Talal Aburjai

Ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal plants in Jordan, Mujib Nature Reserve and surrounding area

AIM OF THE STUDY Medicinal plants are an important element of indigenous systems in Jordan. These resources are usually regarded as part of a cultures traditional knowledge. Therefore, the aim of this study is to collect information from local population concerning the use of medicinal plants of the Mujib region; identify the most important medicinal plants used; determine the relative importance of the species surveyed and calculate the informant consensus factor (F(ic)) in relation to medicinal plant use. MATERIALS AND METHODS Qualitative tools were used for data collection and to record the interviewees personal information and topics related to the medicinal use of specific plants. The collected data were used to calculate the F(ic) and the plant use values. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS Fifty-eight plants were identified to be still in use in traditional practice in Mujib. Our results showed that the highest use values were recorded for the species Artemisia sieberi Bess. and Silybum marianum (L.) Gaertn., while the highest F(ic) was cited for digestive problems. Anthropologically, women were the primary gatherers while healers were reported to be both females, predominantly, and males; yet, herbalists are deficient in this local community.

Screening of antibiotic resistant inhibitors from local plant materials against two different strains of Staphylococcus aureus

The inhibitory effects of methanolic extracts of 19 Jordanian plants and their combinations with seven antibiotics, on the resistance of Staphylococcus aureus were checked. Methicillin resistant S. aureus (MRSA), which was isolated from patient and a standard strain of S. aureus were used. Our results showed that there are variations in the effect of some combinations used on the resistant and the standard strains probably due to structural changes. Common results between the two strains showed that combinations of gentamicin and chloramphenicol could be improved by the use of plant materials, whereas nalidixic acid activity cannot be improved when combined with plant materials.

Effect of ethnomedicinal plants used in folklore medicine in Jordan as antibiotic resistant inhibitors on Escherichia coli

BackgroundEscherichia coli occurs naturally in the human gut; however, certain strains that can cause infections, are becoming resistant to antibiotics. Multidrug-resistant E. coli that produce extended-spectrum β lactamases (ESBLs), such as the CTX-M enzymes, have emerged within the community setting as an important cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and bloodstream infections may be associated with these community-onsets. This is the first report testing the antibiotic resistance-modifying activity of nineteen Jordanian plants against multidrug-resistant E. coli.MethodsThe susceptibility of bacterial isolates to antibiotics was tested by determining their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) using a broth microdilution method. Nineteen Jordanian plant extracts (Capparis spinosa L., Artemisia herba-alba Asso, Echinops polyceras Boiss., Gundelia tournefortii L, Varthemia iphionoides Boiss. & Blanche, Eruca sativa Mill., Euphorbia macroclada L., Hypericum trequetrifolium Turra, Achillea santolina L., Mentha longifolia Host, Origanum syriacum L., Phlomis brachydo(Boiss.) Zohary, Teucrium polium L., Anagyris foetida L., Trigonella foenum-graecum L., Thea sinensis L., Hibiscus sabdariffa L., Lepidium sativum L., Pimpinella anisum L.) were combined with antibiotics, from different classes, and the inhibitory effect of the combinations was estimated.ResultsMethanolic extracts of the plant materials enhanced the inhibitory effects of chloramphenicol, neomycin, doxycycline, cephalexin and nalidixic acid against both the standard strain and to a lesser extent the resistant strain of E. coli. Two edible plant extracts (Gundelia tournefortii L. and Pimpinella anisum L.) generally enhanced activity against resistant strain. Some of the plant extracts like Origanum syriacum L.(Labiateae), Trigonella foenum- graecum L.(Leguminosae), Euphorbia macroclada (Euphorbiaceae) and Hibiscus sabdariffa (Malvaceae) did not enhance the activity of amoxicillin against both standard and resistant E. coli. On the other hand combinations of amoxicillin with other plant extracts used showed variable effect between standard and resistant strains. Plant extracts like Anagyris foetida (Leguminosae) and Lepidium sativum (Umbelliferae) reduced the activity of amoxicillin against the standard strain but enhanced the activity against resistant strains. Three edible plants; Gundelia tournefortii L. (Compositae) Eruca sativa Mill. (Cruciferae), and Origanum syriacum L. (Labiateae), enhanced activity of clarithromycin against the resistant E. coli strain.ConclusionThis study probably suggests possibility of concurrent use of these antibiotics and plant extracts in treating infections caused by E. coli or at least the concomitant administration may not impair the antimicrobial activity of these antibiotics.

Ethnopharmacological survey of medicinal herbs in Jordan, the Northern Badia region

AIM OF THE STUDY This study sought to gather information from aboriginal Bedouins in North Badia region of Jordan about used medicinal herbs besides their folk uses. MATERIALS AND METHODS The data were collected from 40 practitioners who utilized medicinal plants and who were regarded as professional. Subsequently, the uses were compared with the reported ones in the literature. The informant consensus factor (Fic) and use value (UV) have been calculated to those herbs and the managed illnesses. RESULTS The data of 73 species were collected; the vast majority of them are safe such as Achillea falcata, Tamarix aphylla and Teucrium polium. Treatment of inflammation and pain presented the major targeted use of these herbs. While, the herbs used for delivery and female problems were limited. This might be due to the culture conservations about the talk of feminine issues. Diseases of kidney, gastrointestinal and respiratory systems as well as diabetes depicted the largest Fic values. Artemisia herba-alba possessed the highest UV value among the studied herbs.

Antioxidative and radical scavenging effects of olive cake extract

The antioxidative activity of different butanol extract fractions of olive cake was investigated. Four fractions showed marked antioxidative activity in comparison with BHT. Fractions tested also showed good hydrogen donating abilities, indicating that they had effective activities as radical scavengers. Coumaric, ferulic, cinnamic acids and oleuropein were isolated.

Screening of antibiotic resistant inhibitors from local plant materials against two different strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

The methanolic extracts of 19 Jordanian plants were combined with seven different antibiotics and applied to check the inhibitory effects of the combination on the resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. A resistant strain of Ps. aeruginosa, which was isolated from a patient and a standard strain of the same microorganism were used in this study. Our results showed that there are significant variations in the effects of some combinations used on the resistant and the standard strains probably due to structural changes. Almost all the plant materials used in combination with penicillin G and erythromycin allowed full growth of the standard strain, while the combination with some plant materials like Gundelia tournefortii L. and Lepidium sativum L. inhibited the growth of the resistant strain. Chloramphenicol, gentamicin and cephalosporin can be given advantageously with almost all the plant materials used with few exceptions on the resistant strain. Nalidixic acid activity was improved significantly when combined with all plant materials and tested on standard strain. On the other hand, its activity on the resistant strain was slightly improved using the same combinations.

Anti-platelet stilbenes from aerial parts of Rheum palaestinum

A chemical investigation of biologically active compounds from the aerial parts of Rheum palaestinum has led to the isolation and identification of two stilbenes; trans-resveratrol-3-O-beta-D-glucopyranosid (I) and rhaponticin (II). The structures of these stilbenes were established on the basis of spectroscopic data including MS and NMR. Compounds (I) and (II) have been shown to exhibit anti-platelet activity. Moreover, chrysophanol was also identified and characterized.

Aqueous extracts of some medicinal plants are as toxic as Imidacloprid to the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci

Abstract Aqueous extracts of nine plants, known to have medicinal activity, were tested for their toxicity against the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Genn. (Homoptera: Aleurodidae) compared to the toxicity of the insecticide, Imidacloprid. Extracts of Lepidiuim sativum L. (Brassicales: Brassicaceae) killed 71 % of early stage nymphs, which was not significantly different from mortality caused by Imidacloprid. Treatment of pupae with three plant extracts, L. sativum, Achillea biebersteinii L. (Asterales: Asteraceae), or Retama raetam (Forssk.) Webb and Berthel (Fabales: Fabaceae) prevented adult development, and treatment with R. raetam extract killed adults, at levels that were not significantly different from Imidacloprid. None of the other plants showed significant toxicity. However extracts of four plants, Pimpinella anisum L. (Apiales: Apiaceae), Galium longifolium (Sibth. and SM.) (Gentianales: Rubiaceae), R. raetam and Ballota undulata Bentham (Lamiales: Lamiaceae) had a repellent effect.

A comparative study of Ferula hermonis root extracts and sildenafil on copulatory behaviour of male rats

The effect of 600 mg/kg given by oral route to rats of Ferula hermonis roots extracts (petroleum ether, ethyl acetate, methanol and water) was evaluated on sexual behaviour of male rats. Petroleum ether and ethyl acetate extracts produced a significant decrease in both the mount rate (MR) and the intromission rate (IR), significant prolongation of intromission latency (IL) was observed when these extracts were compared with both controls and sildenafil. Methanolic extract produced a significant increase in MR while no effect has been observed on IR or IL in comparison with control. The effect of water extract was not significantly different from controls for the MR and IR, but there was a significant prolongation in the IL.

Composition of the Essential Oil from Artemisia herba-alba Grown in Jordan

Abstract The composition of the essential oil hydrodistilled from the aerial parts of Artemisia herba-alba Asso. growing in Jordan was determined by GC and GC/MS. The oil yield was 1.3% (v/w) from dried tops (leaves, stems and fowers). Forty components corresponding to 95.3% of the oil were identifed, of which oxygenated monoterpenes were the main oil fraction (39.3% of the oil), with α- and β-thujones as the principal components (24.7%). The other major identifed components were: santolina alcohol (13.0%), artemisia ketone (12.4%), trans-sabinyl acetate (5.4%), germacrene D (4.6%), α-eudesmol (4.2%) and caryophyllene acetate (5.7%). The high oil yield and the substantial levels of potentially active components, in particular thujones and santolina alcohol, in the oil of this Jordanian species make the plant and the oil thereof promising candidates as natural herbal constituents of antimicrobial drug combinations.