An estimated 5.7 million people were living with HIV and AIDS in South Africa in 2009, more than in any other country. Up to 90% of all HIV/AIDS patients develop opportunistic fungi infections (OFIs) at some point during the course of the disease and 10 to 20% dies as a direct consequence of these.
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Traditional remedies from plants have been use to treat male reproductive related disorders for ages in South Africa. Aim: This study reviewed the current status of medicinal plants used in male reproductive healthcare as well as their effectiveness as a mode of treatment.
Salacia reticulata Thw. (Celastraceae) is widely used in traditional systems of medicine for the natural control of diabetics. However, S. reticulate is obtained from the wild and hence its popular use creates a huge pressure on its limited supply.
Chemical protection plays a decisive role in the resistance of plants against pathogens and herbivores. The so-called secondary metabolites, which are a characteristic feature of plants, are especially important and can protect plants against a wide variety of microorganisms (viruses, bacteria, fungi) and herbivores (arthropods, vertebrates).
d Background and aims Much recent study of plant trichomes has focused on various aspects of glandular secreting trichomes (GSTs) and differentiation of simple trichomes.
Secreting glandular plant trichome types which accumulate large quantities of metabolic products in the space between their gland cell walls and cuticle permit the plant to amass secretions in a compartment that is virtually outside the plant body.
Medicinal plants have bioactive compounds which are used for curing of various human diseases and also play an important role in healing. Phytochemicals have two categories i.e., primary and secondary constituents. Primary constituents have chlorophyll, proteins sugar and amino acids. Secondary constituents contain terpenoids and alkaloids.
This paper reviews the antimicrobial research undertaken on South African medicinal plants during the period 1997–2008. Antimicrobial methods (disc diffusion, minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), bioautography) are briefly discussed and an analysis of the publications reviewed indicates that the majority of papers use MIC assays for antimicrobial determination.
Results from the in vitro antiamoebic activity of some Congolese plant extracts used as antidiarrhoeic in traditional medicine indicated that of 45 plant extracts tested, 35 (77.78%) exhibited an antiamoebic activity and 10 (22.22%) were inactive.
Previous hypotheses about the causes of venous ulceration are inconsistent with recently published data. In patients with chronic venous insufficiency the number of functioning capillary loops visible in the skin on microscopy fell after the legs had been dependent for 30 minutes. Another study had shown that leucocytes became trapped in the circulation in dependent legs.