Journal of Medicinal Herbs
Volume:2 Issue: 3, 2011

Tetranychus urticae Koch is one of the most important pests of crops, ornamental and greenhouse plants in the world and, can damage to 900 plant species. Resistances to pesticides and acaricides have guided researches to introduce new methods to control T. urticae. Botanical pesticides are an important group of natural productions that are usually safer than conventional pesticides for humans and the environment. Extracts of genus Melia have insecticidal and anti-nutritional effects. The effect of ethanolic extracts of M. azedarach seeds on eggs hatching (hatching time & hatching rate) and egg-laying of T. urticae were investigated under laboratory conditions.Experimental: Treatments included the ethanolic plant extract (36 mg/ml) and control (ethanol 95%). The sub-lethal effect of the plant extracts was determined using a spraying bioassay. The duration of egg stage of T. urticae after exposing to plant extracts were significantly longer than control treatment with a mean±SE of 5.24±0.05 and 4.85±0.04 days, respectively. In control treatment, hatching rate of the spider mite eggs was significantly more than in plant extract treatment. The ethanolic plant extracts had significant deleterious effects on the oviposition behavior of the spider mite. So that, during four days of the experiment, the mean±SE of total oviposition of the mites was 2.95±0.65 and 12.17±1.33 in plant extract and control treatments, respectively.Industrial and practical recommendations: According to this result, substituting conventional pesticides with ethanolic seed extract of M. azedarach can be useful. However, formulating the plant extract is essential for commercial use of the acaricidal extracts. Therefore, it needs more scientific studies levels.

The use of herbal extracts as safe and effective factors for eradicating of stores pests has attracted much attention. In this paper, the bio-effects of fumigation and repellent effects of essential oil of Eucalyptus globolus were investigated on red flour beetle. Experimental: In this study, the toxicity, fumigation and repellency contacts were assayed by topical application and impregnation of filter papers (Whatman N°1). One micro liter of different essential oil concentrations were placed on thorax of adults by micro-applicator apparatus in topical application experiments. For impregnation method, treated filter papers were attached to top or bottom of Petri plates in two different assays in order to separation of fumigant and contact toxicity. Fumigation bioassays were carried out in 40 ml glass vials. For evaluating repellency value of the essential oil, the numbers of insects present on treated compared to untreated surface of filter papers were recorded after 2h of exposure and percentage repellency (PR). The essential oil achieved LD50 at 0.22 µl Insect-1 in topical method. It needs three time more essential oil for control of 90 percent of insects (LD90 = 0.69 µl/I) based on pro-bit analysis of data. We rejected the current method of contact toxicity evaluating as fumigation had more ‎contribution in filter paper treating assays. Percentage mortalities of ‎‏20.4‏‎, ‎‏14.8‏‎ and ‎‏14.8‏‎ were ‎evaluated by ‎‏1.04‏‎, ‎‏0.52‏‎ and ‎‏0.56‏‎ µl/cm‏2‏‎ of essential oil following subtraction of fumigant ‎toxicity portion. The LC‏50‏‎ of ‎‏113.6‏‎ µl/L of air were estimated in fumigation bioassays. Here ‎the equivalent LD‏90‏‎ was only ‎‏168.9 µl/L of air. The average repellency value of the four ‎concentrations, 0.93‏‎, ‎‏0.62‏‎, ‎‏0.31‏‎ and ‎‏0.1‏‎ µl/cm‏2‏‎ were ‎‏83.2 percent that is of group V (‎‏100-80.1‏‎‎‎% repellency). Industrial and practical recommendations: The limitation and prohibition of using chemical fumigation compositions appropriate have made the need of alternative pesticides more tangible. The considerable quantity of Eucalyptus extract, being harmless for biologic systems and its appropriate effectiveness on store pets are the factors that make this herbal composition important to be substituted for dangerous chemical compositions.

Investigating the possibility of using medicinal plant’s seeds substitute for agar gel in plant tissue culture and determining the optimal practical conditions of them is the aim of this study. Experimental: In order to study the new gelling agents for using in plant tissue culture, we designed a tow part experiment by means of the seeds of medicinal plants such as Linum usitatissimum L., Citrus medica L., Lepidium sativum L. and Plantago ovata Forssk. These Experiments were carried out at the Tissue Culture Lab of the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran, in 2010. Each experiment was conducted as a completely randomized design with three replications. In first experiment, we were cultured explants of Stevia rubiana on prepared MS medium with different concentrations of four kinds of seeds (1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 g) instead of agar and control (use of agar with no seed). Second experiment was carried out to assess the best amount of Planta ovata’s seed in prepared standard MS medium. The highest value for all investigated factors was observed with Planta ovata. The results showed that 1 g of Planta ovata’s seed + charcoal is the best treatment for growing all parameters in Stevia explants, and it might be a good advice to use of Planta ovata’s seeds instead of agar in near future. Industrial and practical recommendations: According to the findings of this study, using Planta ovata’s seed can be recommended because of having mucilage as an alternative agar for gelling in plant tissue culture.

Increasing economic role of medicinal herbs in recent society and complexity of modern technologies in production (planting and harvesting), transportation, storage, processing, quality evaluation, distribution, marketing and consumption of these products require a thorough understanding of their physical properties. Coefficient of friction of plant on the various surfaces is needed in designing of silos, storage of agricultural products and handling equipment, such as conveyors, and design of other equipment used in post harvest processing.Experimental: In this study, static coefficient of friction for two values of water content (wet basis) 58% and 53% for rosemary and, 65% and 63% for lavender on three surfaces, galvanized steel, glass and wood was investigate. For this purpose an apparatus made that includes an electrical motor and an optical sensor for precise measurement of the slipping moment of the product and its coefficient of friction. Average values of maximum and minimum of static coefficient of friction that obtained for rosemary at 58 percent of water content were 0.87 on the wood surface and 0.46 on the glass, respectively. While at 53 percent water content, the maximum and minimum average values of coefficient of static friction obtained for rosemary were on wood, 0.66 and glass 0.38, respectively. The minimum average value of coefficient of friction for the lavender at 65 percent water content was 0.66 and on the glass however after the reduction of water content, at 63 percent water content, obtained 0.56 on the glass, too.Industrial and practical recommendations: The understanding of the engineering properties of herbal drugs for creating appropriate industrial procreation methods is of great importance.

Satureja khuzistanica Jamzad. is an aromatic and medicinal perennial plant belongs to family mint (Lamiaceae). It is also an Iranian exclusive endemic species, its essential oil components are widely used in medicinal, culinary, and perfume industries.Experimental: Flowers were collected in 10 regions in Khuzistan and Lorestan provinces, Iran at early anthesis during 2009. Micro-morphology of pollen and nutlet was studied through SEM observation. Insignificant pollens of S. khuzistanica were hexacolpate, radially symmetrical, oblate-spheroidal, and isopolar. Exine sculpturing is bireticulate and pitted. The nutlets showed undulate-reticulate pattern formed by hexagonal cells.Industrial and practical recommendations: Micro-morphology comparison of nutlet and pollen in S. khuzistanica with other genus of Lamiaceae imports for taxonomy this genus. The S. khuzistanica pollen is like other types and species of family Lamiaceae and all of these differences and similarities can help in more exact taxonomy of this species, along with other researches.

A. belladonna (family: Solanaceae) is one of important pharmaceutical plants which contain tropane ‎alkaloids. Tropane alkaloids are distinct group of secondary metabolites of the ‎Solanaceae family. The most important alkaloids of A. belladonna are atropine and hyoscine that are used extensively because of their medicinal properties. Therefore Identification and ‎Determination‏ ‏of Different Alkaloids rate by Gas chromatography (GC) Method in Iran various areas are necessary.Experimental: The accessions were collected from five different regions including Ardabil, Marzanabad, Tonekabon, Karaj and Ramsar (Iran) and all of plant organs were dried. Using ‎change of pH‏ ‏and solvents, the alkaloids contents were extracted and the identified and finally ‎the amount of each alkaloid was determined. Atropine contents in the accessions of Ardebil, Marzanabad, Tonekabon, Karaj, and Ramsar were ‎determined 1.8, 1.62, 1.01, 0.76 and 0.67 % respectively. Hyoscine contents were determined 0.47, ‎‎0.23, 1.23, 0.16 and 0.09 % respectively. And amount of both total alkaloids were determined 2.66, ‎‎1.85, 2.24, 0.92 and 0.76 % respectively. In this study, the highest amount of atropine (1.8 %), and both ‎total alkaloids which extracted from all dried plant organs belong to the accessions from Ardebil and the ‎highest amount of hyoscine (0.46 %) were determined in the accessions from Tonekabon. The lowest ‎amount of hyoscine, atropine and both total alkaloids belong to the accessions were from Ramsar‎. Industrial and practical recommendations: According to the findings of this study, for extraction more atropine and collection of atropine and hyoscine from Atropa bladonna, the samples of Ardabil region can be recommended.

The aim of this research is investigation and familiarity with the important herbal drugs that have used for traditional curing of animal diseases in different areas of Kerman province, Iran. From a long time ago native farmers and tribes of different regions used the available natural herbs which existed in those regions to cure animal diseases in different areas of Kerman province.Experimental: In the present study, firstly the prepared questionnaires are used to gather information of traditional farmers and native tribes of the region regarding the use of herbs such as: when to use them, how to use them and the part of them which is used in the treatment of animal diseases and then the collection of natural herbs takes place by field search method. After that the collected herbs from different regions were dried and after the preparation of herbarium, they were transferred to Pharmacy School of Kerman University of Medical Sciences. After investigation, 77 types of herbs were finally gathered from different areas of Kerman province which were used in the treatment of animal diseases by farmers and native tribes. The information related to each of these plants (when to use, how to use, and the part of the plant which is used) is recorded in the questionnaires. The identified herbs in traditional medicine are used as Ajuga chamaecistus in removing the lice and skin parasites in goat and sheep and Cercis siliquastrum in treatment of deep and infectious wound in livestock and Dendrosllera lessertii in treatment of colic and bloating in sheep in the treatment of different domestic animals.Industrial and practical recommendations: The results of this study showed that with respect to the rich amount of fluor in the province of Kerman from the herbal point of view and the long history of farming in this province, more studies in this area can pave the way for the production of new herbal medicines to cure animal diseases.

Free radicals play a crucial role in the development of tissue damage in various human diseases such as cancer, aging, neurodegenerative disease, malaria and arteriosclerosis, and pathological events in living organisms. Antioxidants may have an important role in the prevention of these diseases. The aim of this study is to evaluate potency of scavenging of DPPH free radicals in the circulatory system of rats by the methanolic extracts of Salvia aethiopis. This species belongs to the genus Salvia of the family Lamiaceae, many species of which are valuable in food and medicine. Further studies will indicate whether this plant can be as a suitable candidate for pharmacological and industrial applications.Experimental: Ten female rats (200-250 g) were randomly selected and then divided in three groups. The rats were injected intraperitoneally with 0.5 ml of 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) free radical in methanol (3×10-4 M), 1 ml of methanolic extract of S. aethiopis (1 mg/ml) along with 0.5 ml of methanolic solution of DPPH and 1 ml of ascorbic acid along with 0.5 ml of methanolic solution of DPPH as positive control, respectively. The absorbance of DPPH solution in the blood serum of rats was measured by spectrophotometric method in 517 nm. Decrease in absorbance of DPPH free radical (1.85 nm) in circulatory system of the rats in presence of ascorbic acid as positive control (1.07 nm) and S. aethiopis extract (0.78 nm) as sample. It can be concluded that the potency of free radical scavenging by the metabolic extract of S. aethiopis in circulatory system of the rats is more than that of ascorbic acid.Industrial and practical recommendations: The Results from present investigation showed that S. aethiopis extract can be used as a natural compound with a high antioxidant activity in future studies.