An ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal plants used in the traditional treatment of human infertility in eastern Algeria

Objective:To summarize medicinal plants used in the treatment of couple fertility disorders.Methods:An ethnopharmacological survey was conducted with 30 traditional healers from some localities of Skikda region in eastern Algeria.A standard questionnaire was used in the interview which focused mainly:the treated fertility disorders,the used medicinal plants species,parts used,and preparation methods.The relative frequency of citation and percentages of infertility troubles were calculated and analyzed.Results:The most important treated disorders in men were dysfunction of libido(44.22%),low sperm concentration and motility(25.33%),low semen volume(17.67%)and prostate disorders(5.66%).Women were treated mainly for menstruation disorders(35.32%),breast problems(29.53%)and sexual asthenia(25.82%).The survey identified 28 plant species belonging to 15 families,used by different ethnic groups,particularly women(58.00%),to address different fertility disorders.Three plant families were largely used viz Lamiaceae,Asteraceae,and Apiaceae.In term of relative frequency citation,ten dominated plant species were:Zingiber officinalis L.(0.96),Nigella sativa L.(0.83),Lepidium sativum L.(0.80),Capsicum annuum L.(0.60),Cuminum cyminum L.(0.56),Origanum vulgare L.(0.55),Allium sativum L.(0.50),Petroselinum sativum L.(0.43),Salvia officinalis L.(0.42),and Foeniculum vulgare L.(0.40).A number of investigated plants were scientifically confirmed by phytochemical and pharmacological studies to have one or more significant effects on couple fertility.However,much controversy was found in literature concerning the efficacy of some cited plants.Conclusions:The study highlights the important use of medicinal plants in management of couple infertility in eastern Algeria.More experimental studies are recommended to confirm or to refute these traditional uses and to ascertain the safety of these medicinal plants to consumers.

Anti-hypercholesterolemic effect of Pistacia lentiscus fatty oil in egg yolk-fed rabbits: a comparative study with simvastatin

AIM: The current study was undertaken to assess anti-hyperlipidemic activity of Pistacia lentiscus fatty oil(PLFO) in rabbits following a hyperlipidemic diet. METHOD: Twenty healthy female(WNZ) rabbits were divided into four groups of five animals each:(a) normal control(NC group) receiving standard diet,(b) hyperlipidemic control(EY) group receiving standard diet and gavaged daily with egg yolk(10 mL),(c) hyperlipidemic + PLFO(EY + PLFO) group receiving as the EY group and treated daily with PLFO(2 mL/kg BW,(d) hyperlipidemic + simvastatin(EY + SVS) group receiving as the EY group and treated once daily with 2.5 mg/kg BW of simvastatin. At the end of the six-week experimental period, the lipidemic profiles of the different groups were investigated. RESULTS: In the EY group, the egg yolk resulted in a significant increase of total cholesterol(TC), triglycerides(TG), HDL-C, LDL-C, and the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio. Both the EY + PLFO and EY + SVS groups, when compared to the EY group, showed a significant decrease of TC, TG, LDL-C, and the LDL-C/HDL-C ratio. However, with respect to HDL-C the differences were not significant. The TGs were significantly lower(P < 0.001) in the simvastatin-treated group when compared to rabbits treated in the PLFO group. CONCLUSION: The study concludes that P. lentiscus fatty oil(PLFO) possesses anti-hyperlipidemic properties at least in reducing total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides.