Zhu Fan Zhi and the Maritime Road of Aromatic Medicine in the Song Dynasty

Zhao Rukuo's Zhu Fan Zhi in the Southern Song dynasty was the first book in the history of China to systematically describe the “Maritime Silk Road”, recording the geography, products, customs, trade, etc. of more than 50 foreign countries and regions. The book included a large amount of medical literature, introducing medical customs and the production of drugs in various places, as well as the efficacy of some medicine. These materials are of unique value for understanding the medicine trade in the Song dynasty, and even the medical culture along the “Maritime Road of Aromatic Medicine”.

Physiology of medicinal and aromatic plants under drought stress

Drought poses a significant challenge,restricting the productivity of medicinal and aromatic plants.The strain induced by drought can impede vital processes like respiration and photosynthesis,affecting various aspects of plants’growth and metabolism.In response to this adversity,medicinal plants employ mechanisms such as morphological and structural adjustments,modulation of drought-resistant genes,and augmented synthesis of secondary metabolites and osmotic regulatory substances to alleviate the stress.Extreme water scarcity can lead to leaf wilting and may ultimately result in plant death.The cultivation and management of medicinal plants under stress conditions often differ from those of other crops.This is because the main goal with medicinal plants is not only to increase the yield of the above-ground parts but also to enhance the production of active ingredients such as essential oils.To elucidate these mechanisms of drought resistance in medicinal and aromatic plants,the current review provides a summary of recent literature encompassing studies on the morphology,physiology,and biochemistry of medicinal and aromatic plants under drought conditions.

Ancient and modern medication laws of aromatic Chinese medicines in treating angina pectoris based on data mining

Objective To explore ancient and modern medication laws of aromatic Chinese medicines in treating angina pectoris, and to provide new ideas for the clinical treatment.Methods With “angina pectoris” as the key word, ancient books prescriptions and Chinese patent medicines related to angina pectoris were collected from China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI), Traditional Chinese Medicine Database System, Chinese Medicine Prescription Database, New National Proprietary Chinese Medicine(2 nd edition), and Chinese Pharmacopoeia(2020 edition) from January 1, 2015 to December 31, 2021. Core highfrequency aromatic Chinese medicines were defined, and their potential medication rules were analyzed and summarized. Microsoft Access 2010 was used for data management. Data analysis software, including Excel and IBM SPSS Modeler 18.0 were used for drug association rule analysis, and Cytoscape 3.7.2 for visual display.Results There were 67 ancient books prescriptions and 258 Chinese patent medicines containing aromatic Chinese medicines treating angina pectoris collected from relevant databases. In ancient books prescriptions, there were nine aromatic Chinese medicines with the frequency ≥10, and the most commonly used medicine was Danggui(Angelicae Sinensis Radix), followed by Chenpi(Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium). There were 33 aromatic Chinese medicines with the frequency ≥10 in Chinese patent medicines, and the most commonly used medicine was Danshen(Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma), followed by Chuanxiong(Chuanxiong Rhizoma) and Sanqi(Notoginseng Radix et Rhizoma). In ancient books prescriptions, the medicines mainly belonged to intenal-warming medicines, Qi-regulating medicines, and blood circulation promoting and blood stasis removing medicines.There were eight medicine pairs with confidence equal to 100% in ancient books prescriptions, the most frequently used pairs were Chuanxiong(Chuanxiong Rhizoma) +Danggui(Angelicae Sinensis Radix), and Xiangfu(Cyperi Rhizoma) + Chenpi(Citri Reticulatae Pericarpium). In Chinese patent medicines, the aromatic Chinese medicine Chuanxiong(Chuanxiong Rhizoma) could be combined with many other Chinese medicines, among which the Confidence and Support of Chuanxiong(Chuanxiong Rhizoma) + Danshen(Salviae Miltiorrhizae Radix et Rhizoma) were at a high level.Conclusion Aromatic Chinese medicines for the treatment of angina pectoris of coronary heart disease are mainly warm, and the flavors are mainly pungent, sweet, and bitter. They mainly access to the liver, gallbladder, and pericardium meridians. The treatment of angina pectoris of coronary heart disease mainly focuses on warming heart pulse, and promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis.

Distribution pattern and conservation of threatened medicinal and aromatic plants of Central Himalaya, India

A study was conducted to examine the distribution pattern of four rhizomatous medicinal and aromatic plant species （MAPs） viz., Angelica glauca, Pleurospermum angelicoides, Rheum emodi and Arne- bia benthamii in different forest stands in Central Himalaya. Results show that A. glauca and P. angelicoides had a higher （50%） frequency at Chipkoan, Garpak and Phagati forest, R. emodi had a higher （60%） frequency at Rishikund, Suki and Himtoli, and A. benthamii had a higher （70%） frequency at Suki and Khambdhar The densities of A. glauca （0.6 plants·m -2 ） and P. angelicoides （0.5 plants·m -2 ） were higher at Chipkoan and Garpak sites than at other micro-sites, while densities of R. emodi （0.8 plants·m -2 ） and A. benthamii （1.0 plants·m -2 ） were higher at Suki and Khambdhar sites. A. glauca had highest total basal covers （TBC） （1.2 cm 2 ·m -2 ） at Chipkoan, P. angelicoides had highest TBC （0.92 cm 2 ·m -2） at Lati kharak site, A. benthamii had the highest TBC （6.48 cm 2 ·m -2 ） atKhambdhar, and R. emodi had highest TBC （4.53 cm 2 ·m -2 ） at Rishikund. For the four studied species, A. glauca showed a contagious distribution, P. angelicoides and R. emodi showed the random and A. benthamii showed the regular type of distribution.

Some Antimicrobial Activity Plants Growing in Rize Region Used in Alternative Medicine

Rize has a different and special flora because of its geographical position, climate, and topography. The natural plants of Rize have a very big usage potential and value in some sort of intrustrial branches. In particular, the antimicrobial activity of natural plant oils and extracts has formed the basis of many applications, including raw and processed food preservation, pharmaceuticals, alternative medicine and natural therapies： These natural plants can be listed as follows： Artemisia absinthium L., Achi[[ea millefolium L., Astragalus schizopterus Boiss, Ajuga orientalis L., Humulus lupulus L,, Mentha longifolia L., Melissa officinalis L., Thymus pseudopulegioides Klokov et Des., Plantago major L., Rhus L., Hypericum perforatum L., Camellia chinensis L., Taraxacum officinale Wobb., duniperus communis L., etc.. In the present study, the bio-eco-morphological features of some antimicrobial activity plants, their active substance content, their effectuality and usage as traditional medicine in Rize region were discussed. It was observed that these herbs are preferred by experts and they are sold in the neighborhood markets and spice stores, and the local people are quite interested in these medicinal herbs.

Enabling Sustainable Management of Non Wood Forest Products in South East Europe-Albania＇s Experience

The paper sheds light on the factors enabling sustainable development of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants （MAPs） of Albania; socio-economic, legal and regulatory aspects and institutional capacity related to the MAP sector in the country; sector dynamics, challenges and opportunities; and Albania＇s positioning in the world markets. Stewardship of MAPs natural base in the country remains a challenge as approximately 95% of the MAPs are collected from the wild. Albania continues to be the leader in Sage exports to the US market accounting for 49% of its market share. Statistical data and direct communication with MAP relevant stakeholders reveal that there is a great demand for the Albanian MAPs from the EU and US markets. However, as clearly indicated in this paper, increased competitiveness of this sector in the world markets should be preceded by sustainable management of the MAPs which can be achieved through （1） continuous training and education of the MAP value chain members prior to harvesting season, （2） organic production and （3） commercial cultivation of MAPs. This paper highlights that sustainable management and sector development require combined efforts of all sector stakeholders in an attempt of all respecting Mother Nature＇s generosity, and if harvesting as living forever.

Effect of mixed-cropping and water-stress on macro-nutrients and biochemical constituents of rhizomatous medicinal plants in Central Himalaya,India

Plants in the alpine zone mainly depend on the reserved food materials stored in their rhizomes for the next growing season. We investigated the effect of mixed cropping （Phaseolus vulgaris L. var. Pinto） with four rhizomatous medicinal plants, i.e., Angelica glauca, Arnebia benthamii, Rheum emodi and Pleurospermum angelicoides as well as three levels of water stress treatment under two conditions （shade net and open field） on macronutrients （NPK） and biochemicals （carbohydrates and protein）. The experiment was conducted by completely randomized design （CDR）. The data were analyzed with ANOVA as well as CDR. The experimental results show that in all the species shade conditions with sever water stress （SSWS） increased the level of macronutrients （NPK）. However, （N） concentration was highest under shade with mixed cropping （SMIX）. Under SMIX, carbohydrate content was highest than open field control conditions （CONT）. This investigation results demon- strate that mixed cropping of medicinal plants with Phaseolus vulgaris could be a good livelihood option in the mountainous regions of Indian Central Himalaya. And the water-stress conditions along with mixed cropping could improve the biochemical constituents in the rhizome of these species.

Aromatic,Medicinal Plants and Vulnerability of Traditional Herbal Knowledge in a Berber Community of the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco

This article compliments the S18 session( transmission of traditional ecological knowledge and conservation of medicinal plants) at the 13th International Congress of Ethnobiology( ISE) in Montpellier,France( May2012). The aim of the article is to provide an insight into the livelihoods of a Berber community,a village of the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco,of the local biodiversity and most importantly,the prevalent use of medicinal plants for primary health care. It seeks to demonstrate the value of traditional ecological and herbal knowledge for the subsistence of the community and emphasises the vital role that family and community connections play for the transmission of traditional herbal knowledge within the community.

ROLE OF MEDICINAL AND AROMATIC PLANTS IN MODERN URBAN COMMUNITIES OF BRUSSELS

Medicinal and aromatic plants(MAPs)have been used by humans for centuries.A big part of the knowledge and interest in MAPs was lost during periods of intensive industrialisation and urbanisation.According to the estimations of the United Nations,the world urban population is expected to increase by 84%by 2050.