<i>Tithonia diversifolia</i>Leaves and Stems Use as Substrate Amendment Promote the Growth of Plantain Vivoplants in the Nursery

Tithonia diversifolia is a year-round weed that decomposes rapidly after application as a soil amendment and it is more and more used in agriculture due to its numerous properties. The use of Tithonia diversifolia in the production of plantain vivoplants is a great opportunity for small holders’ farmers that cannot easily buy chemical inputs for yield improvement. All plant parts are used because of their richness in nutrients, mineral elements and phytochemicals without knowing which part is the most efficient. Tithonia diversifolia used as substrate amendment for plantain vivoplants production in nursery could promote their growth. This study aims to evaluate the effect of T. diversifolia leaves and stems as substrate amendment on plantain vivoplants growth promotion. The vivoplants were produced in substrates amended with T. diversifolia leaves, stems, combination of leaves and stems, and control without amendment. The vegetative growth parameters (number of shoots, height and diameter of shoots, area of shoots leaves) were assessed in sterilized substrate and unsterilized substrate conditions. T. diversifolia leaves and stems treatment increases the number of shoots, the height and the diameter of shoots as well as the area of shoots leaves compared to the control. T. diversifolia stems are the more efficient treatment, followed by the combination of T. diversifolia leaves and stems and finally the T. diversifolia leaves. They act as a biofertilizer promoting thus, the growth of plantain vivoplants in the nursery. All parts of Tithonia diversifolia can therefore be used by poor small holder farmers, as green manure for soil amendment in a green agriculture context.

Traditional and modern aspects of hemorrhoid treatment in Iran:a review

Hemorrhoidal disease is a prevalent anorectal condition which is generally not managed well with cur- rent pharmacologic interventions. However, in Iranian traditional medicine （ITM） there are numerous plants with hemorrhoid-healing properties. The present research assembled plants with hemorrhoid- healing properties in ITM; their related pharmacological effects, phytochemical constituents and mech- anisms of action in the modern medicine were also gathered. For this purpose, leading ITM textbooks were searched for plants with hemorrhoid-healing effects. Further, in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies on the most cited species were considered using scientific databases. Studying ITM textbooks revealed 37 medicinal plants with hemorrhoid-healing effects. Among the mentioned herbal medicines, six species, including Allium ampeloprasum, Phyllanthus emblica, Aloe vera, Terminalia chebula, Vitis vinifera and Comrniphora mukul, had the largest number of related pharmacological effects documented in scientific databases. These herbs from ITM should be considered as important resources for producing novel drugs for hemorrhoid treatment.