Economic and social position of medicinal and aromatic plants
R. Saadati; A. Sattarian; A. Daneshvar; E. Amini; F. Nasrollahi
Abstract
Plants are part of the natural resources of any country. This section has been one of the most important sources of human food and medicine for generations. Golestan province is very rich in vegetation due to its suitable geographical location. The people of this region with different ethnicities have ...
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Plants are part of the natural resources of any country. This section has been one of the most important sources of human food and medicine for generations. Golestan province is very rich in vegetation due to its suitable geographical location. The people of this region with different ethnicities have had a close relationship with their surroundings, especially plants, from the distant past. Since in Iran, perfumeries are the most important centers in the supply of medicinal plants, in this study, by referring to perfumeries in four cities of eastern Golestan province, including Gonbad Kavous, Galikesh, Minoodasht, and Kalaleh, information about people working in perfumeries, clients, and reasons for referring to perfumeries were recorded. It was found that 56% of perfumeries in these cities are between 10 and 30 years old. The average age of people working in perfumeries was estimated to be 20 to 50 years old, 86% of whom were male and 41% of whom were employed without any relevant education and only through family experience or taking courses related to medicinal plants. The most common reason for people to refer to perfumeries was related to liver and gastrointestinal diseases; this may be due to the wrong lifestyle or diet of the people of the region. Despite the rich flora and suitable geography of Golestan province, as well as the tendency of the people of the region to use herbal medicines, the results showed that only 21% of the plants were prepared from within the province and the rest are imported from neighboring provinces. Therefore, it seems that with proper information science and education of local people, this capacity of the province could be optimized to provide the used plants and also create employment.
Phytochemistry (extraction, identification and measurement of active components)
A.A. Minaeifar; K. Ireji; F. Rasekh; N. Tanideh; A. Ireji; M. Ramezanian
Abstract
Due to the similarity of many medicinal plants and the perfumers ignorance about the science of botany, many unintended frauds are occurring in the supply of medicinal plants, like the presentation of different types of medicinal plants called lemon balm. This study was aimed at identifying the species ...
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Due to the similarity of many medicinal plants and the perfumers ignorance about the science of botany, many unintended frauds are occurring in the supply of medicinal plants, like the presentation of different types of medicinal plants called lemon balm. This study was aimed at identifying the species offered under the name of lemon balm as well as comparing the antioxidant activity and phenolics content of these species. In this study, the species that are offered as lemon balm in the perfumeries of Yazd and Shiraz cities were collected and then scientifically identified using the valid botanical keys. In this study, the anti-radical activity was evaluated by the DPPH test. In addition, the total phenols content was measured by the Folin Ciocalteu method. Based on the results of species identification, it was proved that three species of Asperugo procumbens L., Hymenocrater elegans Bunge, and Melissa officinalis L. are sold in Yazd city under the name of lemon balm and H. elegans had the highest percentage of supply. Two species, M. officinalis and Stachys inflata Benth., also are sold under the name of lemon balm in Shiraz city, where the largest supply belonged to S. inflata. Also, M. officinalis and A. procumbens had respectively the highest and lowest amounts for the traits including total phenols and antioxidant activity.
