ÚLTIMOS AVANCES EN LA QUÍMICA Y ACTIVIDADES BACTERIOLÓGICAS EN LAS PLANTAS MEDICINALES= Medicinal plants, last advances on chemistry and bacteria activities on the medicinal herbs

1) Objectives: Rose hip (Rosa canina) has been used as an herbal remedy against a wide range of ailments including inflammatory disorders.  The anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of rose hips have been evaluated in vitro and active constituents have been isolated.  Rose hip contains antioxidant nutrients and an anti-inflammatory galactolipid.  Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory disease where activated cells release reactive oxygen substances.  Thus it could be relevant to investigate if rose hip had an anti-inflammatory and/or antioxidant effect in this situation.  Methods: In this open case-control study 20 female patients with RA and 10 female controls were given 10.5 g rose hip powder daily (Litozin) for 28 days.  Blood samples were analyzed at baseline and follow-up for the capacity of the antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and catalase and the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP).  The participants kept a food diary for the first 3 days and the last 3 days of the intervention period.  The RA-patients completed The Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire at baseline and follow-up.  Results: CRP-concns. of both patients and healthy controls did not change.  Nor was any effect found on the activity of antioxidant enzymes.  There was no difference in food intake at baseline, but in the last week the RA-group reduced their energy intake.  Conclusions: 10.5 g Litozin in 28 days had neither effect on clin. symptoms or lab. measurements in patients with RA or healthy controls.  This is in contrast to previous intervention studies with rose hip powder that found a redn. in the concn. of CRP.  The results of the present study indicate that a daily amt. of approx. 10 g rose hip powder for one month has no anti-inflammatory and/or antioxidant effect.

2) Several exotic fruits are used in folk medicine as potential sources of healthy compds.  Rosa canina L. (dog rose) fruits and other parts used to be widely consumed in rural areas from Portugal.  The present work intends to highlight the presence of bioactive compds. in those different parts, in order to improve their use based on scientific studies.  The antioxidant activity was screened through: radical scavenging effects, reducing power, and inhibition of lipid peroxidn. in brain homogenates.  Phytochem. characterization included detn. of sugars by HPLC-RI, fatty acids by GC-FID, tocopherols by HPLC-fluorescence, phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids, chlorophylls and ascorbic acid, by spectrophotometric techniques.  Galls revealed the highest antioxidant potential, ripen hips showed the highest tocopherols and b-carotene contents, as also the most adequate n-6/n-3 fatty acids ratios.  Unripe hips gave the highest levels of ascorbic acid and petals revealed the highest concn. of sugars.  Ethnobotanical studies conducted have mentioned different use-reports for seeds, petals, flowers and galls, as well as for fruits in different stages of maturity and, therefore, the comparison between chem. compds. and antioxidant properties of those different parts is a key-point of the present study.  Furthermore, the levels of antioxidants found would make them suitable sources of compds. to be used com. to retard rancidity in fatty materials in food manufg., to reduce the effects of ageing and to help to prevent oxidative-stress related diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Patente extraída del Chemical Abstracts= Patent extrated from the Database Chemical Abstracts
 
The use of bases and herbs in hair relaxation.      Jarvis, David; Kelly, Lauren.  (Colomer USA, USA).    PCT Int. Appl.  (2010),     19 pp., Chemical Indexing Equivalent to 152:176373 (US).  CODEN: PIXXD2  WO  2010009466  A1  20100121  Designated States W: AE, AG, AL, AM, AO, AT, AU, AZ, BA, BB, BG, BH, BR, BW, BY, BZ, CA, CH, CL, CN, CO, CR, CU, CZ, DE, DK, DM, DO, DZ, EC, EE, EG, ES, FI, GB, GD, GE, GH, GM, GT, HN, HR, HU, ID, IL, IN, IS, JP, KE, KG, KM, KN, KP, KR, KZ, LA, LC, LK, LR, LS, LT, LU, LY, MA, MD, ME, MG, MK, MN, MW, MX, MY, MZ, NA, NG, NI, NO, NZ, OM, PE, PG, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, RU, SC, SD, SE, SG, SK, SL, SM, ST, SV, SY, TJ, TM.  Designated States RW: AT, BE, CH, CY, DE, DK, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, IE, IS, IT, LU, MC, MT, NL, NO, PT, SE, SM, TR, BF, BJ, CF, CG, CI, CM, GA, ML, MR, NE, SN, TD, TG.  Patent  written in English.    Application: WO  2009-US51144  20090720.  Priority: US  2008-176285  20080718; WO  2009-US51144  20090720.  CAN 152:176372    AN 2010:83693    CAPLUS   (Copyright (C) 2011 ACS on SciFinder (R))  

Compns. and methods for relaxing human hair with minimal damage to the hair comprises the steps of (a) prepg. an aq. mixt. having a pH of at least 11 comprising (i) at least one base and (ii) a pre-selected blend of dehydrated herbs, (b) applying the mixt. to human hair for a period of time sufficient to effect a desired amt. of relaxation, and (c) removing the mixt. from the hair with a rinsing liq.  The herbal mixt. consists of Apocynum cannabinum root, Urtica dioica, Rosmarinus officinalis leaf, Arctium lappa root, Betula alba, Rosa canina fruit, Chondrus crispus, Tussilago farfara flower, Prunus serotina bark, Taraxacum officinale, Sambucus nigra, Equisetum hiemale, and Echinacea purpurea.  Thus, swatches of curled and kinky hair samples were simultaneously treated with 0.35 g of a dry herbal mixt. and African Pride No-Lye Conditioning Creme and Liq. Activator prior to the warm water rinse and shampoo steps.  Hair relaxed in the presence of the herbal mixt. retained about 81% of its original strength and was 1.5 times stronger than hair relaxed without the herbal mixt.

PARTE UTILIZADA= Used part: Frutos.

ACCIÓN FARMACOLÓGICA= Pharmacological action: Diurética, litrónticas, suavemente laxante, depurativas.
 
POSOLOGÍA= Posology: Se prepara un cocimiento de 20 gramos de frutos (cinorrodon) por litro de agua. Pueden tomarse tres tazas diarias.

COMPOSICIÓN QUÍMICA= Chemical composition: The volatile oils of R. canina flowers were isolated by hydrodistn. (HD) and traditional dry distn. (DD) and analyzed by HRGC-FID and GC-MS.  Compared to HD, DD at 50°C leads to the isolation of high quality oil which contains the highest content of oxygenated compds. (83%).  The main components are the 2-phenethyl alc. and eugenol.  The percentage of the 2-phenethyl alc., a highly desirable component in rose oil, was significantly higher (58.4%) in DD ext. when compared to that of HD one (13.6%).  As temp. increased (100°C) during DD, the oil quality decreased.  The most significant changes were obsd. in 2-phenethyl alc. percentage (4.5%).  Moreover, an increase of alkanes/alkenes and the prodn. of furan derivs. were obsd.  So, DD at moderate temp. (50°C) seemed more suitable to improve the volatile oil quality and hence, to make more value of R. canina.

ZONA GEOGRÁFICA= Geografical zone: Argentina.

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Droga: frutos.

Propiedades:
El escaramujo es vitamínico, sobre todo contiene vitamina C. Además es astringente, antidiarreico, diurético, protector capilar y venotónico.

1) CONSELL, Danilo M. Enciclopedia de plantas que curan. Buenos Aires: Ediliba, 1987. 2 volúmenes. p. 89.

2) HOSNI, Karim, et al. Volatile oil constituents of Rosa canina L.: quality as affected by the distillation method Organic Chemistry International [en línea]. 2010, vol., nº, pp. 7. [Consulta: 14 setiembre 2011]. Disponible en:
http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/oci/2010/621967.pdf       

3) KIRKEKOV, Bente, et al. The effects of rose hip (Rosa canina) on plasma antioxidative activity and C-reactive protein in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and normal controls: A prospective cohort study.  Phytomedicine. 2011, vol.18, nº11, p.953-958.
 
4) BARROS, Lillian; CARVALHO, Ana Maria; FERREIRA, Isabel C. F. R.  Exotic fruits as a source of important phytochemicals: Improving the traditional use of Rosa canina fruits in Portugal. Food Research International. 2011, vol.44, nº7, p.2233-2236

5) Linares Gimeno, Nuria/ Plantas Medicinales: cuaderno de trabajo. UPA: Madrid, 2013. p . - 67