Research on Southern Herbs and Li Medical Plants in Hainan

The current situation, development advantages and presenting problems of southern herbs and Li medical plants in Hainan Province were analyzed in this pa-per. ln addition, some ideas and solutions were proposed, providing a reference to government departments and investors.

Recommended Medicinal Plants as Source of Natural Products:A Review

Natural product is one of the sources of drugs in pharmaceutical industry,and one of the notable origin of natural product is the medicinal plants.Medicinal plants tend to cure some certain diseases and could be a source for potential drugs.The Department of Health of the Philippines approved 10 medicinal plants namely Allium sativum(Garlic/Bawang),Blumea balsamifera(Nagal camphor/sambong),Cassia alata(Ringworm bush/akapulko),Clinopodium douglasii(Mint/yerba Buena),Ehretia microphylla(Scorpion bush/Tsaang Gubat),Momordica charantia(Bitter Melon/Ampalaya),Peperomia pellucida(Silver bush/ulasimang Bato),Psidium guajava(Guava/Bayabas),Quisqualis indica(Rangoon creeper/niyug-niyogan),and Vitex negundo(Five-leaved Chaste Tree/lagundi).The review was conducted to show that these medicinal plants are capable in treating infections and some diseases.It was found that Allium sativum for the treatmet of wounds,hypertension and tootache;Blumea balsimifera is effective in diuretic treatment for hypertension;Cassia alata for the treatment of scabies,fungal infection,athlete’s foot,tinea flava,ringworm;Clinopodium douglasii for the treatment of muscle pain,arthritis,rheumatism,cough,headache;Ehretia microphylla for the treatment of diarrhea and stomachache;Momordica charantia for the treatment of diabetes mellitus;Peperomia pellucida for the treatment of gout and rheumatism;Psidium guajava for the treatment of wounds and diarrhea;Quisqualis indica for anti-helmintic medicine;and Vitex negundo for the treatment of cough,asthma,and fever.In conclusion,these 10 medicinal plants have natural products that can be used as source for potential drugs.However,there are still many species of ethnobotanical plants that are not yet investigated thoroughly and might be a source for potential drugs.Therefore,more investigations should be done in other species of plant,most especially for the plants with practical used.

Selection and validation of reference genes for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analyses of Serratia ureilytica DW2

Background:Serratia ureilytica DW2 is a highly efficient phosphate-solubilizing bacteria isolated from Codonopsis pilosula rhizosphere soil that can promote the growth of C.pilosula;nonetheless,until now,no validated reference genes from the genus Serratia have been reported that can be used for the normalization of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction(RT–qPCR)data.Methods:To screen stable reference genes of S.ureilytica DW2,the expression of its eight candidate reference genes(16S rRNA,ftsZ,ftsA,mreB,recA,slyD,thiC,and zipA)under different treatment conditions(pH,temperature,culture time,and salt content)was assayed by RT–qPCR.The expression stability of these genes was analyzed using different algorithms(geNorm,NormFinder,and BestKeeper).To verify the reliability of the data,the expression of the glucose dehydrogenase(gdh)gene under different soluble phosphate levels was quantified using the most stably expressed reference gene.Results:The results showed that the zipA and 16S rRNA genes were the most stable reference genes,and the least stable genes were thiC and recA.The expression of gdh was consistent with the phosphate solubilization ability on plates containing the National Botanical Research Institute phosphate growth medium.Conclusion:Therefore,this study provides a stable and reliable reference gene of Serratia for the accurate quantification of functional gene expression in future studies.

Jamu-A Healthy Drink of Indonesia

Jamu is traditional herbal medicine and a healthy drink considered by some Indonesians to be a primary element in their lives. The term ofjamu may be derived from ancient Javanese language ＂Djampi＂ that means a healing method using herb during the era of Ancient Java emerged since the 9th century AD. Jamu is consume either in fresh or in processed one. Some jamu sellers still found carrying their wares, in a basket fastened to their torsos using a sling made of fabric, and visit door to door in local neighborhoods. The name is Jamu gendong. The use of the j amu remains the same as the ancestors did. The visible proof is the use of traditional herbal medicine of various type of ＂medical plants＂, either from the leaves, the fruits, the roots, the flowers or the barks, etc. It is truly back to nature. These herbal medicine had been used since the ancient time up to now, it is largely consumed by people of different levels： lower, middle and upper, in the villages and in the big cities. Jamu as a cultural heritage has a big potential asset of Indonesia and is also one of Indonsia＇s cultural products based on local resources and the creativity of the nation. Indonesia has natural resourses of plants totaling about 30,000 species of flowering plants, which is the third largest in the world after Brazil and Zaire, including 7,000 species of medicinal plants, 940 species one could buy easily readymade jamu packed modernly in the form of powder, pills, capsules, drinking liquid and ointments. Of course there are still jamu shops, which only sell for those have been identified, 283 species are listed as raw materials that are used routinely in the medicine industry. Jamu from time to time has been widely accepted in almost every country in the world. It is not only as a preventive maintenance, but also as a curative treatment for acute and chronic treatment. At present ingredients ofjamu and its preparation spot as required by buyers. Some women are roaming the street to sell jamu, which is a common view across the country. At present time, jamu has also been produced in mass by manufacturers for export, and mostly concerns on quality, consistency, and cleanliness either locally or internationally distributed.

Purification and Characterization of a New Ribosome Inactivating Protein from Cinchonaglycoside C-treated Tobacco Leaves

A new ribosome-inactivating protein （RIP） with a molecular weight of 31 kDa induced by Cinchonaglycoside C （1） designated CIP31, was isolated from tobacco leaves. Analysis of this protein sequence indicated that it belongs to the RIP family and it was distinct from the other plant RIPs reported previously at its N-terminal amino acid sequence. CIP31 can directly impair synthesis of coat protein （CP） of tobacco mosaic virus （TMV）, which resulted in inhibition of TMV long distance movement and multiplication in tobacco plants at concentrations of ng/mL. Furthermore, no toxicity was shown to the growth and fertility of the plants. CIP31 was synthesized only in the presence of Cinchonaglycoside C （1） and was independent of the salicylic acid （SA） signal pathway. We provided evidence for the SA-independent biological induction of resistance.

Moisture-dependent physical and mechanical properties of cumin(Cuminum cyminum L.)seed

Some physical and mechanical properties of cumin seed were obtained as moisture content changed from 7.24%to 21.38%d.b.Increasing of moisture content was found to increase the seed length(5.14-5.58 mm),width(1.33-1.55 mm),thickness(0.97-1.05 mm),arithmetic mean diameter(2.48-2.73),geometric mean diameter(1.88-2.09 mm),surface area(10.34-12.66 mm^(2)),thousand seed weight(2.9-3.9 g),porosity(51.22%-64.11%),true density(917.8-1030.6 kg/m3),static angle of repose(43-49 deg),dynamic angle of repose(47-56.6 deg),and coefficient of static friction on the three surfaces:glass(0.48-0.77),galvanized iron sheet(0.36-0.73),and plywood(0.57-0.69).However,bulk density was found to decrease from 447.66-369.88 kg/m3,and rupture force and rupture energy along with seed length and width were found to decrease from 83.74-56.17 N,132.95-84.47 N,50.66-27.52 mJ,and 67.8 to 33.36 mJ,respectively.The sphericity increased from 36.63%to 37.5%with increasing in moisture content from 7.24%to 14.5%d.b.and then reduced to 37.5%with further increase in moisture content to 21.38%d.b.