Funtumia africana Stapf. (Apocynaceae) is among the diverse medicinal plants of Ivorian National flora used for several pathologies’ treatment. Complexity in curing some of the diseases associated with bacteria resistance, brought up inefficiency of a great number of current antimicrobial drugs. The present study evaluates the antibacterial activity of the crude extracts of the leaves of F.africana against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Additionally, secondary metabolites were screened out to discover new groups of molecular compounds responsible for specific activity. Bioassay experiments used were disk diffusion and Muller-Hinton broth dilution methods, to respectively determine the inhibition zone diameters and antibacterial key factors. As for the phytochemical investigation, test tubes colorimetric method was performed. Results showed that hydro-alcoholic and aqueous extracts of F.africana displayed strong activity with respective inhibition zone diameter comprised between 17.4 mm and 25.7 mm, and 16.7 mm and 19.7 mm. For both types of extracts, the Minimum Inhibition Concentration (MIC) varied from 0.046 to 1.56 mg/mL, demonstrating as a result, a bactericidal effect against the majority of strains tested. The current work, therefore justifies the use of F.africana as traditional medicine against bacterial infections

Bignoniaceae is rich in active metabolites and includes numerous genera of high economic and therapeutic values. One of these plants is Markhamia platycalyx. The petroleum ether fraction of the total ethanol leaf extract of M. platycalyx exhibited IC50 26760 ng/mL against Plasmodium falciparum D6 and 22430 ng/mL against P. falciparum W2 in the 2nd phase assay. It did not show any cytotoxic activity against the VERO mammalian cells, indicating the safety of the petroleum ether fraction. Additionally, the dichloromethane fraction of the same extract was the most active fraction against Leishmania donovani amastigotes in THP1 with 86% inhibition in the 1ry phase assay, which was higher than Amphotericin B.

The difference in morphometry and biomass of Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra) cultivated under different conditions of manuring; cow dung, chicken droppings, NPK fertilizer and control was evaluated. The experiments were laid out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replications. The germination rate of Abelmoschus esculentus treated with three different manure showed that the highest percentage of germination rate was (97.66 ± 10.40 %) among those treated with NPK fertilizer followed by (93.23 ± 5.20 %) of those treated with cow dung, While the least was (61.66 ± 2.88 %) of the control. The morphometric parameters measured showed a significant increase in the height of okra among the treated groups than the control groups. The highest plant height was (73.10 ± 12.12cm) among the treatment group with the application of NPK fertilizer. The lowest plant height (51.21 ± 3.21 cm) was recorded among the control group. There was an increase in leaf length (26.24 ± 4.03cm) of NPK fertilizer than chicken dropping and cow dung but the lowest leaf length was observed among the control group with mean value of (23.01 ± 1.10 cm). The girth of okra showed a significant increase with the okra treated with chicken dropping, cow dung and NPK fertilizer. Hence the highest girth of (6.87 ± 0.34 cm) was recorded among the okra treated with NPK fertilizer. While the girth of those treated with cow dung (5.26 ± 0.81 cm) was higher than the girth (4.98 ± 0.54 cm) measurement of the control groups. There was a gradual increase in the leaf area of okra moving from control to the treatments. The highest leaf area was (48.72 ± 4.31cm) among the okra plant treated with NPK fertilizer while lowest leaf area was (36.31 ± 1.21 cm) among the control. There was a significant difference among the fresh weight and dry weight moving from the control to treatments. The biomass of okra had the highest (137.54 ± 73.30 cm) among the group treated with NPK fertilizer while a lower value of (101.45 ± 25.51 cm) was observed among those treated with chicken dropping. The results indicate that the growth parameter of the okra treated with NPK fertilizer had the highest growth in height, girth, leaf area and biomass. This is because of the essential nutrients contained in NPK fertilizer which are released more quickly and readily available for plants growth. Therefore, NPK fertilizer is recommended to farmers since its application boosts the yield performance of crops

The study was conducted with the aim to document the indigenous practices of therapeutic plants of Goleen Valley, Chitral, Pakistan. Ethnomedicinal data was obtained from inhabitants of the area through face to face interviews and semi-structured questionnaires. To analyze data quantitatively, Familiarity index, Family Importance Value, Consensus-index, Informant consensus factor indices were applied. A total of 36 medicinal plants were documented. The recurring habit forms were herbs (53%), shrubs (25%), trees (19%) and climbers (3%). The most frequently utilizing plant part was the leaves (36%). The mode of preparation was dominated by decoction (26.19%). The Familiarity index value has been dominated by Zea mays (0.54), followed by Peganum harmala (0.46). Family Malvacea has the maximum FIV value (60.31). The value of “CI” was highest for Zea mays (++++). The ICF value was high for Muscu-skeletal disorders (0.818), next to it was digestive diseases (0.78) and Fever-malaria-typhoid (0.76). The present study shows that the practice of therapeutic plants for the cure of various diseases is still prevalent in the study area. The high degree of consensus among the local population reveals that the information/knowledge about the uses of therapeutic plants is still living in the study area. Therefore, awareness about the conservation of medicinal flora should be raised among the local communities.

A high potency low calorie bio-sweetener “Stevia” has been grown in many countries around the globe for its sweetening and health promoting properties. Besides of making the world a sweeter place, stevia is well known for its efficient therapeutic and pharmacological agents. This review article summarizes the existing literature on nutritional, therapeutic and pharmacological properties of stevia and its metabolites to provide a baseline for new research on this phenomenal plant

Background: Traditional plant remedies are still the most important sources of therapeutics for nearly 80% of the Ethiopian population. Like other communities in Ethiopia, traditional plant remedies play a vital role in the primary healthcare system of Enarj Enawga District, Amhara Region, Ethiopia. Thus, the aim of the present study was to document and analyze the use and conservation statuses of medicinal plants in Enarj Enawga District.

Methods: Ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and field observations. Informant Consensus Factor (ICF), preference/priority ranking exercise and Direct Matrix Ranking (DMR) exercise were used to analyze the data.

Results: 111 medicinal plant species belonging to 97 genera and 50 botanical families were reported in the District. Asteraceae (9.01%) was found to be the most dominant plant family in the study area. Most of the medicinal plants belong to the herb (47.75%) and shrub (31.53%) categories. Roots (39.53%) and leaves (35.81%) were the most frequently used plant parts for the preparation of remedies. The study also revealed Securidaca longepedunculata as the most threatened medicinal plant in the District.

Conclusion: Although their future use is hampered by poor conservation practices, the diversity of medicinal plants and the associated indigenous knowledge is so immense in the District, promoting appropriate conservation strategy in the study area, Enarj Enawga District.