.9% individuals declared that they consumed herbal tea/products, 38.1% of them used vitamin/mineral supplements (multivitamin-mineral, vitamins B1, B6, B12, C, D, calcium, coenzyme Q10, iron, magnesium, selenium, and zinc), and 18.4% of the individuals applied aromatherapy (meaning treatment with essential oils). As a result of the study, the most commonly used supplement was vitamin D, the most commonly consumed tea was green tea, the essential oil was thyme oil, and the most eaten vegetable was garlic. Moreover, other frequently used herbal products were found to contain ginger and onion as food and peppermint and eucalyptus oils as aromatherapeutics. Participants often reported that they found it safe to use elevated levels of herbs or herbal products against COVID-19. Conclusion: Among the individuals participating in this study, it has been observed that the use of dietary supplements has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic period. The study revealed that vitamin D is prominent in self-medication use. Moreover, interest in aromatherapy and dietary supplements has increased. Among aromatherapeutics, thyme stood out over the applied essential oils.

Use of Herbal Tea/Herbal Preparations for Children with Symptoms of Viral Upper Respiratory Infections.

Objectives: Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are common in children. To treat the symptoms of simple health problems, individuals look for natural healing methods that can be easily prepared at home. The aim of this study was to determine the plants and herbal products used by the parents of children suffering from viral upper respiratory tract symptoms by questionaire. In the study, applications and products, other than plants used by families for their children were also investigated. Materials and Methods: This study is a cross-sectional survey conducted at Faculty of Medicine, Gazi University (Ankara, Türkiye). A questionnaire form was used by scanning the existing literature and reviewed with the patients face to face by the researchers. The data obtained from the study were analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) statistical program. Results: About half of the participants reported that they used non-chemical drug practices for their children with upper RTIs. The most common practice was to prepare herbal tea (30.5%), followed by mandarin/orange and/or their juice (26.9%) for oral application. The most used herbal tea for upper RTIs is with linden (Tilia sp.). Patients who used linden usually prepared it as tea, in other words by infusion, and served their children 1-2 cups/1-3 times a week. Except for herbal tea, the participants mostly used honey (19.0%) for their children's symptoms. Conclusion: Where available, appropriate doses and dosage forms of herbal supplement products with scientifically proven efficacy and safety should be determined for the pediatric population. Parents should use these products based on the recommendations of their pediatrician.

Synthesis and Characterization of Copper-Nanoflowers with the Utilization of Medicinal Plant Extracts for Enhanced Various Enzyme Inhibitory Activities.

In this study, organic-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers were synthesized using methanolic extracts of the medicinal plants Ajuga chamaepitys subsp. chia var. chia, Achillea wilhelmsii, Bongardia chrysogonum, Malva sylvestris, Phlomis grandiflora var. grandiflora, Verbascum sp. together with copper ions (Cu2+ ). The synthesized plant extract based-inorganic hybrid nanoflowers (PE-ihNFs) of A. chamaepitys subsp. chia var. chia (Ac-ihNFs), A. wilhelmsii (Aw-ihNfs), B. chrysogonum (Bc-ihNFs), M. sylvestris (Ms-ihNFs) P. grandiflora var. grandiflora (Pg-ihNFs), and Verbascum sp. (Vs-ihNFs) were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy-Dispersive X-ray (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FTIR), and X-Ray Diffraction (XRD). Also, several enzymes were selected to evaluate the enzyme inhibition activities of the synthesized PE-ihNFs. For the first-time, enzymes, tyrosinase, α-amylase and α-glucosidase, acetyl and butyryl cholinesterase inhibition activities of the PE-ihNFs with comparison to their plain plant extracts were evaluated in vitro. Results show that the among all the analyzed PE-ihNFs, demonstrated better α-glucosidase & α-amylase enzyme inhibition activity compared to the plain extracts. These initial studies are promising for the synthesis of these hybrid nanoflowers containing medicinal plant extracts, which might have commercial applications in the pharmaceutical and dermo-cosmetics industries.

In Vitro Evaluation of Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, Antimicrobial and Wound Healing Potential of Thymus Sipyleus Boiss. Subsp. Rosulans (Borbas) Jalas.

Thymus sipyleus Boiss. subsp. rosulans (Borbas) Jalas (TS) is a commonly used plant in the treatment of various complaints, including skin wounds in Turkish folk medicine. Despite the widespread traditional use of TS, there is not any scientific report confirming the effectiveness of this plant on the healing process. This research aimed to investigate the effects of different extracts obtained from TS on biological events during wound healing, on a cellular basis. In this context, proliferative activities of the extracts, as well as the effects on wound closure and hydroxyproline synthesis, were determined. In addition to wound healing properties, the antioxidant, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory activities of the extracts were evaluated. Decoction (D) and infusion (I) extracts contained the highest amount of phenolic content and showed the most potent activity against DPPH radical. All extracts exhibited complete protection against the damage induced by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) by increasing cell viability compared to only H2O2-treated groups, both in co-treatment and pre-treatment protocols. None of the extracts exhibited cytotoxic activity, and most of the extracts from the TS stimulated fibroblast proliferation and migration. All TS extracts exert anti-inflammatory activity by suppressing the overproduction of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO). The most pronounced activity on hydroxyproline synthesis was observed in D extract. In summary, it was observed that TS extracts can promote the healing process by enhancing fibroblast migration, proliferation and collagen synthesis as well as suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines. The obtained data in this work support the traditional use of TS as a valuable plant-based compound for the treatment of wounds.

Cuscuta arvensis Beyr "Dodder": In Vivo Hepatoprotective Effects Against Acetaminophen-Induced Hepatotoxicity in Rats.

Cuscuta arvensis Beyr. is a parasitic plant, and commonly known as "dodder" in Europe, in the United States, and "tu si zi shu" in China. It is one of the preferred spices used in sweet and savory dishes. Also, it is used as a folk medicine for the treatment particularly of liver problems, knee pains, and physiological hepatitis, which occur notably in newborns and their mothers in the southeastern part of Turkey. The purpose of this study was to investigate the hepatoprotective effects and antioxidant activities of aqueous and methanolic extracts of C. arvensis Beyr. on acetaminophen (APAP)-induced acute hepatotoxicity in rats. The results were supported by subsequent histopathological studies. The hepatoprotective activity of both the aqueous and methanolic extracts at an oral dose of 125 and 250 mg/kg was investigated by observing the reduction levels or the activity of alkaline phosphatase, alkaline transaminase, aspartate aminotransferase, blood urine nitrogen, and total bilirubin content. In vivo antioxidant activity was determined by analyzing the serum superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, glutathione, and catalase levels. Chromatographic methods were used to isolate biologically active compounds from the extract, and spectroscopic methods were used for structure elucidation. Both the methanolic and aqueous extracts exerted noticable hepatoprotective and antioxidant effects supporting the folkloric usage of dodder. One of the bioactive compounds was kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside, isolated and identified from the methanolic extract.

Liver immunology and herbal treatment.

Beyond the metabolic functions, the liver recently has been defined as an organ of immune system (IS), which have central regulatory role for innate and adaptive immunity. The liver keeps a delicate balance between hepatic screening of pathogenic antigens and immune tolerance to self-antigens. Herbal treatments with immunological effects have potential to alter this hepatic immune balance towards either therapeutic side or diseases side by inducing liver injury via hepatotoxicity or initiation of autoimmune diseases. Most commonly known herbal treatments, which have therapeutic effect on liver and IS, have proven via in vitro, in vivo, and/or clinical studies were summarized in this review.

Melatonin in Edible and Non-Edible Plants.

The concept of melatonin has become more important recently both in plants and in human who utilize plants for nutritional and health purposes. Melatonin, synthesized from L-tryptophan by enzyms, protects plants against difficult conditions. People have consumed these plants for their antioxidant, immunomodulator, antiinflammatory and anticancer effects. In parts of edible and non-edible plants, levels of melatonin are determined by cyclodextrin-modified micellar electrokinetic chromatography, enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay, radioimmunoassay, high-performance liquid chromatography, liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection, liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and liquid chromatography-ultraviolet spectrophotometry. In this review, biosynthesis of melatonin in both animal and plants, function of melatonin in plant kingdom, especially in medicinal/edible and nonedible plants, and detection of phytomelatonin content in those plants are presented.