مجله تحقیقات گیاهان دارویی و معطر ایران
سال بیست و نهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 59، بهار 1392)

In recent years, we have paid special attention to the development and production of broiler chickens. In this regard, the use of medicinal plants has been considered as growth promoters. Hypolipidemic and antioxidant properties of medicinal plants and their extracts have been proved. The purpose of this study was to compare hypolipidemic effects of five herbal extracts and virginiamycin as growth promoters in the poultry industry. Seven hundred and twenty1-d-old male broiler chicks were randomly divided into 9 treatments and 4 replicates (20 birds per replicate). Treatments respectively included extracts of thyme (Thymus vulgaris), garlic (Allium sativum), common thyme (Thymus kotschyanus), common sage (Salvia officinalis), peppermint (Mentha piperita), blend of thyme and peppermint and blend of common thyme and common sage with a dosage of 1%, virginiamycin with dosage of 15 ppm and control. Total cholesterol (TC), LDL cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), HDL cholesterol, and heterophil/lymphocyte ratio were measured after 42 days. Among the extracts, garlic (Allivum sativum) significantly reduced the levels of TC, LDL, and TG and significantly increased the level of HDL. Heterophil to lymphocyte ratio was not affected by treatments and the highest and lowest ratios were respectively observed in treatments of peppermint and garlic. Herbal extracts could improve blood factors compared with the antibiotic and control groups.

In this study, allelophatic effects of Eucalyptus camaldulonsis Dehnh. were investigated on some growth parameters and quantitative and qualitative changes of peroxidase in wheat at greenhouse of research institute of forests and rangelands of Iran. Treatments included: control treatment, etanol extract of E. camaldulonsis leaf in three levels (3, 6, 12 g/lit), aqueous extract of E. camaldulonsis leaf in three levels (5%, 10%, 20%), fresh leaf of E. camaldulonsis in three levels (5, 10, 15 g), powderd dried leaves of E. camaldulonsis in three levels (5, 10, 15 g) and one-year seedlings of E. camaldulonsis. Wet and dry weight of the seedlings was measured as growth parameters. Comparison of different treatments showed that one-year seedlings of E. camaldulonsis had maximum significant effect in reducing wheat growth parameters due to root exudates. With increasing concentrations of ethanol and aqueous extracts, wet and dry weight and leaf surface area of wheat decreased while in treatments of fresh and powdered dried leaves, an increment was observed in dry weight and leaf area. Activity of peroxidase enzyme strongly increased in root treatment of E.camaldulonsis and showed new isoenzyme band compared to control treatment. Ethanol and aqueous extracts of Eucalyptus leaves increased peroxidase activity in wheat but no new isoenzyme band was observed and less affected in fresh and dry leaves of Eucalyptus.

Varroa destructor Anderson and Trueman is considered as the most important external parasite of the European honey bee. Considering the distribution of the European honey bee throughout the world, this mite could cause many concerns among beekeepers and threaten the beekeeping industry. The aim of present research was to calculate the time it took to cause 50 percent of mortality (LT50) in Varroa mite and honey bee population after the commencement of exposure with essential oil of Mentha longifolia L. For this purpose, Varroa mites and honey bees were treated with four concentrations of the oil including 1.87, 2.5, 3.12 and 3.75 µl/l air in Petri dishes (800 ml). For each species, the corresponding mortality rate was measured once in every two hours without opening the Petri dish until the complete demise of subjected organisms. Results showed that calculated LT50 values of the oil on Varroa mite in concentrations of 1.87, 2.5, 3.12 and 3.75 µl/l air were 10.12, 8.11, 7.26 and 6.21, respectively. However, LC50 values of the oil on A. mellifera at the same concentrations were 19.83, 19.56, 15.72 and 13.68, respectively. These results represented a much more severe toxicity of M. longifolia oil against Varroa mite compared with the European honey bee. Therefore, adjustment of oil concentration and exposure time would be applicable for the management of Varroa mite in apiaries.

Nasturtium officinalis (L.) R. Br. is a prennial and aquatic plant which grows in water flows of most regions of Iran. There are flavonoids in the leaves and flowers of N. officinalis with anticancer properties. In this research, to investigate anticancer effects, leaves and flowers of N. officinalis were used by maceration in methanol for preparation of extract and its fractions. Also, the extract was converted to nanocapsules. The fractions of dichloromethane, diethylether and methanol were prepared from the first extract. Nanocapsules were prepared by double emulsion method using poly-lactic-glycolic acid. Nanocapsules were dried and their dimensions and distribution coefficient were determined. To evaluate the inhibitory effects on the proliferation of breast cancer cells (T47D) and colon cancer cells (HT-29), effects of the first extract, fractions and nanocapsules were compared with Doxorubicin (500 nM) and RPMI as control treatment. Measuring the the average size of nanocapsules showed that the dimentions of 50% of nanocapsules were less than 10 nm and the other were between 50-900 nm. Results of anticancer properties of the extract and fractions of N. officinalis on both breast and colon cancer cells, for 1 to 3 days, showed that dichloromethane fraction had a stronger effect on inhibition of proliferation of cancer cells compared to the first extract and other fractions. In addition, nanocapsules in the same concentration and period of time killed more cells in comparison to the first extract. Meanwhile, the anticancer effect of N. officinalis extract on breast cancer cells was stronger than that on colon cancer cells. Consequently, the possibility of making medicines from this plant extract especially in nanocapsule form could be considered.

Cuminum cyminum L. is one of the most important and economic medicinal plants with a considerable distribution in different regions of the country. This study was carried out in order to evaluate genetic variation and relationships among traits in 16 populations of Cuminum cyminum L. under field conditions using a completely randomized design with 4 replications. Morphological traits including seed yield, biological yield, plant height, plant weight, the number of umbels per plant, the number of umbelet per umbel, the number of seed per umbel and 1000-seed weight were studied. Results of analysis of variance showed significant differences for all studied traits (p< 0.01) except for number of umbelet per umbel. High values of phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation were recorded for most of the traits, indicating high variations for the studied traits. Seed yield varied from 0.75 g per plant in accession of Sirjan to 0.99 g in accession of Birjand. According to the results of correlation coefficients, a high and positive significant correlation was recorded between seed yield per plant and seed number per umbel, the number of umbel per plant, biological yield and plant height. Sixteen populations were classified into four groups based upon cluster analysis. Populations of cluster IV had superiority for seed number per umbel, seed yield, biological yield, and number of umbel per plant compared to other clusters. Consequently, crossing between superior genotypes of different clusters and testing their progeny through breeding and selection programs may result in production of cultivars with desirable agronomic characteristics

Essential oils with good antioxidant properties could be used for therapeutic, nutritional and food preservation purposes. With the increasing use of medicinal plant products, different aspects need to be considered in terms of useful applications and their potential harm to human health. In the present study, antimicrobial, antioxidative and cytotoxic properties of fresh and commercial essential oils of Anethum graveolens L. were studied. The bacterial strains sensitive to Anethum graveolens oils were in the following order: Candida albicans> S. aureus> E. coli> P. aeruginosa. The minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations of the oils were determined. The essential oils had good bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties except for Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Antioxidative properties of the oils were studied using DPPH free radical scavenging and beta-carotene bleaching tests and the results were compared with standard synthetic antioxidants. Lipid peroxidation inhibitions were comparable to the synthetic antioxidants of BHT and BHA. The oil concentration required for 50% free radical scavenging (IC50) was 6.7 μg/ml with total phenol contents of 174.91 μg GAE/mg for fresh oil of A. graveolens, while they were 10.53 μg/ml and 4.34 GAE/mg respectively for the commercial oil. The volatile oils from fresh and commercial A. graveolens displayed cytotoxic effects on human peripheral blood cells (lymphocytes) with IC50 of 7 and 3042μg/ml and on human tumor cell line (HeLa cells) with IC50 of 8.51 μg/ml and 205.65 μg/ml respectively. The results show that essential oils of A. graveolens could be used with caution and after determining the dose

Some plants are used in traditional medicine as analgesic drugs. The aim of this study was investigation of antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory effect of hydroalcoholic extract of Scrophularia striata Boiss. in male mice. This plant has been traditionally used as an analgesic drug by people of Zagros. In this research, 224 NMRI male mice weighting 25 ± 35 g were used. In inflammation test, animals were divided into 7 groups including control, positive control (receiving 15 mg/kg dexamethasone) and 5 groups received hydroalcoholic extract of root and stem of Scrophularia striata (200, 400, 500, 600, 800 mg/kg). Xylene was used for inflammation induction. Formalin test was used for investigation of antinociceptive effect of the extract. In antinociception test, animals were divided into 7 groups including, positive control (receiving 10 mg/kg morphine), control treatment and 5 groups received hydroalcoholic extract of root and stem of Scrophularia striata (200, 400, 500, 600, 800 mg/kg). Injections were performed intraperitoneally. Results showed that alcoholic extract of root and stem of Scrophularia striata significantly decreased inflammation at doses of 600 and 800 mg/kg (p < 0.001). Also, hydroalcoholic extract of root and stem of Scrophularia striata decreased nociception in both 1st and 2nd phase of formalin test. The maximum effect was observed at doses of 600 and 800 mg/kg (p < 0.001). Consequently, it seems that anti-inflammatory and antinociceptive effects of the extract of root and stem of Scrophularia striata are due to flavonoids especially quercetin that inhibit lipooxygenase, phospholipase A2 and nitric oxide synthase.

Sorbus aucuparia is a medicinal species belonging to Rosaceae family. Its medicinal value is due to its fruit and leaves. To investigate the effect of medium, plant growth regulators and genotype on In vitro regeneration of Sorbus aucuparia, apical buds were collected from adult trees at different localities (Siabishe, Farim and Foolad mahalle) in all seasons. Cleaning and brushing of buds with tween and ethanol 70% solution was identified as the best method of buds sterilization. For sterilization phase, treatment solution of 0.1% HgCl2 for four minutes and three minutes were respectively identified as the best treatments for Farim and Siabishe at the beginning of the winter season. This treatment was useful for 5 minutes in summer for genotypes of Foolad mahalle. The best medium for shoot regeneration was DKW with BA0.5 mg/lit, TDZ 0.05 mg/lit and IBA 0.1 mg/lit. Shoot growth was achieved in MS with 2ip0.5 mg/lit. Shoots were rooted in MCM suspension medium supplimented with vermiculite and 1.5 mg/lit IBA under dark conditions.

Post Partum Hemorrhage (PPH) is one of the causes of maternal morbidity and mortality. WHO reports that about 80 percent of the world's population rely on medicinal plants and the use of plant products is more common in women. Since the side effects of medicinal plants on PPH are not clear, this Clinical Trial was carried out to investigate the effects of cumin (Cuminum cyminum L.) oil on post partum hemorrhage after cesarean. The research involved 124 women (66 participant in cumin oil group and 58 participants in placebo group) who underwent cesarean. Cumin oil and placebo were administered in three doses with 20 minutes intervals after stopping I.V. Patient’s pads were weighted before intervention and three hours after first dose of medications. Chi-square, T-student, and logistic regression tests were used to analyze the results. According to the results, Height of Fundus (HOF), hematocrite level, and amount of bleeding showed no statistically significant difference before and after intervention (p=0.15, p=0.45, and p=0.75, respectively). Results of this study showed that cumin oil had no statistically significant effect on PPH; thus, public opinion cannot be confirmed based on increased blood loss and this result needs to be supported by more studies.

Jujube (Ziziphus jujube Mill.) is one of the medicinal plants containing mucilage and is used in the fields of pharmaceutical, medical, healthcare and industrial purposes. In evaluation of medicinal plants, secondary metabolites could be considered as a valuable indicator. In this experiment, optimizing extraction method of mucilage was evaluated based on the Patumi and Karawya methods and comparing the amount of mucilage in jujube ecotypes. For this purpose, 25 ecotypes of jujube were collected from different parts of the country. Research was performed in two separate experiments in a completely randomized design with four replications in the Genetics and Plant Physiology lab of the University of Tehran during 1388 and 1389. Results of this study showed that warm extraction was identified as the most suitable method. Also, results showed that there were significant differences among ecotypes in terms of amount of mucilage. The variation range of mucilage differed among the ecotypes from 28/92% to 11/58%. Maximum amount of mucilage was recorded for ecotypes of Kasva (Qom) and Kolaleh (Mazandaran). Generally, results of this research could be used to select the best ecotypes for medicinal purposes as well as providing good information for linebreeding of the valuable medicinal plant.

Thyme is an important medicinal plant of Iran that in order to have thymol and carvacrol using as antimicrobial, antibacterial and antiflatulence agent. In this study 22 genotypes of Thymus kotschyanus Boiss. & Hohen. and Thymus vulgaris L. collected from different regions of Iran and cultivated as a randomized complete block design with 3 replications in fozveh station of Agricultural and Natural Resource Research Center of Isfahan. Length of flower and buds, spike weight, stem height, leave surface, leave length and width, maximum and minimum cover length, number of flower in spike, spike length, the beginning, 50% and 100% flowering stage, aerial dry and wet yield and essential oil percentage. Thymol and carvacrole percentages were measured with GC and GC/MS. The results showed a genetically variation for all traits in thyme genotypes. The highest production was in Thymus vulgaris with 2200 kg/ha. Thymus kotschyanus from western Azarbayejan had the highest production (1640 kg/ha) among the same population. Essential oil percentage in Thymus kotschyanus was from 0.42 to 2.17% and in Thymus vulgaris from 0.42 to 1.75%. Also Thymol percentage was from 4.63 to 74.52%, and carvacrol from 3 to 78.24% in Thymus kotschyanus and in Thymus vulgaris thymol was from 32.53% to 32.53% and carvacrol from 5.74 to 53.16%. Genotypes were classified into 4 groups. The first group had the highest vegetative period. The second had the maximum amount of Length of buds, spike weight and leave width. Number of spike, thymol percentage and leave width were relatively high in the third group. The forth group had the highest thymol percentage, aerial dry and wet yield and essential oil percentage. Based on the results there was suitable genetically potential for all thyme traits that can use in improvement programs.

Thymus daenensis Celak. is an endemic plant species in Iran used for medicinal purposes. It seems that In vitro culture is a useful technique for its propagation. In vitro culture conditions cause water stress or hyperhydricity in tissues due to the cut in the plant tissue and changes in levels of plant hormones compared to natural conditions and may vary depending on the type of medium, type of agar and available water. Hyperhydricity syndrome is one of the major problems that occur in in vitro growth and through a deformity prevents the propagation of plants. In shoot culture of Thymus daenensis Celak., hyperhydricity happens commonly. In this investigation, the effect of benzyladenine and salicylic acid were studied on shoot hyperhydricity syndrome. For this purpose, disinfected seeds were cultured into glass jars containing Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium with benzyladenine (0.1mgl-1). Non benzyladenine-treated plantlets were transferred to the same medium and benzyladenine-treated plantlets were cultured in four experimental media including without benzyladenine, with 1mgl-1 benzyladenine in presence or without 5µM salicylic acid. Afterward, effects of the mentioned treatments on hyperhydricity, morphological and physiological characteristics of the plant were measured. Results showed that benzyladenine singly caused hyperhydricity in shoot explants of Thymus daenensis. After transferring the explants to the medium free of benzyladenine, hyperhydricity reversed toward normal state and the presence of salicylic acid improved this reversion. Salicylic acid reduced water content in shoot explants and enhanced the amount of photosynthetic pigments. In benzyladenine treated sample, the hyperhydricity was not reversed by salicylic acid.

Nowadays, changes in cultivation pattern towards drought resistant species are proposed as a solution to tackle drought. To study the effect of irrigation levels and planting date on yield and water use efficiency of Hibiscus sabdariffa L., an experiment was conducted in the research field of agriculture college of Islamic Azad University of Birjand during 2010-2011. Three levels of irrigation (20, 60 and 100 percent evapotranspiration of source plant) as main plots and different planting dates (May 10th, June 1th and June 20th) as sub plots were studied in a split plot experiment with three replications in a randomized complete blocks design. The results indicated that different irrigation levels and planting dates had significant effects on number of flowers per square meter, dry and fresh weight of flowers, total biomass yield and water use efficiency (flower and biomass). The highest number of flowers per square meter (62.42), flower fresh weight (62.50 grams per square meter), flower dry weight (10.30 grams per square meter), total biomass yield (150.3 grams per square meter), water use efficiency of flowers (0.024 gram per) and water use efficiency of biomass (0.532 gram per liter) were obtained from the first planting date i.e. May 10th. Also, the highest number of flowers per square meter (55.88), flower fresh weight (72.40 grams per square meter), flower dry weight (11.46 grams per square meter), biomass yield (142.5 grams per square meter), water use efficiency of flower (0.042 gram per liter) and water use efficiency of biomass (0.897 gram per liter) were recorded for the irrigation level of 20 percent evapotranspiration of the source plant. Irrigation levels and planting dates had no significant effect on flower harvest index. The interaction effect of irrigation levels and planting dates was significant on flower dry and fresh weight, total biomass yield and water use efficiency (flower and biomass). The highest values of these traits were obtained at planting date of 10 May and irrigation level of 20 percent evapotranspiration of source plant. Generally, with regard to the early cold fall and long growth period of Hibiscus sabdariffa, its plantation is not recommended in Birjand climate. According to the results of this experiment, water requirement of this plant was low.

Salvia leriifolia Benth. is one of the valuable medicinal plants of Lamiaceae. In order to evaluate genetic diversity among natural populations of Salvia leriifolia, 12 natural populations were chosen from South Khorasan, Razavi Khorasan and Semnan provinces. To study and evaluate 33 vegetative and reproductive morphological traits with five replications, 15 complete plants were collected from each locality at flowering and seeding stages. Flowering stems were used in order to extract the essential oil. Mean comparisons of data was performed by Duncan's multiple range test at 5% level of probability using SAS software. The populations were clustered by Ward method using SPSS software. Results showed that this plant grew well in a height of 1000-1533 above sea level, with an average temperature of 15-23ºcm and a precipitation of 80-194 mm in year. The most important morphological traits such as plant height, leaf length and width, were in the range of 18.9-35.8, 6.59-15.29 and 18.2- 29.7 cm, respectively. Maximum and minimum essential oil yield with 1.37 and 0.69 percent were obtained for Najmabad and Tabas Sabzevar, respectively. Populations of Salvia leriifolia were classified into three groups based upon collection locations. Results showed that "Najmabad" and "Bejestan" populations could be recommended for breeding and domestication programs because of appropriate morphological traits and abundant essential oil yield. Meanwhile, conservation of these populations is highly recommended.

Environmental stresses, particularly drought stress, are considered as one of the major obstacles in the production of horticultural crops in many parts of the world, especially in arid and semiarid regions like Iran. Brassinosteroids are of plant steroidal compounds with broad biological activities that are able to increase plant performance through changes in plant metabolism and protectecting them against environmental stresses especially drough stress. In a greenhouse study, the impact of three levels of irrigation at field capacity (FC), mild stress (FC2/3) and severe stress (FC1/3) and four concentrations of plant growth regulators of Article 28-Homobrassinolid including zero, 10-10 M, 10-8 M and 10-6 M were investigated on some traits of Satureja Bachtiarica Bunge. The results showed that reducing irrigation had a significant effect on the reduction of growth parameters, including root length, root dry weight, stem diameter, branch number, plant height, shoot yield and total yield. Concentration of 10-8 M 28-Homobrassinolid significantly increased root dry weight, stem diameter, branch number, plant height, and total yield. Oil percentage showed a significant increase at 1% level of probability by reducing irrigation as it increased from 0.36% in full irrigation upto 0.87% in severe stress and use of 10-8 M hormone. Generally, our results showed that the use of 28-Homobrassinolid could increase dry matter yield through stimulating growth parameters and it was considered as as a good strategy to deal with water stress conditions.

To study correlations between essential oil and essential oil components and determining the role of these traits in variation among 12 genotypes of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.), an experiment was conducted in a randomized complete blocks design with 3 replications at Fozveh Research Station of Esfahan. The studied traits included seed yield, essential oil percentage, oil yield and oil components. Results of analysis of variance showed significant differences among the genotypes for all traits. Correlation coefficients showed that essential oil yield had a positive significant correlation with essential oil percentage, seed yield, and the percentage of α-pinene, camphene, myrcene, phlandrene, fenchone and camphor. In principal component analysis, the first four components could justify 90% of the total variation. Seed yield, essential oil percentage and yield, and the percentage of α-pinene, camphene, myrcene, phlandrene, fenchone, -terpinene, E-anetole and camphor had a major role in explaining the first component. In the second component, sabinene, Beta pinene and p-cymene were more important whereas limonene and 1,8-cineole in the third component and methyl cavichol and cis-anethol in the forth component had more importance. Based on the cluster analysis, genotypes of fennel were classified into 4 groups which had noticeable differences, especially for seed yield, essential oil percentage, essential oil yield, and the percentage of α-pinene, fenchone and E-anetole. Consequently, crossing between superior genotypes of different clusters and testing their progeny through breeding and selection programs may result in production of cultivars with desirable essential oil quality.

This study was performed to investigate genetic diversity and relationships among morphological traits in 21 genotypes of Nigella sativa L., in a completely randomized design with four replications. Morphological traits included seed yield/plant, biological yield, follicle number, seed number per follicle, 1000- seed weight, number of stem branches, follicle weight, plant height and harvest index. Results of analysis of variance showed significant differences for all studied traits (p < 0.01) except harvest index. Phenotypic and genotypic coefficients of variation were high for most traits indicating high diversity of the studied traits. Seed yield varied from 63.34 g in genotype of Shiraz to 147.36 g in genotype of Zabol 1. Correlation coefficients among traits showed that seed yield/plant had a significant and positive correlation with biological yield, seed number per follicle, plant height, number of stem branches and harvest index. Results of stepwise regression analysis for seed yield showed that biological yield, seed number per follicle, number of stem branches and harvest index were entered into the model, respectively, and 95 percent of total variation of seed yield was justified. Path analysis showed that biological yield and seed number per follicle had the highest direct effect on seed yield per plant. Factor analysis revealed three factors that justified 94.12 percent of the total variation among studied traits. These factors were respectively named as efficiency factor (seed yield and biological yield), yield component factor (number of stem branches and follicle number per plant) and follicle factor (follicle weight and seed number per follicle). According to the cluster analysis, 21 genotypes were classified into 3 groups and there were significant differences among the groups especially in terms of seed yield, follicle number per plant and seed number per follicle. Consequently, crossing between superior genotypes of different clusters and testing their progeny through breeding and selection programs may result in production of cultivars with desirable agronomic characteristics.

Due to the ease of application, abundance and lack of significant side effects medicinal plants and their derivatives are used for poultry as effective additives. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of nettle (Urtica dioica L.), pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium L.) and ziziphora (Ziziphora tenuior L.) on performance, carcass traits, blood hematological and biochemical parameters of broilers. The experiment was performed in a completely randomized design including 324 broilers (Ross 308) with 9 treatments and3 replications (each replication included 12 hens) from age 1 to 42 days. Experimental groups included I) control group with no medicinal plants, and in other treatments the levels of medicinal plants in starter and grower periods were as II) 0.75% III) 0 and 0.75%, IV) 0.75% and 1.5%, V) 1.5% and 0.75%, VI) 0.75% and 1.5%, VII) 0 and 1.5%, VIII) 1.5% and 0, IX) 1.5% in both periods. The results showed that different levels of medicinal plants in starter and grower periods had significant effects on performance, carcass traits and hematological status of broilers (p < 0.05). According to the results, the highest daily weight gain (59.75g), the lowest feed conversion (1.90) the highest carcass percentage (74.04) and the highest percentage of gizzard (2.77) were observed in group 3, whereas the best level of white blood cells was observed in group 9, but there were no significant differences between experimental groups and control group in terms of performance and blood hematological parameters.

According to the dependence of Iran's economy on oil revenues, medicinal and aromatic plants could play an important role in domestic economy in addition to the great influence on non-oil exports. One of the mechanisms for production of such plants is development of their processing. Given the importance of this issue, the current study was performed to investigate the role of processing in development of cultivation of aromatic plants in Kashan. In general, this was a survey research in which data were collected by questionnaires and its validity was examined by Cronbach's alpha (higher than 0.7). The statistical population was growers of aromatic plants of which 250 persons were selected randomly. Data analysis was performed by descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequency, mean, coefficient of variation, and finally Mann-Whitney and T tes. The results showed that satisfaction of income resulted from aromatic plants and economic incentives were higher in the group of processors than that of the group of flower growers. It also became clear that processors allocated a higher percentage of the total land to cultivation of aromatic plants with more satisfaction from this job and more willing to continue in future.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis is an endemic infectious disease known as a major health problem in many countries including Iran. Due to the lack of an effective vaccine, the disease is increasing in most parts of the world. Pentavalent antimony compounds as the first line drug against leishmaniasis has numerous side effects. Consequently, the need to introduce new, inexpensive and available drugs with fewer side effects to replace existing chemical compounds is fully felt. Herbal drugs could be a good alternative. In the present work, the effects of two native plants namely Artemisia sieberi Besser and Scrophularia striata Boiss. against Leishmania major were investigated under in vitro conditions. For this purpose, different concentrations of aqueous extracts of Artemisia and Scrophularia were investigated on the growth of promastigotes of Leishmania under in vitro conditions as well as growth of amastigote of Leishmania in mice macrophages. The results indicated that promastigotes in RPMI culture were killed completely under concentrations of 20% and 25% of Artemisia in the first day of the experiment; while the parasites were killed by Scrophularia at the concentration of 25% within three days. Reduction of the parasite growth in RPMI culture under three concentrations of Artemisia was significantly higher than that of Scrophularia. Concentrations of 20% of Artemisia in the second day and 25% of Scrophularia in the third day led to the complete elimination of amastigote of L. major in macrophages.