Recent trends of machine learning applied to multi-source data of medicinal plants

In traditional medicine and ethnomedicine,medicinal plants have long been recognized as the basis for materials in therapeutic applications worldwide.In particular,the remarkable curative effect of traditional Chinese medicine during corona virus disease 2019(COVID-19)pandemic has attracted extensive attention globally.Medicinal plants have,therefore,become increasingly popular among the public.However,with increasing demand for and profit with medicinal plants,commercial fraudulent events such as adulteration or counterfeits sometimes occur,which poses a serious threat to the clinical outcomes and interests of consumers.With rapid advances in artificial intelligence,machine learning can be used to mine information on various medicinal plants to establish an ideal resource database.We herein present a review that mainly introduces common machine learning algorithms and discusses their application in multi-source data analysis of medicinal plants.The combination of machine learning algorithms and multi-source data analysis facilitates a comprehensive analysis and aids in the effective evaluation of the quality of medicinal plants.The findings of this review provide new possibilities for promoting the development and utilization of medicinal plants.

A Comparative Analysis of the Chloroplast Genomes of Four Salvia Medicinal Plants

Herbgenomics is an emerging field of traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)research and development.By combining TCM research with genomics,herbgenomics can help to establish the scientific validity of TCM and bring it into wider usage within the field of medicine.Salvia Linn.(S.Linn.)is a large genus of Labiatae that includes important medicinal plants.In this herbgenomics study,the complete chloroplast(cp)genomes of two Salvia spp.—namely,S.przewalskii and S.bulleyana,which are used as a surrogate for S.miltiorrhiza—were sequenced and compared with those of two other reported Salvia spp.—namely,S.miltiorrhiza and S.japonica.The genome organization,gene number,type,and repeat sequences were compared.The annotation results showed that both Salvia plants contain 114 unique genes,including 80 protein-coding,30 transfer RNA(tRNA),and four ribosomal RNA(rRNA)genes.Repeat sequence analysis revealed 21 forward and 22 palindromic sequences in both Salvia cp genomes,and 17 and 21 tandem repeats in S.przewalskii and S.bulleyana,respectively.A synteny comparison of the Salvia spp.cp genomes showed a high degree of sequence similarity in the coding regions and a relatively high divergence of the intergenic spacers.Pairwise alignment and single-nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)analyses found some candidate fragments to identify Salvia spp.,such as the intergenic region of the trnV–ndhC,trnQ–rps16,atpI–atpH,psbA–ycf3,ycf1,rpoC2,ndhF,matK,rpoB,rpoA,and accD genes.All of the results—including the repeat sequences and SNP sites,the inverted repeat(IR)region border,and the phylogenetic analysis—showed that S.przewalskii and S.bulleyana are extremely similar from a genetic standpoint.The cp genome sequences of the two Salvia spp.reported here will pave the way for breeding,species identification,phylogenetic evolution,and cp genetic engineering studies of Salvia medicinal plants.

Caraway as Important Medicinal Plants in Management of Diseases

Carum carvi or caraway is traditionally used for treatment of indigestion,pneumonia,and as appetizer,galactagogue,and carminative.Essential oil,fixed oil and many other valuable extractive compounds with industrial applications are prepared from caraway.This review article has new deep research on caraway as medicinal plant.For preparing the manuscript,the information was extracted from accessible international databases(Google scholar,PubMed,Science direct,Springer,and Wiley),electronic resources and traditional books by key word of caraway or Carum carvi.The results of traditional studies exhibited that the galactagogue and carminative effects of caraway fruits are superior to other effects.Although,the traditional scholars used it as appetizer,while caraway was the main ingredient of anti-obesity drugs in traditional medicine,which has been confirmed in two modern clinical trials of human studies.Caraway oil in combination with peppermint oil or menthol is used for treatment of functional dyspepsia in clinical studies.Caraway oil topically on abdomen relieves the IBS symptoms in patient.Although,the use of caraway oil is not recommended in adults under 18 years due to insufficient data,but it can topically use as anti-colic and carminative agent in children or infants.The antiaflatoxigenic,antioxidant and antimicrobial effects of caraway oil along with its reputation as spice help the industries to use it as natural preservatives and antioxidant agents.

Distribution patterns and industry planning of commonly used traditional Chinese medicinal plants in China

Medicinal plants are the primary material basis for disease prevention and treatment in traditional Chinese medicine(TCM).The conservation and sustainable utilization of these medicinal plants is critical for the development of the TCM industry.However,wild medicinal plant resources have sharply declined in recent decades.To ameliorate the shortage of medicinal plant resources,it is essential to explore the development potential of the TCM industry in different geographical regions.For this purpose,we examined the spatial distribution of commonly used medicinal plants in China,the number of Chinese medicinal material markets,and the number of TCM decoction piece enterprises.Specifically,multispecies superimposition analysis and Thiessen polygons were used to reveal the optimal range for planting bulk medicinal plants and the ideal regions for building Chinese medicinal material markets,respectively.Furthermore,we quantitatively analyzed mismatches between the spatial distribution of commonly used medicinal plant richness,Chinese medicinal material markets,and TCM decoction piece enterprises.We found that the areas suitable for growing commonly used medicinal plants in China were mainly distributed in Hengduan Mountain,Nanling Mountain,Wuling Mountain,and Daba Mountain areas.The Thiessen polygon network based on Chinese medicinal material market localities showed there are currently fewer markets in southwestern,northwestern,and northeastern China than in central and southern China.TCM decoction piece enterprises are concentrated in a few provinces,such as Hebei and Jiangxi.We found that the distribution of commonly used medicinal plants,Chinese medicinal material markets and TCM decoction piece enterprises are mismatched in Henan,Shaanxi,Hunan,Hubei,Zhejiang,Fujian,Chongqing,and Xizang.We recommend strengthening development of the TCM industry in Henan,Hunan,Zhejiang,Shaanxi,Hubei,Chongqing,Fujian,and Xizang;building more Chinese medicinal material markets in southwestern,northwestern,and northeastern China;and establishing medicinal plant nurseries in resource-rich provinces to better protect and domesticate local medicinal plants.

Larvicidal activities of hydro-ethanolic extracts of three Cameroonian medicinal plants against Aedes albopictus

Objective: To investigate the larvicidal activity of Syzygium guineense(Myrtaceae)(S. guineense), Monodora myristica and Zanthoxylum heitzii(Rutaceae)(Z. heitzii) extracts against Aedes albopictus(Ae. albopictus).Methods: The larvicidal activity of the hydro-ethanolic extracts from these plant species was assessed at three different concentrations(50, 100 and 200 mg/L) on first-instar of Ae. albopictus larvae in comparison with untreated controls. Mortality rate was recorded daily for a period of 12 days. The values of LC_(50) and lethal time killing 50% of the tested individuals(LT_(50)) were calculated using the log-probit analysis.Results: The root extract of S. guineense exhibited the best activity with 100% mortality after 8 days of treatment at 200 mg/L, followed by the fruit extract of Z. heitzii with83.33% mortality at the same concentration. Nonetheless, larvae were most susceptible to the fruit extract of Z. heitzii both in terms of LC_(50)(39.89 mg/L) and LT_(50)(145.68 h). A statistically significant difference between the control and the group treated at 200 mg/L was noticed in all the extracts.Conclusions: The present study shows that the hydro-ethanolic extracts of S. guineense,Monodora myristica and Z. heitzii tested have significant larvicidal activity. These preliminary results are of great interest and some of these plant species can be proposed for the formulation of new bioinsecticides to control Ae. albopictus populations.

Ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants from the Dragon Boat Festival herbal markets of Qianxinan, southwestern Guizhou, China

Dragon Boat Festival herbal markets in the Qianxinan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture of southwestern Guizhou have a long well-conserved history.These markets,which are a feature of Buyi and Miao traditional medicines,contain a rich diversity of medicinal plants and traditional medical knowledge.Today,people in southwestern Guizhou still believe that using herbs during the Dragon Boat Festival prevents and can treat disease.In this study,we identified the fresh herbal plants sold at the herbal markets of Xingren City and Zhenfeng County in Qianxinan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture and quantified their importance.We identified 141 plant species(belonging to 114 genera and 61 families).The plant family with the most species was Asteraceae(14 species).Informants reported that most medicinal plants are herbaceous,with 95.7%of plants used for decoction and 30.5%used for medicinal baths.Medicinal plants are most commonly used to treat rheumatism,injury,and abdominal diseases.The utilization frequency index and relative importance values indicated that Artemisia argyi and Acorus calamus are the most important plants sold at herbal markets during the Dragon Boat Festival.The price of medicinal materials sold in the market may serve as an indicator of the conservation status of species in the region.These findings indicate that the Dragon Boat Festival herbal markets in the Qianxinan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture fully embodies the characteristics of indigenous ethnomedicine and culture,and also exhibits the diversity of plant resources.We recommend that rare and endangered plants in this region be domesticated and protected.

Brucellosis: Pathophysiology and new promising treatments with medicinal plants and natural antioxidants

Brucellosis is an old, infectious and common zoonosis whose causative agents are Gramnegative bacteria from the Brucella genus. Brucellosis is transmitted through direct contactwith infected animals or using unpasteurized dairy products of goats, pigs, camels, sheep,buffalo and cows. Brucellosis is still the most common zoonosis in the world, with mostof cases occurring in developing countries. Today, an approach to traditional medicine andmedicinal plants, especially with regards to the repeated recommendations of the World HealthOrganization, is a necessity. One-third of chemical drugs are produced by using plants andthere is a high potential to produce more drugs from plants. Medicinal plants are helpful inthe management of various conditions, especially bacterial diseases. Although there is notenough scientific evidence regarding the clinical effectiveness of herbal drugs for the treatmentof brucellosis, there is strong evidence on the antimicrobial effects of herbal drugs to preventinfection. Therefore, this article seeks to describe the antibacterial effects of some plantderived essential oils or extracts, so that they can serve as promising choices to develop newanti-Brucella medications, as suitable alternatives to conventional antibiotics for brucellosis, asmuch as possible, taking into account the benefits of these herbal drugs.

Ethnomedicinal plants used in the treatment of skin diseases in Hyderabad Karnataka region,Karnataka,India

Objective:To document traditional medicinal plants knowledge used in treating skin diseases at Hyderabad Karnataka Region.Methods:The information on the use of medicinal plants in the treatment of skin diseases was gathered from traditional herbal healers and other villagers through interviews.Results:A total of 60 plants species belonging to 57 genera and 34 families were found useful and herewith described them along with the method of drug preparation,mode of administration,probable dosage and duration of treatment.Several new findings on the traditional rural practices were reported.Conclusions:The present study revealed that the Hyderabad Kamataka rural people is primarily dependent on medicinal plants for treating skin diseases.

The Application of Medicinal Plants in Traditional and Modern Medicine: A Review of <i>Thymus vulgaris</i>

Medicinal plants have played an essential role in the development of human culture. Medicinal plants are resources of traditional medicines and many of the modern medicines are produced indirectly from plants. This study illustrates the importance of traditional and modern medicines in the treatment and management of human diseases and ailments. It has been confirmed by WHO that herbal medicines serve the health needs of about 80 percent of the world’s population;especially for millions of people in the vast rural areas of developing countries. Meanwhile, consumers in developed countries are becoming disillusioned with modern health care and are seeking alternatives. Thymus vulgaris is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiacea. Thymus is a widely used medicinal plant in food and pharmaceutical industries. Among different species of Thymus, Thymus vulgaris is used more than other species in therapeutic dosage forms. In Traditional medicine T. vulgaris is cultivated in many countries by most people especially in rural areas depending on herbal medicines to treat many diseases including inflammation-related ailments such as rheumatism, muscle swelling, insect bites, pains, etc. Also the modern medicine in essential oil of thyme has demonstrated that the compounds have shown anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antibacterial and antifungal properties. In this review the objective is to consider the past and present value of medicinal plants such as Thymus vulgar is used in traditional and modern medical practices as bioactive natural compounds.

Perspective and challenges of mycorrhizal symbiosis in orchid medicinal plants

The family Orchidaceae is of the most diverse taxon in the plant kingdom,and most of its members are highly valuable herbal medicines.Orchids have a unique mycorrhizal symbiotic relationship with specific fungi for carbohydrate and nutrient supplies in their whole lifecycle.The large-scale cultivation of the medicinal plant Gastodia elata is a successful example of using mycorrhizal symbiotic technology.In this review,we adopted G.elata and Dendrobium officinale as examples to describe the characteristics of orchid mycorrhiza and mycorrhizal benefits for host plants’growth and health(e.g.biotic and abiotic stress and secondary metabolite accumulation).The challenges in applying mycorrhizal technology to the cultivation of orchid medicinal plants in the future were also discussed.This review aims to serve as a theoretical guide for the cultivation of mycorrhizal technology in medicinal orchid plants.

Strategies on biosynthesis and production of bioactive compounds in medicinal plants

Medicinal plants are a valuable source of essential medicines and herbal products for healthcare and disease therapy.Compared with chemical synthesis and extraction,the biosynthesis of natural products is a very promising alternative for the successful conservation of medicinal plants,and its rapid development will greatly facilitate the conservation and sustainable utilization of medicinal plants.Here,we summarize the advances in strategies and methods concerning the biosynthesis and production of natural products of medicinal plants.The strategies and methods mainly include genetic engineering,plant cell culture engineering,metabolic engineering,and synthetic biology based on multiple“OMICS”technologies,with paradigms for the biosynthesis of terpenoids and alkaloids.We also highlight the biosynthetic approaches and discuss progress in the production of some valuable natural products,exemplifying compounds such as vindoline(alkaloid),artemisinin and paclitaxel(terpenoids),to illustrate the power of biotechnology in medicinal plants.

Microbial interactions within Chinese traditional medicinal plants

Plants harbor diverse microbes(including bacteria,fungi,archaea,protists,and viruses)both inside and outside their tissues,so called the plant-associated microbiome.Decades of research have demonstrated the importance of plant microbiome in promoting the productivity and health of the plant in natural environment because of their essential functions in improving plant nutrition and plant resistance to biotic and abiotic stresses(Trivedi,Leach,Tringe,Sa,&Singh,2020).Thus,a plant can be regarded as a holobiont comprising the host plant and the associated microbiota(Hassani,Durán,&Hacquard,2018).Within the plant microbiota,mutualistic fungal and bacterial symbionts(e.g.mycorrhizal fungi and Rhizobia)are striking examples of microorganisms playing crucial roles in nutrient acquisition(Martin&van der Heijden,2024)and non-symbitic plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria or fungi(PGPR or PGPF)also have drawn interest due to their ability to improve soil properties and confer stress tolerance in plants(Upadhyay et al.,2023).

Poisonous Plants of the Karakalpak Part of the Ustyurt Plateau (Uzbekistan)

The article presents the composition and current state of poisonous plants distributed on the Ustyurt plateau. Ustyurt is one of the largest deserts in Central Asia, differing from other deserts of the world in geographical location, relief, flora and fauna and other features. The territory of Ustyurt occupies 21.3 million hectares, of which the Karakalpak part accounts for 7.2 million hectares. Poisonous alkaloid-bearing plants of the Karakalpak part of the Ustyurt plateau Anabasis aphylla, Atriplex flabellum, Kalidium capsicum, Salsola arbusculaeformis, Salsola foliosa, Aellenia subaphylla, Anabasis brachiata, Rheum tataricum, Capparis spinosa, Glycyrrhiza aspera. Alkaloid-bearing plants that are not eaten or poorly eaten by cattle Ephedra distachya, Delphinium songaricum, Anabasis salsa, alkaloid-bearing plants eaten by animals without harm Carex physodes, Eremopyrum orientale, Agrophyllum repens, Astragalus amodendron, Astragalus villosissimus, species of the genera Calligonum, Salsola. Poisonous plants of the Karakalpak part of the Ustyurt plateau. An analysis of the pasture flora of the Karakalpak part of the Ustyurt plateau shows that 62 species of wild poisonous plants belonging to 49 genera and 19 families grow here. Although these plants are considered poisonous, but in modern pharmaceutics and medicine, they are used as medicinal.

Ethnopharmacological Survey of Medicinal Plants in Baotou,Inner Mongolia,China

Objective To document the knowledge and the use of indigenous medicinal plants by traditional healers in Baotou,Inner Mongolia,China.Methods Data were collected from 112 randomly-selected interviewees using semistructured interviews in wild herbal plant collected from 2007 to 2010.The data from the interviewees were analyzed with two quantitative tools.With the informant consensus factor,the information homology was evaluated and with the fidelity level the most important species from the categories were found.Results One hundred and fifty-two species belonging to 112 genera in 48 families with medicinal values were recorded.The reported medicinal plants species were used to treat 63 kinds of diseases.And the medicinal plants in this district possessed significant potentials for their pharmacological activities in the context of ethnopharmacological knowledge,especially in the treatments of gastrointestinal,dermatological,and cardiovascular diseases.Conclusion In this work,152 medicinal plants with their ethnopharmacological information are reported.This study demonstrates that many species play an important role in healing practices among inhabitants from Baotou.More ethnopharmacological information of Mongolian medicinal plants should be gathered and documented in further studies,which is a fundamental step toward developing efficacious natural drugs for various diseases.

Pharmaceutical resource discovery from traditional medicinal plants:Pharmacophylogeny and pharmacophylogenomics

The worldwide botanical and medicinal culture diversity are astonishing and constitute a Pierian spring for innovative drug R&D.Here,the latest awareness and the perspectives of pharmacophylogeny and pharmacophylogenomics,as well as their expanding utility in botanical drug R&D,are systematically summarized and highlighted.Chemotaxonomy is based on the fact that closely related plants contain the same or similar chemical profiles.Correspondingly,it is better to combine morphological characters,DNA markers and chemical markers in the inference of medicinal plant phylogeny.Medicinal plants within the same phylogenetic groups may have the same or similar therapeutic effects,thus forming the core of pharmacophylogeny.Here we systematically review and comment on the versatile applications of pharmacophylogeny in(1)looking for domestic resources of imported drugs,(2)expanding medicinal plant resources,(3)quality control,identification and expansion of herbal medicines,(4)predicting the chemical constituents or active ingredients of herbal medicine and assisting in the identification and determination of chemical constituents,(5)the search for new drugs sorting out,and(6)summarizing and improving herbal medicine experiences,etc.Such studies should be enhanced within the context of deeper investigations of molecular biology and genomics of traditional medicinal plants,phytometabolites and metabolomics,and ethnomedicine-based pharmacological activity,thus enabling the sustainable conservation and utilization of traditional medicinal resources.

Mining chemodiversity from biodiversity:pharmacophylogeny of medicinal plants of Ranunculaceae

This paper reports a pharmacophylogenetic study of a medicinal plant family,Ranunculaceae,investigating the correlations between their phylogeny,chemical constituents,and pharmaceutical properties.Phytochemical,ethnopharmacological,and pharmacological data were integrated in the context of the systematics and molecular phylogeny of the Ranunculaceae.The chemical components of this family included several representative metabolic groups:benzylisoquinoline alkaloids,ranunculin,triterpenoid saponin,and diterpene alkaloids,among others.Ranunculin and magnoflorine were found to coexist in some genera.The pharmacophylogenetic analysis,integrated with therapeutic information,agreed with the taxonomy proposed previously,in which the family Ranunculaceae was divided into five sub-families:Ranunculoideae,Thalictroideae,Coptidoideae,Hydrastidoideae,and Glaucidioideae.It was plausible to organize the sub-family Ranunculoideae into ten tribes.The chemical constituents and therapeutic efficacy of each taxonomic group were reviewed,revealing the underlying connections between phylogeny,chemical diversity,and clinical use,which should facilitate the conservation and sustainable utilization of the pharmaceutical resources derived from the Ranunculaceae.

Anemone medicinal plants:ethnopharmacology,phytochemistry and biology

The Ranunculaceae genus Anemone(order Ranunculales),comprising more than 150 species,mostly herbs,has long been used in folk medicine and worldwide ethnomedicine.Various medicinal compounds have been found in Anemone plants,especially triterpenoid saponins,some of which have shown anti-cancer activities.Some Anemone compounds and extracts display immunomodulatory,antiinflammatory,antioxidant,and antimicrobial activities.More than 50 species have ethnopharmacological uses,which provide clues for modern drug discovery.Anemone compounds exert anticancer and other bioactivities via multiple pathways.However,a comprehensive review of the Anemone medicinal resources is lacking.We here summarize the ethnomedical knowledge and recent progress on the chemical and pharmacological diversity of Anemone medicinal plants,as well as the emerging molecular mechanisms and functions of these medicinal compounds.The phylogenetic relationships of Anemone species were reconstructed based on nuclear ITS and chloroplast markers.The molecular phylogeny is largely congruent with the morphology-based classification.Commonly used medicinal herbs are distributed in each subgenus and section,and chemical and biological studies of more unexplored taxa are warranted.Gene expression profiling and relevant "omics" platforms could reveal differential effects of phytometabolites.Genomics,transcriptomics,proteomics,and metabolomics should be highlighted in deciphering novel therapeutic mechanisms and utilities of Anemone phytometabolites.

Prediction of the globally ecological suitability of Panax quinquefolius by the geographic information system for global medicinal plants(GMPGIS)

American ginseng(Panax quinquefolius L.) is a well-known Asian traditional herbal medicine with a large market demand. The plant is native to eastern North America, and its main producing areas worldwide are decreasing due to continuous cropping obstacles and environmental changes. Therefore, the identification of maximum similarities of new ecological distribution of P.quinquefolius, and prediction of its response to climate change in the future are necessary for plant introduction and cultivation. In this study, the areas with potential ecological suitability for P. quinquefolius were predicted using the geographic information system for global medicinal plants(GMPGIS) based on 476 occurrence points and 19 bioclimatic variables. The results indicate that the new ecologically suitable areas for P. quinquefolius are East Asia and the mid-eastern Europe, which are mainly distributed in China, Russia, Japan, Ukraine, Belarus, North Korean, South Korea, and Romania. Under global climate change scenarios, the suitable planting areas for P. quinquefolius would be increased by 9.16%–30.97%, and expanding north and west over the current ecologically suitable areas by 2070. The potential increased areas that are ecologically suitable include northern Canada, Eastern Europe, and the Lesser Khingan Mountains of China, and reduced regions are mainly in central China, the southern U.S., and southern Europe. Jackknife tests indicate that the precipitation of the warmest quarter was the important climatic factor controlling the distribution of P. quinquefolius.Our findings can be used as a useful guide for P. quinquefolius introduction and cultivation in ecologically suitable areas.

Identification of medicinal plants within the Apocynaceae family using ITS2 and psbA-trnH barcodes

To ensure the safety of medications,it is vital to accurately authenticate species of the Apocynaceae family,which is rich in poisonous medicinal plants.We identified Apocynaceae species by using nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2(ITS2)and psb Atrn H based on experimental data.The identification ability of ITS2 and psb A-trn H was assessed using specific genetic divergence,BLAST1,and neighbor-joining trees.For DNA barcoding,ITS2 and psb A-trn H regions of 122 plant samples of 31 species from 19 genera in the Apocynaceae family were amplified.The PCR amplification for ITS2 and psb A-trn H sequences was 100%.The sequencing success rates for ITS2 and psb A-trn H sequences were 81%and 61%,respectively.Additional data involved 53 sequences of the ITS2 region and 38 sequences of the psb A-trn H region were downloaded from Gen Bank.Moreover,the analysis showed that the interspecific divergence of Apocynaceae species was greater than its intra-specific variations.The results indicated that,using the BLAST1 method,ITS2 showed a high identification efficiency of 97%and 100%of the samples at the species and genus levels,respectively,via BLAST1,and psb A-trn H successfully identified 95%and 100%of the samples at the species and genus levels,respectively.The barcode combination of ITS2/psb A-trn H successfully identified 98%and 100%of samples at the species and genus levels,respectively.Subsequently,the neighbor joining tree method also showed that barcode ITS2 and psb A-trn H could distinguish among the species within the Apocynaceae family.ITS2 is a core barcode and psb A-trn H is a supplementary barcode for identifying species in the Apocynaceae family.These results will help to improve DNA barcoding reference databases for herbal drugs and other herbal raw materials.