رمضان کلوندی

The medicinal plants have been used in traditional medicine for a long time all over the world. Over 80% of the world population depends on herbal medicines and products for healthy living, and also, a large part of pharmaceutical materials are derived directly or indirectly from plant sources. According to the new approach to the use of medicines and herbal products, the investigation of the medicinal properties of endemic plants in each region, is of particular importance. Morphological and phytochemical traits of medicinal plants are affected by the different environmental conditions as well as genetic variations. Therefore, investigating the changes in morphological and phytochemical traits of different populations of these plants in various regions and identifying the amount and constituents of their essential oils, can be effective for creating a suitable field for their planting or breeding, as well as standardizing their derived medicine products. The Achillea genus, a medicinal plant belonging to the Asteraceae family, is highly diverse in terms of morphological characteristics and essential oil constituents. 19 species of herbaceous and aromatic plants of this genus have been identified in Iran, of which 7 species are endemic. Some of the Achillea species have therapeutic properties such as reducing blood pressure and lipids, sedative, antispasmodic, analgesic, wounds treatment, antiseptic properties, treatment of stomach pain and diarrhea, stopping bleeding, etc.

This study was conducted in May 2022 in order to evaluate the diversity of morphological traits and essential oil constituents of A. santolinoides subsp. wilhelmsii (K. Koch) Greuter populations in 11 regions of Hamedan province. The plant samples were collected in the flowering stage and after measuring some morphological traits (plant height, number of flowering stem, stem diameter, inflorescence diameter, fresh and dry weight of plant, number of inflorescence, number of leaf, etc.), they were dried in shade condition. In order to investigate the physical and chemical properties of soil, soil samples were collected from a depth of 30 cm. and were transferred to the soil laboratory. The essential oils were extracted using hydro-distillation method which lasted for 4 hours. Then they were analyzed by GC and GC/MS in the Institute of Medicinal Plants in Karaj. Gas chromatography was carried out on Agilent 6890. The grouping of populations based on morphological traits and essential oil constituents, was done by cluster analysis in SPSS using the Ward method. Also, the traits correlation (quantitative) was done using the Pearson method.

The results indicated that the Vahnan population exhibited the tallest plant height at 23.20 cm, a significant difference compared to other populations. Conversely, the Nazool population displayed the lowest plant height at 13.60 cm. Regarding stem diameter, the Yalfan population showed the greatest diameter at 2.50 mm, a measure not significantly different from the populations of Islamabad, Nazool, and Varayeneh. In contrast, the Koohani population had the smallest stem diameter at 1.52 mm. The highest inflorescence diameter (4.30 cm) belonged to the Islamabad population, which statistically had no significant difference with the populations of Koohani, Vahnan and Yekan Abad, and the lowest (2.30 cm) was observed in Joorab population. The Vahnan population had the highest number of inflorescence (6.20), which statistically had no significant difference with Islam Abad, Zanganeh, Koohani, Yekan Abad and Nazool populations, and the lowest was related to the Yalfan population (3.40). The maximum leaf length was related to Varayeneh population (3 cm), which was statistically not significantly different from Yalfan, Islam Abad and Vahnan populations, and the lowest was related to Naseh Abad population (1.70 cm). Varayeneh and Yekan Abad populations respectively had the largest leaf width (4 mm and 3.80 mm) and the lowest leaf width (2 mm) was observed in the Joorab population. The highest number of flowering stems (13.80) and the maximum number of leaves (168) were belonged to Nazool population, and the lowest number of flowering stems (3.80) was related to Naseh Abad population and the lowest number of leaves (61) was related to Koohani population. Regarding the fresh and dry weight of the plant, the highest values of these traits (3.92 and 2.24 gr, respectively) was related to the Yalfan population and the lowest (1.60 and 0.79 gr, respectively) was related to the Naseh Abad population. Analysis of the essential oils chemical compositions using GC-MS, showed 28 compounds. Camphor, Fragranol, a-pinene, 1,8-cineole and Sabinene were the main constituents of the essential oil. The essential oils yield varied from 0.3 to 0.6% which the highest was related to Varayenh and Nazool populations (0.6%) and the lowest belonged to Heydareh Bala Shahr population (0.3%). Also, Islam Abad population (with the highest altitude), had the highest percentage of fragranol (43.29%). This indicates that environmental factors similar to genetic factors are effective in creating diversity in morphological and phytochemical characteristics of this plant.

Identifying the compounds in the Iranian native plants, can provide a suitable field for the practical use of its plant resources and may be the basis of breeding programs. The various studies conducted on different species and populations of Achillea genus, have mentioned the valuable use of their extracts and essential oils in various fields such as pharmaceutical industries (in order to standardizing medicinal products), food, health cosmetics, making insecticides, etc. Researchers who have studied the essential oils of different populations of Achillea species in many regions of Iran, have emphasized on the significant difference between type and amount of the essential oil constituents. In this study, compounds such as Camphor, Fragranol, a-pinene, 1,8-cineole and Sabinene were the main components of the populations essential oils. Since fragranol is used in manufacturing the insecticides and pheromones, Islam Abad population can be used in this industry due to having high fragranol (43.29%). Also, due to the high amount of camphor in the essential oils of most of the studied populations and many uses of this compound, it can be used as an important economic resource in the health-cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries to make various creams and ointments.

Nowadays, the invention and application of agricultural pest control non-chemical methods is one of the important and practical ones in pest management programs in most societies of the world. Meanwhile, a large number of studies have been focused on bio-based pesticides. In this regard, new formulations of plant insecticides have been developed as a suitable alternative to artificial pesticides. In this research, respiratory and contact toxicity of pure and formulated Eucalyptus globulus Labill. essential oil and respiratory toxicity durability of its essential oil nanocapsules on adult insects of Tribolium confusum Herbest. (Col., Tenebrionidae) were investigated under laboratory conditions. According to the results, for respiratory toxicity, the pure and formulated essential oil LC50 at 24 h was obtained 46.39 and 1472 μl.l-1 of air, respectively. The formulated essential oil LT50 in three concentrations of LC25, LC50, and LC90 was determined 12.3, 10.39, and 0.36 days, respectively. The results also showed that the contact toxicity of formulated essential oil (LC50= 19030 μl.l-1) on this insect was much higher than the contact toxicity of pure one (LC50= 3770 μl.l-1). Therefore, due to the good stability of the formulated essential oil in respiratory toxicity and the excellent effect in contact toxicity, after additional tests, eucalyptus essential oil nanocapsules could be used in the management of this important pest.

 Medicinal plants have played an essential role in the development of human culture. Medicinal plants are resources of new drugs and many of the modern medicines are produced indirectly from plants. Although the production of secondary metabolites is controlled by genes, their production is considerably influenced by environmental conditions, so environmental factors cause changes in the growth of medicinal plants as well as the amount of active substances. Essential oil quantity and quality are affected by the different environmental conditions. Physiological, morphological and genetic variations were seen in populations of species that occurred in different habitats. These variations were created in response to contrasting environmental conditions. In many plant species, studies on the pattern of variation in populations have shown the localized populations are adapted to the particular environmental conditions of their habitat. The genus Phlomis L. (Lamiaceae) includes about 113 perennial herbs or shrubs distributed in Asia, Europe, and Africa. Some of the Phlomis species have been reported for their traditional uses as analgesic, diuretic, tonic, anti-diarrheic agents and to treat various conditions such as gastric ulcer, inflammation, diabetes, hemorrhoids and wounds. In Flora of Iran, this genus is represented by 20 species, including Phlomis olivieri Benth.
 This study was conducted to evaluate the morphological and phytochemical diversity of eleven populations of P. olivieri Benth. from different districts of Hamedan province in 2021. Traits such as plant height, stem diameter, leaf length and width, fresh and dry weight of the flowering branch, inflorescence length, fresh and dry weight of the plant, number of inflorescence cycles, essential oil percentage were measured. In order to investigate the physical and chemical properties of soil, soil samples were collected from a depth of 30 cm. Then they were transferred to the soil laboratory. Plants samples were collected in the flowering stage and were dried at 25-30°C. They were stored in envelopes at 22±3°C away from the sun. For extracting the essential oil of the samples, 100 gr of the plant was milled and then distilled with water. Hydrodistillation lasted for 4 hours. The main components of essential oil were identified and determined by gas chromatography in the Institute of Medicinal Plants in Karaj. Gas chromatography was carried out on Agilent 6890 with capillary column 30m*0.25 mm, 0.25 mm film thickness. The grouping of populations based on morphological and phytochemical traits was done by cluster analysis in SPSS using the Ward method. Also, the traits correlation (quantitative) was done using the Pearson method.
 According to the results, the highest fresh and dry weight of flowering branch (6.96 g and 3.48 g) and also the highest fresh and dry weight of the plant (11.77 g and 5.86 g) belonged to the Koohani population. The tallest inflorescence (24.2 cm) belonged to the Jowzan population and the shortest inflorescence belonged to the Gammasiab population (8.9 cm). The highest stem diameter (4.45 mm) was observed in the Garin population. The maximum plant height (49.4 cm) was related to the Rahdarkhaneh population, which was not significantly different from the Garin population, and the minimum was related to the population of Garmak (31 cm), which was not significantly different from the population of Gammasiab (33.50 cm). Also, 31 compounds were identified in this plant essential oil that caryophyllene, germacrene D, and (E)-b-Farnesene had the highest percentage of essential oil constituents. In this study, the highest amount of essential oil (0.04%) was related to the Koohani population which had the lowest altitude among other populations. Therefore, it seems that environmental factors, as well as genetic factors, have been effective in creating diversity in morphological and phytochemical characteristics of this plant.
 The results obtained from this study showed that P. olivieri Benth. populations gathered from different regions of Hamedan province, had a high diversity in terms of essential oil content. The results showed that in addition to genetic factors, environmental and climatic factors also affect phytochemical traits. In this study, the highest amount of essential oil was produced in the Koohani population (located in Nahavand city) with the lowest altitude among other populations. According to the research on the essential oil components of P. olivieri in different regions of Iran, the components of its essential oil and their percentages are completely different; so, some of the components that are seen in one region, are not observed in another region, and this issue emphasizes on the effect of climatic conditions. This difference is quite evident even in the studied populations in a province.

Linum album Ky. Ex Boiss. is a perennial herb from Linaceae family, which have lignans that are anti-cancer compounds. Like other medicinal herbs the seeds of Linum album due to exposure to particular ecological conditions have dormancy, therefore, identification of ecophysiological factors that affecting on dormancy and determining the optimal conditions for seed germination and establishment of plants is essential to produce them. So in order to perform three experiments includes: investigation the effect of 15 different treatments on dormancy breaking (completely randomized design), germination (completely randomized design) and seedling establishment of different populations (randomized complete block design), seeds of these plants were collected in June 2014 from 13 sites. The results of this study showed that the effect of different treatments on germination percentage and other germination indices was significant at 1% level. In the control treatment, no germination occurred. The best results observed in 1000 ppm GA with 88.33 percent germination. The highest percentage of germination and seedling establishment observed in populations A4 (78.08%) and A6 (41.33%). To remove dormancy in Linum album it is proposed that we use combined GA treatment with stratification. Also, based on the indices studied, the use of populations A1 and A6 is recommended for improvement of breeding programs.

Due to diverse ecosystems in Iran, the country has been one of important centers of supplying herbal plants. Hence, the context of herbal plants can act as a valuable resource for increasing non-oil revenue. Current research has investigated how to design a herbal plant’s supply chain network in view points of business and customers. Therefore supply chain of herbal plants of India, Africa, United States, and Iran has been studied. Iran’s Foeniculum vulare Mill herbal plant has a remarkable share in trade market. Razan city in Hamadan province is one of the major planting centers of it. In this article, modeling of supply chain network considers 4 levels which are purchasing material, processing, distribution and customer. Modeling is done by bi- objective MILP to increase two objectives of profit and quality. Research method is quantitative. Outputs of network design are location of processing and distribution centers, also assignment of distribution centers to customers, determining delivering quantities and different transportion modes selection between all active nodes of a network in different levels of the supply chain. Main innovation of the research is application of quality featurs of herbal plants as quality degredation rate. Validation of the model is assessed by real data in the case study. Sensitivity analysis on the results shows that the modeling has the validity and reliability. Effective solutions of the model are shown in a Pareto boundery. The results in one selected point are described. Results of the research can be used for agricultural products with limited shelf life and constant degredation rate and also for herbal plants in priority in national document of herbal plants programming. In order to develope the research, uncertainty of supply and demand parameters can be considered, also multi products supply chain and network of exporting herbal plants can be considered in future studies.

Medicinal plants are rich sources of the main active substances in many drugs. Although the production of secondary metabolites is controlled by genes, their production are considerably influenced by environmental conditions, so that environmental factors cause changes in the growth of medicinal plants as well as the amount of active substances. In different habitats, physiological, morphological and genetically variations are seen in populations of species. These variations are created in response to contrasting environmental conditions. Studies of population in many plant species regarding to the pattern of variation have showed the occurrence of localized populations which adapted to the particular ecological conditions of their habitat. Iran as a center of diversity of Stachys houses about 35 species. The majority of species prefers alpine and subalpine habitats and grows under various ecological conditions in habitats like rocky places, mountain steppes, and stream banks or sometimes in forests. S. inflata Benth. is a medicinal plant from Lamiaceae family which is used extensively in folk and traditional remedies to treat infection, asthma, rheumatism and other inflammatory diseases.

This study was conducted to evaluate the morphological and phytochemical diversity of seven populations of S. inflata Benth. from different districts of Hamedan province in 2017. Traits such as plant height, stem diameter, leaf length and width, fresh and dry weight of floral branch, inflorescence length, fresh and dry weight of flower, essential oil percentage and phenol and flavonoid content were measured. In order to investigate physical and chemical properties of soil, soil samples were collected from a depth of 30 cm. Then they were transferred to the soil laboratory. Plants samples were collected in flowering stage and were dried in 25-30 °C. They were stored in envelopes in 22±3 °C away from the sun. For extracting essential oil, 50 gr of shoots were milled and then mixed with distilled water. This process lasted for three hours. Main components of essential oil were identified and determined by gas chromatography. The grouping of populations based on morphological and phytochemical traits was done by cluster analysis. The correlation between the elevations of studied areas above the sea level and soil properties was also done by Pearson method. Results and Disscution: The results showed that the highest essential oil content was related to Avarzaman, Aznaveleh and Koohani populations (0.2%) and the lowest amount was obtained from Asadabad (0.11%). Although 22 compounds were identified in the essential oil, there was a great deal of variation in the percentage and type of components of the essential oil in the studied populations. The main components of essential oil were Spathulenol (26.25%), Octanol acetate (14.03%), Germacrene D (13.96%), Incensole acetate (13.41%), Bicyclogermacrene (10.66%) and Phytol (9.52%). Avarzaman population had the highest total phenol (141.9 mg GAE/gr) and flavonoid content (109.4 mg routine/gr) and the lowest content of phenol (86.9 mg GAE/gr) and flavonoid (68.8 mg routine/gr) was related to Asadabad and Koohani populations respectively. Avarzaman had the highest plant height (47.2 cm) and was significantly differed with other populations. The highest dry weight of floral branches (1.16 mm) was related to Asadabad population that was not significantly differed with Aznaveleh and Avarzaman population and the lowest dry weight of floral branch (0.57 mm) was observed in Koohani population. There was a significant negative correlation (-0.86) between the height of the studied habitats and the level of phosphorus in these areas. According to the morphological traits dendrogram analysis, seven studied populations were divided into two main groups. The populations of Avarzaman, Ekbatan, Ghazi Khan, Aznaveleh and Asadabad were in group A and Koohani and Gammasiab populations were in group B. Based on phytochemical traits dendrogram analysis, the populations of Ekbatan, Ghazi Khan, Asadabad, Koohani and Gammasiab were in group A and Avarzaman population was in group B.

In this study, the highest amount of essential oil content was obtained from populations which were collected from areas with the lowest elevation above the sea level. The soil of these areas had more phosphorous content. Therefore, the environmental factors as well as genetic factors have contributed in creating diversity in morphological and phytochemical characteristics of this plant.

 Fatty liver causes progression in liver damage and accelerates liver fibrosis. Fatty liver may enhance AST and ALT enzymes in blood. Infiltration of lipid in liver is associated with an increasing in its echogenicity, depending on the severity of the lipid infiltration. 

 This study is a randomized non-blind clinical trial in order to investigate the effect of Artichoke (Cynara Scolymus L.) herbal tea.  The leaves of the plant were consumed twice a day (one tablespoon in a glass of boiling water for 20 minutes on indirect heat) for 45 days. Using Pokak analytical sampling formula, 70 patients (47 females and 23 males) aged 25 to 63 years were finally tested and the effect of this plant on parenchymal echogenic levels of liver, AST, and ALT of their liver was investigated. Liver enzymes and abdominal ultrasound were performed at the beginning and after treatment and studied people were grouped according to the ultrasound criteria for fatty liver disease after obtaining informed consent. The means were compared using paired t-test and data were analyzed by SPSS  v.18 software.

 Results showed that studied people, for fatty liver disease were grouped as follows: mild (23 patients, %32.86) as grade 1, moderate (38 patients, %54.28) as grade 2, and severe (9 patients, %12.86) as grade 3. At the end of this study, fatty liver grade was decreased in 51 patients (P≤0.05). However, 19 women didn’t show expected change in the grade of fatty liver. The Mean±SD of the enzymes measured in all patients before and after treatment were 5.49±26.76 and 36.96±13.01 for ALT, and 3641.20±14.46 and 31.76±12.26 for AST. Statistical analysis of the results by t-test showed significant decreasing for ALT and AST levels (P≤0.01). 

 The results of this study showed that it seems this plant can be used to improve the laboratory symptoms of fatty liver.

Crataegus genus has a wide distribution in Iran. This genus belongs to Rosaceae family, is a horticultural plant and has medicinal properties. Hawthorn, with a great variety in species and medicinal properties, has a wide field of usage in traditional medicine. This plant has flavonoids, polyphenols, organic acids and high antioxidant activity and is used for treating cardiovascular diseases, cancers, diabetes, anxiety decrease and sleep disorders. Fruits, leaves and flowers of hawthorn have secondary chemical compounds such as phenols, flavonoids, oligomeric procyanidins and triterpene acids, organic acids, estrols and a few amines that activate heart movements. The presence of antioxidants in hawthorn causes beneficial therapeutic effects. Foods and fruits that include antioxidant compounds, are useful for human health, because their antioxidants neutralize the negative effects of free radicals in the human body. Regarding the fact that no study has ever been conducted on the existing species of hawthorn in Gyan region, the aim of this study has been the recognition of the species diversity and phytochemical compounds of hawthorn and could open up a new window for further studies on this plant.

This study was conducted as a completely randomized design with 3 replications in 2018 in natural forests of Gyan region in Nahavand city, located in Hamedan province which is one of the habitats of hawthorn plant. The samples were collected from three regions of Gyan forests in different altitudes. Measured traits were total phenol and flavonoid content and antioxidant activity in methanolic extract of hawthorn flowering shoot and fruit.

The investigation showed that the existing species in Gyan region is Crataegus pseudo heterophylla A. Pojark. According to the results of this research, the highest amount of total phenol (225.95±12.97 mg GAE/gr) and flavonoid (464.52±7.55 mg routine/gr) in methanolic extract of flowering shoot, were observed in region 3 with the highest altitude. Also, the highest total phenol (76.91±4.98 mg GAE/gr), the highest flavonoid (161.05±5.36 mg routine /gr) and the most antioxidant activity (110.01±0.12 ppm) of hawthorn fruit were observed in region 3.

The reason for the highest total phenol and flavonoid content and antioxidant activity in region 3 can be attributed to the higher content of macronutrients in the soil and high altitude above sea level. Producing secondary metabolites in plants increase under environmental stresses. For this reason, the plants grown at high altitudes than the plants grown at a lower altitude, are subjected to severe stresses such as drought, sun light and UV rays and their active substances increase.

Age, stage of plant development, and vegetative and reproductive growth stage at harvesting time are effective and important factors in determining the content of secondary metabolites in medicinal plants. In the present study, the variation of essential oil in Artemisia absinthium L. was studied. Sampling of cultivated plants was carried out from the plants grown in the field of Agricultural Research and Education Center of Hamadan province at three phonological stages of five years old plants (vegetative, beginning of flowering, full flowering) and vegetative stage of one year old plants picked in the early morning. The essential oil was extracted by Clevenger's apparatus and essential oil was analyzed by GC and GC/MS. A total of 40 different components were identified. The main component of essential oil in all samples was (z) -B-Ocimene oxide. The amount of (z) -B-Ocimene oxide in a one-year plants, a five-years plants at vegetative stage, a five-years old plant at the beginning of flowering stage and five years old at the stage of full flowering were 76.53%, 47.84%, 66.59% and 52.93%, respectively. Among the other dominant components of the plant, carvacrol and sabinene can be mentioned wich the highest level of carvacrol (7.27%) was observed in vegetative stage and Sabinene (4.44%) at full flowering stage of five years old plants.

  Sprouting is one of the main reasons of wasting about one half of potatoes during the storage. The existing methods to control sprouting in long term storage (for example postharvest applications of chlorpropham) can do the job as well, but the incidence of quality problems and undesirable side effects in such potatoes, and more importantly, the growing interest in organic food products, have challenged the application of these methods. The peppermint extracts used in the experiment were obtained from dried peppermint leaves in 48 hours, at room temperature using 1:1 distilled water-alcohol solution, and with the normal air pressure. The peppermint extracts were dried for 10 days and then transferred to a dark glass bottle by means of petroleum ether (as solvent) and were kept at 2°C until being used for later use. Herbal extracts of peppermint were used at concentrations of 0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 g/l, with regular intervals of 2, 4 or 6 weeks during the 5 months of potato (Agria cultivar) storage while sprouting was monitored. Direct contact between tubers and the peppermint extracts was not allowed. To provide the needed oxygen for the tubers respiration, the containers apertures were opened for 15-20 minutes every four weeks and were sealed again. A group of tubers was only treated by 37g chlorpropham (5% purity). To do this, the powder was poured into the container, completely sealed and slowly shaken for 10 minutes. The sealed container was kept at room temperature for 48 hours. All experiments were repeated 3 times. Data was analyzed by a completely randomized design (CRD) with a factorial experiment. According to the results, by increasing the concentration of mint from 0.5 to 2 g/l, sprouting potato was controlled more effectively and meaningfully. More concentration in the control of potato sprouting was not significant. Use of this extract at a concentration of 0.5 g/l stimulates the germination of tubers compared to the control. Extensive sprouting of tubers was delayed for up to 4 months compared to the control treatment too. Application of peppermint extract caused %92 and %96 decrease in potato germination and total weight sprouting respectively. Organoleptic evaluation of the boiled and fried potato samples, treated with the mint extract and chlorpropham, did not show significant differences. Use of 2 g/l mint extract will be able to decrease waste potato tubers in storage up to 6 percent. Replication of every 4 weeks extracts application is absolutely essential for the best result. Organoleptic evaluation of the boiled and fried potato samples, treated with the mint extract and chlorpropham, received more points compared to contro

The genus Thymus L. is one of the largest genera of the Lamiaceae family and aromatic plants. Plants of these genera have commercial value due to their essential oils. Thymus eriocalyx is one of the species that is exclusively on the Iranian plateau. In order to investigate the molecular characteristics of Thymus eriocalyx populations in Iran, 10 habitats were selected in Lorestan, Markazi, Hamedan, Kermanshah and Kurdistan provinces (using the DSS method) (50 plant samples). Also, 15 primers with 10 N lengths selected. The molecular data, based on RAPD experiments, divided the populations into five distinct groups. Primers used in this experiment produced 71 bands, which showed 68 polymorphic bands. OPA-05, OPA-17, OPD03 and OPE-20 primers with the highest polymorphism and marker index had excellent ability to study genetic variation in studied species. P2 and P7 populations had the maximum effective allele and p9 population had the minimum value. The highest and lowest mean of expected heterozygosity belonged to P2 and P9 populations, respectively. The highest genetic similarity was observed between P2 and P3 genotypes and the lowest genetic similarity between P2 and P10. The results of analysis of variance (AMOVA) showed that the variation within the populations of these species (68%) is greater than the diversity among populations (32%), which this fact prove the importance of single plant selection and paying attention to individual in Thymus breeding programs.

Linum album Ky. ex Boiss, belonging to the Flax family, is one of the endemic plants in Iran. To investigate the genetic diversity of this plant with using of morphological traits and fatty acid profile, 11 populations of this plant were selected from Hamadan province. In spring and summer of 2014, five whole-plant samples were selected randomly from each population at flowering and seed ripening stage. Then, quantitative (33 traits) and qualitative measurements (9 traits) were done with five replications for each trait. Data were analyzed by SAS.v9.2 software. Means were compared by Duncan's multiple range test (at the 5% level), and the relationship between fatty acids and climate characteristics were measured using canonical correlation. According to the results, this species grows in Hamadan Province at an altitude of 1551 to 2176 meters above sea level. Populations showed significant differences in all traits at the 5% level except six of them, including length, width, and length to width ratio of stem leaves as well as length to width ratio of bracts. The results showed that palmitic acid (5.5-6.5%), stearic acid (0.5-5.1%), oleic acid (21.9-28.1), linoleic acid (15.4-66.8%) and linolenic (2.0-45.7%) acid were the main components of the fatty acid in seeds of flax and Linum album, and a large difference was found for the percentage of these compounds between the two species and in different populations of Linum album. Canonical correlation of geographical and ecological characteristics with the fatty acids of seeds showed that the amount of linolenic acid in the seed oil is increased with the increase in available phosphorus, available potassium, organic matter, EC, annual precipitation, and mean annual temperature. The yield of Linum album washigher in areas with an altitude of 1700 m, average annual temperature of 13°C, annual rainfall of 340 mm and southern slopes. Although introducing a population for cultivation and domestication of Linum album needs more researches, our results showed that populations A1, A4, A7 and A10 were potentially more suiteable.

Wart is one of the most common viral diseases of skin caused by human papilloma virus (HPV) and results in high costs for therapeutic, cosmetic and hygienic interventions. Euphorbia is an annual plant belonging to Euphorbiaceae family that has seventy species. All of them have latexes with high medicinal values. These plants have anti-viral and anti-tumor substances and 10 species of them are used in traditional medicine for treatment of ulcers, tumors, warts, and other diseases. In this study, the therapeutic effect of Euphorbia macrolada latex on common warts is compared with the standard keratolytic treatment. The latex of E. macrolada was prepared from Dehgolan region in Kurdistan Province and used directly. The standard keratolytic solution, which contained 16.7 g salicylic acid, 16.7 g lactic acid and up to 100 g collodion was prepared and delivered by the Hamedan Behzisti Pharmacy. A double-blind trial was conducted in Farshchian Hospital, Hamedan, Iran on 88 patients (44 in each group). They were instructed to apply the solutions on their warts twice daily for maximum of 8 weeks. All lesions in both groups were cured after 8 weeks. The meanstandard deviation (SD) of time to cure was 4.51.4 weeks in E. macrolada group and 5.11.6 weeks in the control group. None of these differences were statistically significant (P>0.05). No adverse effects was observed in any of patients. The findings indicated that E. macrolada had a therapeutic effect on common warts. Based on the results of this study, latex of this plant can be used as a complementary or alternative medicine in the treatment of patients with common warts.

Asparaginase and amylase are widely used enzymes in various industries, which can be produced by endophytic fungi. In this study, the ability of producing these two enzymes in endophytic fungi isolated from six species of Thymus has been reported for the first time in the world. Among 89 isolates of the test, 34 isolates produced asparaginase which among M24 (Fusarium subglutinans) displayed the greatest enzyme activity. Thirty three isolates showed the ability to produce amylase while the greatest enzyme activity belonged to M53 (Curvularia akaii). This study can be regarded as a preliminary work and endophytic fungi of high activity are proposed as possible resources to control cancer in human and other industrial applications.

Introduction &

Primary dysmenorrhea is one of the common problems in women، especially in young women. Although dysmenorrhea is not life threatening، it can have ad-verse effect on quality of life and cause disability or ineffectiveness. With regard to the young society suffering from it، various treatments are offered for dysmenorrhea one of which is medicinal plants. This study investigated the effect of Melissa officinalis and Salvia officinalis on primary dysmenorrhea

This study was a clinical trial study performed on 50 girls with dys-menorrheal taking Salvia officinalis as infusion for five days before menstruation and five days during the menstruation. The consumption of the plants was repeated in the next two periods in the same way. Severity of pain، blooding duration and dysmenorrhea duration were evaluated with VAS (Visual Analog Scale) Questionnaire in their next two cycles. Data were analyzed by chi-square، t-test and WILCOXON statistical test.

The results of this study showed that after using the plants، pain severity and pain duration significantly reduced P<0. 01)so that pain severity decreased from 6. 30 to 3. 94 and 3. 24، (on a scale of 1 to 10) after taking the plants in the first and second periods، respectively. The maximum pain duration before the treatment was 1 to 6 h (28. 6%) and this number reduced to less than 1 h after using these medicinal plants (38. 0%). Mean of blooding duration was 6. 36 days before the treatment. After the first and second duration، this value reached 6. 48 and 6. 34 days، respectively. It was determined that taking oral seda-tives reduced from 56% to 26% and 22% after the first and second periods، respectively. Fi-nally، after the second period، 42% of the girls reported high rates of satisfaction because of using the medicinal plants.

Generally، it was showed that Melissa officinalis and Salvia officinalis signifi-cantly reduced pain severity and pain duration in the girls with primary dysmenorrhea. These medicinal plants can be used as a therapy method and raise the life quality of suffering women.

Ziziphora clinopodioides is one of the aromatic and medicinal plants belong to Labiatea family. The essential oil of this plant contains pulegone with many medicinal properties. The aim of this study was identification of natural habitats of Z. clinopodioides In Hamedan province and effects of ecological factors on it’s essential oil content and composition. So the aerial parts of Z. clinopodioides were collected from 11 localities at flowering stage and dried in shade and room temperature. Some ecological factors like geographical characters، height، slope percent and other plant species were determined. The soil of each collection site from 30 Cm depth was also analyzed. The plant materials were subjected to hydro-distillation for extraction their essential oils in three replications. The oil yields were calculated based on dry weight. The chemical constituents of essential oils were identified by using GC and GC/MS. The results showed that oil yields have significant difference at % and 5% levels. The highest oil yield was observed for Z7 and the lowest for Z11. Twenty six components were identified in the oils that the percentage of main compounds، pulegone and 1،8-cineole، was different in samples from different localities that showed the effect of ecological factors.

Thymus eriocalyx (Ronniger) Jalas belongs to the family Lamiaceae. Among different species of Thymus, distributed in the world, 18 species are growing in Iran, of which four species are endemic. To study the variation of essential oils among population individuals of this species in Iran D.S.S. (Determination of special station) method was used. In this study, the aerial parts of 5 individuals of Thymus eriocalyx were collected from 10 special stations, at full flowering stage for chemical investigation and were dried at room temperature. The essential oil was extracted by hydrodistilation method using a Clevenger-type apparatus. The chemical composition of essential oils was analyzed by GC-FID and GC-MS. Results showed that the highest average yield of essential oil in three replications based on dry weight belonged to the first individual of Te2 population (4.09%), while the lowest was recorded for the second individual of Te10 population (0.21%). Totally, thirty one compounds were identified in the essential oil of 10 studied population individuals. In this study, it is noteworthy that the individuals of a population showed variation among themselves in terms of chemical compositions. Among existing chemical compounds in the essential oil of 50 individuals, the following compounds revealed the variation widely: p-cymene (0.1-20.1%), 1,8-cineole (0.4-29.4%), γ-terpinene (0.1-8.7%), linalool (0.1-82.3%), camphor (0.1-15%), borneol (1.6-22.7%), geraniol (0.1-74.6%), thymol (0.1-57.7%), geranyl acetate (0.1-49.6%), caryophyllene oxide (0.2-9.1%), limonene (0.2-24%) and α-terpineol (0.1-36.2%). The results of the analysis of chemical data using MVSP Software by UPGMA and PCO methods led to the identification of 9 chemotypes as follows of which 7 chemotypes were introduced as new chemotypes: 1-geraniol/geranyl acetate, 2-geraniol, 3- linalool/geraniol/geranyl acetate, 4-linalool,5-α-terpineol/1,8-cineole, 6-geranyl acetate, 7-geraniol/thymol/borneol/1,8-cineole,8-thymol/limonene and 9-thymol/p-cymene/borneol.

In order to evaluate several ecological factors, morphological traits, essential oil productivity and ploidy levels of Thymus eriocalyx (Ronniger) Jalas with uses of DSS method ten natural habitats were selected  in Lorestan, Markazi, Hamadan, Kermanshah and Kurdestan provinces  in Iran. To study and evaluate morphological characters, five complete plant samples and flowering branches were collected from each locality at flowering stage for essential oil extraction in spring season of 2008. Ecological data of ten localities were also recorded. Vegetative and reproductive traits and essential oil quantity of each population were studied. Seeds were also collected in the seed production season to study seed characters, chromosome counting and ploidy level. At least 10 mitotic cells of each population were studied to determine chromosome numbers and ploidy levels. All populations were classified in 4 groups. Results revealed that specimens from "Te9 population" had the highest average length and width of inflorescence leaf, inflorescence leaf length to width ratio, stem leaf length to width ratio, petiole length, calyx tube length, corolla length and the highest average length and width of bracteole. The results of chromosome counting showed that specimens of Te1, Te2, Te3, Te4, Te5, Te6 and Te8 populations were diploid (2n=2x=30) and specimens of Te7, Te9 and Te10 populations were tetraploid (2n=4x=60). The highest essential oil production belonged to Te5 population (3.04%).

Rhabdosciadium aucheri Boiss., belonging to Apiaceae family, is an endemic species in flora of Iran that grows in Hamadan, Lorestan, Chaharmahale Bakhteyari, Kohkeyloye va Boyrahmad and Tehran. Aerial parts of Rhabdosciadium aucheri Boiss were collected at full flowering stage on July, 2010 from Iran: Hamadan, Asadabad at an altitude of 2330 m. Then, 100 g of air-dried aerial parts of plant was subjected to hydrodistillation. The essential oil yield was 0.67% based on the dry weight of plant. The oil was analyzed by GC and GC/Mass. Totally, eighteen constituents were identified. β-sesquiphellandrene (49.9%), epi-α-bisabolol (11.9%), intermedeol (8.20%), germacrene D (7.6%) and β-bisabolene (4.9%) were identified as the major constituents. This research was carried out for the first time in the world.

Thymus L. is one of the largest genus of Lamiaceae family. This species had cammercial values due to containing essential oils and also its wide applications in food and pharmaceutical industries. From this genus، 18 species have been identified in Iran. Because of the gene flow potentiality among populations، a high morphological diversity exists among them. Thymus eriocalyx (Ronniger) Jalas is one of the species of this genus that is distributed only in west of Iran and also north of Iraq to determine intraspecific variations in T. eriocalyx from taxonomic point of view and effective ecological factors، data were collected using special station method. In this way، ten special stations were recognized for T. eriocalyx in west of Iran. Results from floristic data analysis (floristic composition of each special station) with MVSP software by PCO method، led to the identification of 6 separate groups that was indicative of the existence of intraspecific diversity. Furthermore morphometric data analysis of individual collected from each special station، by using 33 vegetative and reproductive characters، with PCO and UPGMA methods، confirmed 5-mentioned floristic groups. Ecologic data analysis with CCA method showed that various ecological factors are effective in grouping and forming special stations diversity، so that among studied factors، altitude، soil texture and permeability and slop direction factors were all effective in groupment of special stations. On this base، at least 3 ecodemes were identifiable and thus، could be introduced.

Different species from Labiatea family are used as spices and fragrance in food or as medicine for treatment of viral or microbial diseases in many countries. Labiatea family contains 46 genus and 410 species. One of the valuable and medicinal species of this family is Ziziphora clinopodioides Lam. subsp. rigida (Boiss.). This species contains essential oil with pulegone as major compound. In this investigation, the effect of some ecological factors on essential oil content and composition of Z. clinopodioides was studied. The aerial parts of Z. clinopodioides have been collected at flowering stage from four habitats in Hamedan and Kurdestan provinces. The major parameters like altitude, side and slope percentage, soil characteristics and other species of plant were determined. The plant materials have been subjected to hydro-distillation in three replications to obtain their essential oils. The essential oils were analyzed by GC and GC/MS. The results showed that ecological factors had significant effect (=0.01) on oil yields. Identification of chemical constituents of the oils showed that main compounds (pulegone and 1,8-cineole) and minor compounds exist in different percentage in different habitats. Therfore, the ecological factors affected essential oil composition of Z. clinopodioides.

Collection and Determination of Medicinal Plants in Hamedan province have been carried out since 1995 for five years in the center of national resources and animal affairs of Hamedan province. Medicinal plants of different regions were collected by using field study and information of experienced people traditional medicine. Some informations including scientific name, family name, Persian name, local name, botany specifications, distribution area in the province, herbarium number, habitat, the height from sea level, utilized organ, manner of usage, liables to use in traditional and local medicine, and chemical composition in species, etc. were recorded for each medicinal plant. By the end of project, totally 6000 herbaceous species were collected from different regions of the province, which 315 medicinal plants were identified and related to 71 families and 209 genus. These numbers included species which were self-grown (wild) in natural resource boards of province and 159 species have traditional usage in the province and 156 species are out of traditional and indigenous use but they are called medicinal plants in drug resources.