User:Tr3ndyBEAR/dispute

relevent links

• Wikipedia:Dispute resolution
• Wikipedia:Requests for administrator attention
• Wikipedia:Disruptive user
• Wikipedia:Requests for comment
• Wikipedia:Administrator intervention against vandalism
• Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard/Incidents
• Wikipedia:Administrators' noticeboard
• my talk page and the User:Zefr|user's page

Stuff they said to check out

• Wikipedia:Reliable sources
• Wikipedia:Citing sources
• Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources (medicine)
• Wikipedia:Identifying reliable sources (science)

Pages concerned

• Nepetalactone
• Zanthoxylum schinifolium
• Wrightia tinctoria
• Afrocarpus gracilior
• Sutherlandia frutescens

Introduction

Hello, recently, I've had a really negative experience with another Wikipedian that I believe was engaging in disruptive editing and targeting. They went through my history and undid work I had done on four different pages. I believe their reversions were without merit. At first I thought there was simply a misunderstanding, but after attempting to engage in discussion with them, and them refusing to, I realized this user is not willing to discuss and their problematic behavior would require external input to deal with. I would like to go over the edits in question and why they were, in my view, extremely problematic. This post may get a little heavy into some deeper questions/issues with Wikipedia so I apologize in advanced for the length, but I think they are really important to address so I spent a lot of thought and time compiling this.

The main claim the user made against my contributions is the inclusion of information about other culture's relationship to those plants. They argued that this would lead to readers confusing it as "medical content". The user also had issues with my inclusion of phytochemical information (sometimes about chemicals not even related to human medicine). All of these edits were made on stub-class articles. Rather than standard editing practices of adding {{cn}} tags, the user's response was to completely undo my edits (even aspects not related to these matters like information about taxonomy, or other organizational edits). The user than went ahead and looked through my edit history to undo other contributions I made on unrelated pages (again, all stub class articles). But the most concerning behavior the user exhibited was a clear racist attitude towards other cultures, which I hope to discuss in detail in this post.

Ethnobotanical information on wikipedia

The user deleted any information on ethnobotanical uses of plants included regardless of how well-sourced they were because of their claim that this constituted "medical information". The idea that ethnobotanical information has no place on Wikipedia because it can be seen as a medical claim is ridiculous. There are tons of other species pages that include this information (I compiled a small list, but I'm afraid to post it here as the user may continue their disruptive editing to those pages as well).

The importance of ethnobotanical knowledge

This is not something I should have to be proving, but unfortunately I feel compelled to engage. In this case, it's important to defend not just the relationships that indigenous people have to plants related to their edibility or practical uses, but also their importance to medicine. Despite the fact that I never made any "medical claims", the user's racist remarks towards these culture's systems warrant this discussion.

World Health Organization's strategy

A real quick guide to the difference between traditional medicine and "alternative medicine":

• pyramid scheme essential oil salespeople - alternative medicine
• medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within various societies - traditional medicine
• Ayurveda system of medicine - traditional medicine
• supplement companies using "Ayurvedic" as a buzzword to sell you something - alternative medicine
• homeopathy - alternative medicine
• traditional Chinese medicine - traditional medicine

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), when traditional medicine is adopted outside of its traditional culture, it is often considered a form of alternative medicine. However, WHO recognizes the value and importance of traditional medicine and has adopted a 9-year strategy to "support Member States in developing proactive policies and implementing action plans that will strengthen the role traditional medicine plays in keeping populations healthy." The strategy also aims to support Member states in "harnessing the potential contribution of TM to health, wellness and people-centred health care." Throughout, this report clearly shows an understanding and appreciation of the value of traditional medicine.

In February 2013, the WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan, stated that “traditional medicines, of proven quality, safety, and efficacy, contribute to the goal of ensuring that all people have access to care. For many millions of people, herbal medicines, traditional treatments, and traditional practitioners are the main source of health care, and sometimes the only source of care. This is care that is close to homes, accessible and affordable. It is also culturally acceptable and trusted by large numbers of people. The affordability of most traditional medicines makes them all the more attractive at a time of soaring health-care costs and nearly universal austerity. Traditional medicine also stands out as a way of coping with the relentless rise of chronic non-communicable diseases.”

That same WHO document stated, "Another recent study indicates that patients whose general practitioner has additional complementary and alternative medicine training have lower health care costs and mortality rates than those who do not. Reduced costs were the outcome of fewer hospital stays and fewer prescription drugs."

Whose knowledge?

Regardless, the point I'm trying to make clear, is that traditional medicine knowledge is knowledge that is worth preserving. Or at least that organizations like WHO recognize it as such. But beyond appealing to authority figures like WHO, there's a much deeper ethical issue that needs to be discussed when judging whether or not a knowledge is important enough to be preserved. Especially on a project like Wikipedia which seeks to be "a comprehensive written compendium that contains information on all branches of knowledge". When seeking this goal, we need to be critical of whose knowledge exactly we're hoping to compile.

Before going further, it's valuable for me to include some of the comments made by the user. On my talk page, the user said, "Ayurvedic nonsense has no place in a fact-based encyclopedia." When editing Wrightia tinctoria, they said they removed "ayurveda/unani nonsense" (in this case it was another user's contributions, but they deleted some of my contributions as well). If it's not yet clear to you why this type of attitude towards other cultures has no place on Wikipedia, let's dive a little deeper into how traditional knowledge is formed (this section is very important, please don't skip over).

Cahuilla experimentation

The Cahuilla (endonym ʔívil̃uqaletem) are a people indigenous to Southern California. Temalpakh (Cahuilla for "from the earth") is the name of a 10 year ethnographic work by anthropologist Lowell John Bean and Katherine Siva Saubel detailing ethnobotanical knowledge of the Cahuilla. In this work, they give us a look into the depth of Cahuilla plant knowledge and its genesis. Cahuilla "folk taxonomy" is extremely sophisticated and the names given to plants were exactly chosen, often in keeping with modern botanical classifications. For example, each species of oak and yucca recognized by modern botanists is also classified by Cahuilla.

Knowledge of plant uses for medicinal, edible, or other uses is extremely detailed and intimate, even in the fragmentary lore that survives. In Cahuilla culture, puvulam (shamans) and tingavish (doctors) were the main people concerned with botanical knowledge and experimentation. They made special studies of plant uses, experimented with various treatments, and learned the precise dosages of plant substances required to effect certain cures. Although some of this knowledge was public, much of it was kept guarded, being passed on only to friends and apprentices. At the same time, shamans and doctors met frequently to compare curing techniques.

Only someone extremely uneducated on these traditional practices would classify such knowledge as "nonsense". Regardless, the knowledge attained and passed down in this culture has a lot of significance to Cahuilla people. Who is this user to say that their entire culture is not worth preserving and doesn't belong on Wikipedia?

Central Restaurante

This depth of knowledge isn't restricted to Cahuilla by the way. In Lima, Peru there is a world class restaurant called Central Restaurante. It's consistently ranked amongst the top 10 of the world's best restaurants by many different lists (don't bothering trying to make a reservation as the reservation list could take over a year to get to you). The thing that really sets the restaurant apart is their ingredients. Many of these ingredients have never had documented uses in gastronomy. Some are little known herbs while others are strange ingredients like edible clay or huampa bark. Mater Inciativa, the organization used to find these ingredients, employs a full-time team of 2 anthropologists, a nutritionist, an environmental economist, a doctor, and 6 cooks. Together, they work with Andean and Amazonian communities to learn their knowledge about the edibility and uses of their ingredients as well as ways to prepare them (here's a beautifully done 4-minute video if you're interested in learning more).

Essentially, this restaurant has utilized ethnobotanical knowledge to become one of the highest regarded fine dining experiences in the world. Of course they're not the first to utilize deep Andean/Amazonian experimentation with plant species (potatoes, maize, quinoa, coca, as well as a massive number of lesser known crops were all made possibly by ethnobotanical experimentation).

Disturbance pharmacopoeias

Much has been written about the emerging paradigm in paleoecology of viewing the Amazon as a "manufactured landscape" as well as the bioprospecting potentials of the Amazon. One thing that's clear is that understanding the ethnobotanical uses and relationships people had to their plants will be essential in understanding the ecology of the Amazon, the species distribution and biodiversity, and modelling it's resilience to climate change. However, one of the more remarkable papers I've seen related to the topic was a 2004 work, published in Annals of the Association of American Geographers, which traced colonial European efforts of drug discovery, intellectual property exploitation, and plant transference and acclimation to provide a review of the recent resurgence of scientific interest in tropical folk pharmacopoeias. The author finds that its not the "pristine" quality of the rainforest that it's actually anthropogenic nature (that is, an ecology shaped by the indigenous Amazonian peoples), which is accessible and rich in bioactive compounds, that has allowed for such a rich array of medicinal compounds.

Ethnobotany's relevance to drug discovery and medicine

In addition, the importance and role of traditional knowledge also extends to medicine in many ways. WHO recognizes the importance of it, both in circumstances where other forms of health care is unavailable as well as its role as complementary medicine in other nations. In addition, the user's ignorant and offensive comments on Ayurvedic and other medical systems are clearly not supported by the sciences.

In a piece published in Annual Reviews of Pharmacology and Toxicology (IF: 12.103, ranking 3rd in the category of Pharmacology, Toxicology, and Pharmaceutics according to Scimago's IF rankings), "Descriptions of the use of natural products in traditional medicine have served as starting points for new therapeutics. The details of the traditional use of these organisms can provide important information for future drug discovery and development efforts." Also adding, "[...] this ethnopharmacologic resource is threatened by the loss of traditional medicine knowledge and extinction of organisms."

So here we have yet another argument for the importance of the preservation of this knowledge. In this case, from one of the most highly respected journals in Pharmacology arguing for their importance for drug discovery. Another piece from the same journal talking about the importance of natural products (NPs) states, "NPs have been developed as drugs and have been used successfully as lead compounds for drug discovery. Between 1940 and 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 175 anticancer small molecules, of which 37% were synthetic and 63% were either NPs or directly derived from NPs."

I obviously can't possibly include all of the ways ethnobotany is influencing modern medical research, but I'll include a couple of articles with their abstracts to give you an idea of the range of impacts:

year	times cited	title	abstract	journal	information about the journal
2018	1	Critical medical ecological perspectives on diabetes in the Pacific Islands: colonialism, power, and balance in human-environment interaction over time	Full abstract Background Diabetes is endemic in Pacific Island jurisdictions where complex colonial relationships arose from the Spanish Empire, Japanese and German occupation in World Wars 1 and 2, and the Pacific Trust Territory era of the USA. Since diabetes reflects a cluster of ecological processes involving sociobehavioural, medical, and environmental constructs, interpretation of the diabetes epidemic requires both an ecological and intervention framework with an economic and political perspective that accounts for historical and contemporary power relations. Methods We conducted qualitative interviews with 272 local residents (totalling 3440 h) of seven Pacific Island communities (Majuro, Pohnpei, Palau, Kayangel Atoll, Saipan, Tinian, and Rota). Interviews were recorded and an inductive analytical plan implemented (analysed for themes within and across sites). An ecological interpretive framework that situates humans within their bodily and environmental context—combined with historical socioeconomic power dynamics (and agency)—informed the generation of findings and implications. Findings Communities attribute diabetes in their islands to the direct result of rapid shifts in lifestyle brought from the Japanese (World War 2) and US (Trust Territory) periods of colonial history. The replacement of local starches with rice during the Japanese period, combined with the replacement of local protein sources with US canned meats, fish, and instant foods, catalysed a diabetogenic diet. Shifts in food economies replaced local forms of trade, barter, and reciprocity. Local forms of physical activity—procurement of local food (fishing, gardening)—became devalued in the new food environment, further creating metabolic disease. Individuals from more remote locales are more likely to see their way of life as healthier than their counterparts in central population hubs, and attribute this asset to the slower reach of development, the subsequent lower processed food consumption, greater engagement with traditionally meaningful local activities, and a stronger reliance on local medicine, with less access to Western medicine. Interpretation Island communities are aware of the dynamics historically that led to their present food and health environment. Cultural and community assets—perceived as resilience by community members—could be promoted to support social norms that contribute to growing local pride, traditional thinking and behaviours, and a redefinition of “healthy”. Funding US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Research Center Program.	The Lancet Global Health	peer-reviewed, open-access, IF: 15.873
2017	76	Antidiabetic effects of Morus alba fruit polysaccharides on high-fat diet- and streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetes in rats	Full abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is becoming a serious threat to human health. The fruit of Morus alba L. is widely used as a traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of DM, dizziness, tinnitus, insomnia, and premature graying, as well as to protect the liver and kidneys. Several studies have demonstrated that the aqueous extracts of the roots bark, leaves, and ramuli of mulberry, which are known to contain polyphenols and polysaccharides, have antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic activities. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the active polysaccharides from M. alba fruit by evaluating the antidiabetic activities of different fractions on T2DM rats and elucidate the mechanism underlying these activities. Materials and methods Diabetic rats were treated with two fractions of M. alba fruit polysaccharides (MFP50 and MFP90). The disease models were induced by a high-fat diet and low dose injection of streptozotocin and were compared to normal rats and metformin-treated diabetic rats. After seven weeks, the fasting blood glucose (FBG), oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT), fasting serum insulin (FINS) levels, homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), glycated serum protein (GSP), and serum alanine transaminase (ALT) levels, as well as serum lipid profiles and histopathological changes in the pancreas were measured. Next, the expressions of the insulin signaling pathway were measured by western blot analysis to elucidate the potential mechanism underlying these antidiabetic activities. Results After seven weeks of treatment, a significant reduction in the FBG levels, OGTT-area under the curve (OGTT-AUC), FINS, HOMA-IR, ALT, and triglyceride (TG) values of the MFP50 group was observed. On the other hand, in the MFP90 group, the FBG, OGTT-AUC, FINS, HOMA-IR, GSP, and TG levels were significantly reduced. The level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) and the proportion of HDL-c to total cholesterol (TC) significantly increased in the MFP50 group. Moreover, MFP50 and MFP90 induced repair of damaged pancreatic tissues of the diabetic rats. The hypoglycemic effect of MFP50 was more stable than MFP90, whereas the hypolipidemic effect of MFP90 was slightly better than MFP50. Moreover, the expression levels of InsR, IRS-2, Akt and GLUT4 in the MFP90 group significantly increased relative to that of the T2DM group. Conclusions MFP50 and MFP90 have markedly antihyperglycemic and antihyperlipidemic effects and can clearly relieve diabetes symptoms in the T2DM rat model. The M. alba fruit polysaccharides may potentially be utilized as an effective treatment for T2DM. Further research into the structures of active M. alba fruit polysaccharides and their mechanisms in promoting antidiabetic effects are underway.	Journal of Ethnopharmacology	peer-reviewed journal published by Elsevier, IF: 3.414
2017	14	Harnessing the Propertiesof Natural Products	Full abstract Natural products (NPs) have been used as traditional medicines since antiquity. With more than 1060 estimated compounds with molecular weights less than 500 Da representing chemical space, NPs occupy a very small percentage; however, they are significantly overrepresented in biologically relevant chemical space. The classical approach concentrates on identifying one or more NPs with biological activity from a source organism. There is much more to be learned from NPs than we can discover this narrow view. In this review, we discuss ways to harness the global properties of NPs.	Annual Review of Pharmacology and Toxicology	see above
2016	257	The Traditional Medicine and Modern Medicine from Natural Products.	Full abstract Natural products and traditional medicines are of great importance. Such forms of medicine as traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, Kampo, traditional Korean medicine, and Unani have been practiced in some areas of the world and have blossomed into orderly-regulated systems of medicine. This study aims to review the literature on the relationship among natural products, traditional medicines, and modern medicine, and to explore the possible concepts and methodologies from natural products and traditional medicines to further develop drug discovery. The unique characteristics of theory, application, current role or status, and modern research of eight kinds of traditional medicine systems are summarized in this study. Although only a tiny fraction of the existing plant species have been scientifically researched for bioactivities since 1805, when the first pharmacologically-active compound morphine was isolated from opium, natural products and traditional medicines have already made fruitful contributions for modern medicine. When used to develop new drugs, natural products and traditional medicines have their incomparable advantages, such as abundant clinical experiences, and their unique diversity of chemical structures and biological activities.	Molecules	peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by MDPI, IF: 3.060
2016	15	Therapeutic effect of berberine on TDP-43-related pathogenesis in FTLD and ALS	Full abstract Background In the central nervous system regions of the sporadic and familial FTLD and ALS patients, TDP-43 has been identified as the major component of UBIs inclusions which is abnormally hyperphosphorylated, ubiquitinated, and cleaved into C-terminal fragments to form detergent-insoluble aggregates. So far, the effective drugs for FTLD and ALS neurodegenerative diseases are yet to be developed. Autophagy has been demonstrated as the major metabolism route of the pathological TDP-43 inclusions, hence activation of autophagy is a potential therapeutic strategy for TDP-43 pathogenesis in FTLD and ALS. Berberine, a traditional herbal medicine, is an inhibitor of mTOR signal and an activator for autophagy. Berberine has been implicated in several kinds of diseases, including the neuronal-related pathogenesis, such as Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. However, the therapeutic effect of berberine on FTLD or ALS pathology has never been investigated. Results Here we studied the molecular mechanism of berberine in cell culture model with TDP-43 proteinopathies, and found that berberine is able to reverse the processing of insoluble TDP-43 aggregates formation through deregulation of mTOR/p70S6K signal and activation of autophagic degradation pathway. And inhibition of autophagy by specific autophagosome inhibitor, 3-MA, reverses the effect of berberine on reducing the accumulation of insoluble TDP-43 and aggregates formation. These results gave us the notion that inhibition of autophagy by 3-MA reverses the effect of berberine on TDP-43 pathogenesis, and activation of mTOR-regulated autophagy plays an important role in berberine-mediated therapeutic effect on TDP-43 proteinopathies. Conclusion We supported an important notion that the traditional herb berberine is a potential alternative therapy for TDP-43-related neuropathology. Here we demonstrated that berberine is able to reverse the processing of insoluble TDP-43 aggregates formation through deregulation of mTOR/p70S6K signal and activation of autophagic degradation pathway. mTOR-autophagy signals plays an important role in berberine-mediated autophagic clearance of TDP-43 aggregates. Exploring the detailed mechanism of berberine on TDP-43 proteinopathy provides a better understanding for the therapeutic development in FTLD and ALS.	Journal of Biomedical Science	peer-reviewed, open-access, published by BioMed Central, IF: 5.203
2016	2	History of Podophyllin	Full preview Podophyllotoxin is the principal active compound from the resin mixture known as podophyllin. It is obtained from 1 of the 3 species of Podophyllum: P peltatum (from North America), P hexandrum (from India; previously referred to as P emodi), or P pleianthum (from Taiwan). Podophyllum peltatum is an indigenous, North American, herbaceous perennial flowering in May and bearing fruit in late summer or fall. Other common names include May apple, mandrake, Indian apple, wild lemon, and duck's foot.	JAMA Dermatology	peer-reviewed journal by American Medical Association, IF: 7.995
2015	54	The relevance of pharmacognosy in pharmacological research on herbal medicinal products.	Full abstract As all medicines, herbal medicinal products are expected to be safe, effective, and of appropriate quality. However, regulations on herbal medicinal products vary from country to country, and herbal preparations do occur not only in the form of medicinal products but also as less strictly regulated product groups like dietary supplements. Therefore, it is not always easy for the consumers to discriminate high-quality products from low-quality products. On the other hand, herbal medicines have many special features that distinguish them from conventional medicinal products. Plants are complex multicomponent mixtures; in addition, their phytochemical composition is not constant because of inherent variability and a plethora of external influences. Therefore, the production process of an herbal medicinal product needs to be strictly monitored. First of all, the starting materials need to be correctly authenticated and free of adulterants and contaminants. During plant growth, many factors like harvest season and time, developmental stage, temperature, and humidity have a strong impact on plant metabolite production. Also, postharvest processing steps like drying and storage can significantly alter the phytochemical composition of herbal material. As the production of many phytopharmaceuticals includes an extraction step, the extraction solvent and conditions need to be optimized in order to enrich the bioactive constituents in the extract. The quality of finished preparations needs to be determined either on the basis of marker constituents or on the basis of analytical fingerprints. Thus, all production stages should be accompanied by appropriate quality assessment measures. Depending on the particular task, different methods need to be applied, ranging from macroscopic, microscopic, and DNA-based authentication methods to spectroscopic methods like vibrational spectroscopy and chromatographic and hyphenated methods like HPLC, GC–MS and LC–MS. Also, when performing pharmacological and toxicological studies, many features inherent in herbal medicinal products need to be considered in order to guarantee valid results: concerning in vitro studies, difficulties are often related to lacking knowledge of ADME characteristics of the bioactive constituents, nuisance compounds producing false positive and false negative results, and solubility problems. In in vivo animal studies, the route of administration is a very important issue. Clinical trials on herbal medicinal products in humans very often suffer from a poor reporting quality. This often hampers or precludes the pooling of clinical data for systematic reviews. In order to overcome this problem, appropriate documentation standards for clinical trials on herbal medicinal products have been defined in an extension of the CONSORT checklist.	Epilepsy & Behavior	peer-reviewed medical journal published by Elsevier, IF: 2.061
2015	6	What's past is prologue: Chinese medicine and the treatment of recurrent urinary tract infections	Full abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has a recorded history of over 2000 years that may be used to authenticate and guide modern treatments for disease, and also identify neglected but potentially useful treatment strategies. However this process is often based on over-simplistic conceptions of tradition and history that fail to take into account the dynamic nature of ‘traditions’ and underestimate the importance of contextual factors in their interpretation. Materials and methods As part of a process of defining good practice for a clinical trial of CHM for recurrent urinary tract infections, a selective review of classical Chinese medical texts was undertaken to investigate the historical treatment of urinary diseases specified by the traditional category of Lin diseases. Results The historical review provided interesting insights into the evolution and meaning of Lin diseases and how pertinent data may be found, precisely, outside the boundaries of the categories on which the original investigation was premised. Although there were interesting parallels and continuities in the classical and modern understandings of the aetiology, pathophysiology and treatment of urinary diseases, there were also important divergences. Conclusions It became apparent that, in the search for ‘traditional’ herbs to treat a particular modern syndrome it is essential to contextualise remedies, including as far as possible the intertextual, social, cultural, and gender context, and conditions of practice. Historical ethnopharmacology adds a level of subtlety and complexity to over-simplistic attempts at bioprospecting. Some insights that emerged from this historical review could inform the proposed clinical trial but these have had to be filtered through the constraints of modern regulatory procedures. Further research is required on how best to integrate the wealth of data that exists in historical texts with the desire to produce effective herbal products for the modern world.	Journal of Ethnopharmacology	see above
2015	2	Food and medicine: Old traditions, novel opportunities	Full article Since ancient times people have been observing nature carefully and were able to find plants for food, medicine, clothes, shelter and fuel in their direct environment. This process still continues and is now known as bioprospecting. Particularly in biotechnology and in the development of medicines there have been quite some activities in finding novel products from nature. Particularly in the past years interests in exploring nature has increased in an endeavor to make our presence and activities in this world more sustainable. Much of the industrial bioprospecting is based on fast screening methods for e.g. a pharmacological effect or an enzyme activity. These methods are very efficient and in some molecular based bioassays all plants of the world could probably be screened in just a few days. But at the same time it becomes clear from basic research that human health is very complex and that it is not likely that a single molecule will be able to cure diseases which often have multifactorial causes. Obviously infectious and parasitic diseases might be cured by single compounds, as it concerns exogenous organisms that invade the body. Though in that case development of drug-resistance of these organisms is becoming a major problem. Health is a complex, but robust state of the body. It is determined by external factors (the environment), genetic factors and age. The homeostasis, typical for health, is maintained as well as affected by food and medicines. Prevention and controlling risk factors are important aspects in keeping homeostasis. With the rapid development of centralized food preparation and fast food, old traditions and common knowledge of “what to eat when” are disappearing. The fast spreading of, for example, diabetes type 2 and obesitas are signs that we should look for novel approaches to stay healthy and reach the 125 years of age that some experts predict as being feasible for humans. Besides basic research on health and diseases, we may return to the knowledge of our ancestors as a valuable resource of tens of thousands years of observations of nature and human health. The personalized medicine is, for example, an interesting approach. The remark of Allen Roses (Anonymous, 2014), vice-president of genetics at GlaxoSmithKline: “The vast majority of drugs – more than 90 per cent – only work in 30 or 50 per cent of the people” shows that a personalized treatment also in western pharmacotherapy might be of interest. Apparently the number game of screening large numbers of compounds to find novel leads for drug development results in medicines that for many users do not work. Considering the present problems to develop methods for prevention and novel treatments of diseases I am very happy with this interesting special issue series of international experts give a historical, cultural and scientific background to food, medicinal, or ritual (usually affecting the CNS) plants. Reading the various papers in this issue will be a source of inspiration and new ideas for future research. Our ancestors found important plants like poppy and cannabis; a number of plants containing caffeine; and plants containing alkaloids with a curare effect, without the aid of any of our …scopy and …omics tools, just by common sense and observations made by their own senses. With all the scientific knowledge and tools we have now really great perspectives for discovering novel information concerning the role of food and medicinal plants for our health by starting from what our ancestors already discovered.	Journal of Ethnopharmacology	see above
2012	18	Cardiovascular protection of magnolol: cell-type specificity and dose-related effects	Full abstract Magnolia officinalis has been widely used in traditional Chinese medicine. Magnolol, an active component isolated from Magnolia officinalis, is known to be a cardiovascular protector since 1994. The multiplex mechanisms of magnolol on cardiovascular protection depends on cell types and dosages, and will be reviewed and discussed in this article. Magnolol under low and moderate dosage possesses the ability to protect heart from ischemic/reperfusion injury, reduces atherosclerotic change, protects endothelial cell against apoptosis and inhibits neutrophil-endothelial adhesion. The moderate to high concentration of magnolol mainly acts on smooth muscle cells and platelets. Magnolol induces apoptosis in vascular smooth muscle cells at moderate concentration and inhibits proliferation at moderate and high concentration. High concentration of magnolol also abrogates platelet activation, aggregation and thrombus formation. Magnolol also serves as an smooth muscle relaxant only upon the high concentration. Oral intake of magnolol to reach the therapeutic level for cardiovascular protection is applicable, thus makes magnolol an agent of great potential for preventing cardiovascular diseases in high-risk patients.	Journal of Biomedical Science	see above
2011	291	Lonicera japonica Thunb.: ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and pharmacology of an important traditional Chinese medicine.	Full abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Lonicera japonica Thunb. (Caprifoliaceae), a widely used traditional Chinese medicine, was known as Jin Yin Hua (Chinese: ), Ren Dong and Japanese honeysuckle. It was taken to treat the exopathogenic wind-heat, epidemic febrile diseases, sores, carbuncles and some infectious diseases. At the same time, Lonicera japonica could be used as healthy food, cosmetics, ornamental groundcover, and so on. Aim of the review The present paper reviewed the ethnopharmacology, the biological activities, toxicology and phytochemistry of Lonicera japonica. Materials and methods Information on Lonicera japonica was gathered via the Internet (using Google Scholar, Baidu Scholar, Elsevier, ACS, Medline Plus, CNKI and Web of Science) and libraries. Additionally, information also was obtained from some local books and brilliant scholars on ethnopharmacology. Results More than 140 chemical compounds have been isolated, and the main compositions are essential oils, organic acids and flavones, etc. Lonicera japonica and its active principles possess wide pharmacological actions, such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidative and hepatoprotective activities. Conclusions As an important traditional Chinese medicine, further studies on Lonicera japonica can lead to the development of new drugs and therapeutics for various diseases, and how to utilize it better should be paid more attentions. Graphical abstract Lonicera japonica has been used for thousands of years in China. Now, more than 140 chemical compounds have been isolated; and studies show Lonicera japonica possesses wide pharmacological actions. Meanwhile, it could be used as healthy food, ornamental groundcover, etc.	Journal of Ethnopharmacology	see above
2011	210	Salvianolic acids: small compounds with multiple mechanisms for cardiovascular protection	Full abstract Salvianolic acids are the most abundant water-soluble compounds extracted from Radix Salvia miltiorrhiza (Danshen). In China, Danshen has been wildly used to treat cardiovascular diseases for hundreds of years. Salvianolic acids, especially salvianolic acid A (Sal A) and salvianolic acid B (Sal B), have been found to have potent anti-oxidative capabilities due to their polyphenolic structure. Recently, intracellular signaling pathways regulated by salvianolic acids in vascular endothelial cells, aortic smooth muscle cells, as well as cardiomyocytes, have been investigated both in vitro and in vivo upon various cardiovascular insults. It is discovered that the cardiovascular protection of salvianolic acids is not only because salvianolic acids act as reactive oxygen species scavengers, but also due to the reduction of leukocyte-endothelial adherence, inhibition of inflammation and metalloproteinases expression from aortic smooth muscle cells, and indirect regulation of immune function. Competitive binding of salvianolic acids to target proteins to interrupt protein-protein interactions has also been found to be a mechanism of cardiovascular protection by salvianolic acids. In this article, we review a variety of studies focusing on the above mentioned mechanisms. Besides, the target proteins of salvianolic acids are also described. These results of recent advances have shed new light to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for salvianolic acids to treat cardiovascular diseases.	Journal of Biomedical Science	see above
2011	160	Botanical drugs, synergy, and network pharmacology: forth and back to intelligent mixtures.	Full abstract For centuries the science of pharmacognosy has dominated rational drug development until it was gradually substituted by target-based drug discovery in the last fifty years. Pharmacognosy stems from the different systems of traditional herbal medicine and its "reverse pharmacology" approach has led to the discovery of numerous pharmacologically active molecules and drug leads for humankind. But do botanical drugs also provide effective mixtures? Nature has evolved distinct strategies to modulate biological processes, either by selectively targeting biological macromolecules or by creating molecular promiscuity or polypharmacology (one molecule binds to different targets). Widely claimed to be superior over monosubstances, mixtures of bioactive compounds in botanical drugs allegedly exert synergistic therapeutic effects. Despite evolutionary clues to molecular synergism in nature, sound experimental data are still widely lacking to support this assumption. In this short review, the emerging concept of network pharmacology is highlighted, and the importance of studying ligand-target networks for botanical drugs is emphasized. Furthermore, problems associated with studying mixtures of molecules with distinctly different pharmacodynamic properties are addressed. It is concluded that a better understanding of the polypharmacology and potential network pharmacology of botanical drugs is fundamental in the ongoing rationalization of phytotherapy.	Planta Medica	peer-reviewed journal published by Thieme Medical Publishers, IF: 2.74
2011	51	Anti-obesity effects of Lysimachia foenum-graecum characterized by decreased adipogenesis and regulated lipid metabolism.	Full abstract {{{2}}}	Experimental and Molecular Medicine	peer-reviewed journal published by Nature, IF: 5.063
2010	490	Eugenol (an essential oil of clove) acts as an antibacterial agent against Salmonella typhi by disrupting the cellular membrane.	Full abstract Aim of the study To evaluate the antibacterial activity of eugenol and its mechanism of bactericidal action against Salmonella typhi. Materials and methods The antibacterial activity was checked by disc-diffusion method, MIC, MBC, time course assay and pH sensitivity assay. The chemo-attractant property of eugenol was verified by chemotaxis assay. The mode of action of eugenol was determined by crystal violet assay, measurement of release of 260 nm absorbing material, SDS-PAGE, FT-IR spectroscopy, AFM and SEM. Results Treatment with eugenol at their MIC (0.0125%) and MBC (0.025%) reduced the viability and resulted in complete inhibition of the organism. Eugenol inactivated Salmonella typhi within 60 min exposure. The chemo-attractant property of eugenol combined with the observed high antibacterial activity at alkaline pH favors the fact that the compound can work more efficiently when given in vivo. Eugenol increased the permeability of the membrane, as evidenced by crystal violet assay. The measurement of release of 260 nm absorbing intracellular materials, SDS-PAGE, SEM and AFM analysis confirmed the disruptive action of eugenol on cytoplasmic membrane. The deformation of macromolecules in the membrane, upon treatment with eugenol was verified by FT-IR spectroscopy. Conclusion The results suggest that the antibacterial activity of eugenol against Salmonella typhi is due to the interaction of eugenol on bacterial cell membrane.	Journal of Ethnopharmacology	see above
2010	363	Potential of Cameroonian Plants and Derived Products against Microbial Infections: A Review	Full abstract In Cameroon, infectious diseases are amongst the most commonly notified diseases and largest cause of mortality. Many plants are used locally in traditional medicine for their treatment. The aim of the present review is to summarize currently available evidence and knowledge concerning Cameroonian plants used to treat bacterial and fungal infections, and the efficacy of plant-derived extracts and compounds. The traditional uses of plants in the treatment of infectious diseases have been collected and tabulated. The antimicrobial activity of the extracts and the chemical constituents of most of these plants are summarized in this report. Plants used traditionally in Cameroonian medicine, with laboratory work on any part or products, have been documented. Numerous extracts and compounds have been tested for antimycobacterial, antibacterial and antifungal efficacy and some of them were significantly active. Most of the bioactive compounds isolated were phenolics and alkaloids. In conclusion, many plant species are used in traditional medicine in Cameroon to treat infectious diseases, and several interesting openings have originated for further inquiry following IN VITRO antimicrobial activity evaluation. However, much work is still to be done to standardize methods and cut-off points for describing the antimicrobial activity, and on the study of the mechanisms of action.	Planta Medica	see above
2010	261	Metabolomics: Towards Understanding Traditional Chinese Medicine	Full abstract Metabolomics represent a global understanding of metabolite complement of integrated living systems and dynamic responses to the changes of both endogenous and exogenous factors and has many potential applications and advantages for the research of complex systems. As a systemic approach, metabolomics adopts a "top-down" strategy to reflect the function of organisms from the end products of the metabolic network and to understand metabolic changes of a complete system caused by interventions in a holistic context. This property agrees with the holistic thinking of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), a complex medical science, suggesting that metabolomics has the potential to impact our understanding of the theory behind the evidence-based Chinese medicine. Consequently, the development of robust metabolomic platforms will greatly facilitate, for example, the understanding of the action mechanisms of TCM formulae and the analysis of Chinese herbal (CHM) and mineral medicine, acupuncture, and Chinese medicine syndromes. This review summarizes some of the applications of metabolomics in special TCM issues with an emphasis on metabolic biomarker discovery.	Planta Medica	see above
2010	226	The role of traditional Chinese herbal medicines in cancer therapy - from TCM theory to mechanistic insights	Full abstract Traditional Chinese medicine-based herbal medicines have gained increasing acceptance worldwide in recent years and are being pursued by pharmaceutical companies as rich resources for drug discovery. For many years, traditional Chinese medicines (TCM) have been applied for the treatment of cancers in China and beyond. Herbal medicines are generally low in cost, plentiful, and show very little toxicity or side effects in clinical practice. However, despite the vast interest and ever-increasing demand, the absence of strong evidence-based research and the lack of standardization of the herbal products are the main obstacles toward the globalization of TCM. In recent years, TCM research has greatly accelerated with the advancement of analytical technologies and methodologies. This review of TCM specifically used in the treatment of cancer is divided into two parts. Part one provides an overview of the philosophy, approaches and progress in TCM-based cancer therapy. Part two summarizes the current understanding of how TCM-derived compounds function as anticancer drugs.	Planta Medica	see above
2010	6	Glycine tomentella Hayata inhibits IL-1β and IL-6 production, inhibits MMP-9 activity, and enhances RAW264.7 macrophage clearance of apoptotic cells	Full abstract Background To assess the effects of Glycine tomentella Hayata (GTH), a traditional herbal medicine for treatment of rheumatic diseases on the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines and on the clearance of apoptotic cells by macrophages. Methods RAW264.7 cells were cultured with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in the presence or absence of ethanol extract of GTH. The expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α, and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and transglutaminase 2 (TG2) were assayed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 and MMP-9 were assayed by gelatin zymography. For detecting uptake of apoptotic cells, RAW264.7 cells were cultured with carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA)-stained apoptotic cells and assayed by flow cytometry. Results The major components of GTH analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) chromatogram were daidzein (42.5%), epicatechin (28.8%), and naringin (9.4%). GTH treatment inhibited the expression of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6 and MMP-9 but did not affect the expression of TNF-α and iNOS. GTH significantly enhanced the expression of TG2 and the clearance of apoptotic cells by RAW264.7 macrophages. Conclusions GTH inhibits proinflammatory cytokine secretion and MMP-9 activity, enhances apoptotic cell uptake and up-regulates TG2 expression. Our data show that GTH might have beneficial effects on rheumatic diseases.	Journal of Biomedical Science	see above
2007	515	Antioxidant, antimalarial and antimicrobial activities of tannin-rich fractions, ellagitannins and phenolic acids from Punica granatum L.	Full abstract The Punica granatum L. (pomegranate) by-product POMx was partitioned between water, EtOAc and n-BuOH, and the EtOAc and n-BuOH extracts were purified by XAD-16 and Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography to afford ellagic acid (1), gallagic acid (2), punicalins (3), and punicalagins (4). Compounds 1 - 4 and the mixture of tannin fractions (XAD-16 eluates) were evaluated for antioxidant, antiplasmodial, and antimicrobial activities in cell-based assays. The mixture of tannins (TPT), XAD-EtOAc, XAD-H2O, XAD-PJ and XAD-BuOH, exhibited IC50 values against reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation at 0.8 - 19 microg/mL. Compounds 1 - 4 showed IC50 values of 1.1, 3.2, 2.3 and 1.4 microM, respectively, against ROS generation and no toxicity up to 31.25 microg/mL against HL-60 cells. Gallagic acid (2) and punicalagins (4) exhibited antiplasmodial activity against Plasmodium falciparum D6 and W2 clones with IC50 values of 10.9, 10.6, 7.5 and 8.8 microM, respectively. Fractions XAD-EtOAc, XAD-BuOH, XAD-H2O and XAD-PJ compounds 1 - 4 revealed antimicrobial activity when assayed against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Aspergillus fumigatus and Mycobacterium intracellulare. Compounds 2 and 4 showed activity against P. aeruginosa, C. neoformans, and MRSA. This is the first report on the antioxidant, antiplasmodial and antimicrobial activities of POMx isolates, including structure-activity relationships (SAR) of the free radical inhibition activity of compounds 1 - 4. Our results suggest a beneficial effect from the daily intake of POMx and pomegranate juice (PJ) as dietary supplements to augment the human immune system's antioxidant, antimalarial and antimicrobial capacities.	Planta Medica	see above
2006	1,376	Anti-infective potential of natural products: How to develop a stronger in vitro ‘proof-of-concept’	Full abstract Natural products, either as pure compounds or as standardized plant extracts, provide unlimited opportunities for new drug leads because of the unmatched availability of chemical diversity. To secure this, a number of pivotal quality standards need to be set at the level of extract processing and primary evaluation in pharmacological screening models. This review provides a number of recommendations that will help to define a more sound ‘proof-of-concept’ for antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral and antiparasitic potential in natural products. An integrated panel of pathogens is proposed for antimicrobial profiling, using accessible standard in vitro experimental procedures, endpoint parameters and efficacy criteria. Primary requirements include: (1) use of reference strains or fully characterized clinical isolates, (2) in vitro models on the whole organism and if possible cell-based, (3) evaluation of selectivity by parallel cytotoxicity testing and/or integrated profiling against unrelated micro-organisms, (4) adequately broad dose range, enabling dose–response curves, (5) stringent endpoint criteria with IC50-values generally below 100 μg/ml for extracts and below 25 μM for pure compounds, (6) proper preparation, storage and in-test processing of extracts, (7) inclusion of appropriate controls in each in vitro test replicate (blanks, infected and reference controls) and (8) follow-up of in vitro activity (‘hit’-status) in matching animal models (‘lead’-status).	Journal of Ethnopharmacology	see above
2005	1,835	Plants as a source of anti-cancer agents.	Full abstract Plant-derived compounds have been an important source of several clinically useful anti-cancer agents. These include vinblastine, vincristine, the camptothecin derivatives, topotecan and irinotecan, etoposide, derived from epipodophyllotoxin, and paclitaxel (taxol®). A number of promising new agents are in clinical development based on selective activity against cancer-related molecular targets, including flavopiridol and combretastin A4 phosphate, while some agents which failed in earlier clinical studies are stimulating renewed interest.	Journal of Ethnopharmacology	see above
2002	1,933	Medicinal plants of India with anti-diabetic potential	Full abstract Since ancient times, plants have been an exemplary source of medicine. Ayurveda and other Indian literature mention the use of plants in treatment of various human ailments. India has about 45 000 plant species and among them, several thousands have been claimed to possess medicinal properties. Research conducted in last few decades on plants mentioned in ancient literature or used traditionally for diabetes have shown anti-diabetic property. The present paper reviews 45 such plants and their products (active, natural principles and crude extracts) that have been mentioned/used in the Indian traditional system of medicine and have shown experimental or clinical anti-diabetic activity. Indian plants which are most effective and the most commonly studied in relation to diabetes and their complications are: Allium cepa, Allium sativum, Aloe vera, Cajanus cajan, Coccinia indica, Caesalpinia bonducella, Ficus bengalenesis, Gymnema sylvestre, Momordica charantia, Ocimum sanctum, Pterocarpus marsupium, Swertia chirayita, Syzigium cumini, Tinospora cordifolia and Trigonella foenum graecum. Among these we have evaluated M. charantia, Eugenia jambolana, Mucuna pruriens, T. cordifolia, T. foenum graecum, O. sanctum, P. marsupium, Murraya koeingii and Brassica juncea. All plants have shown varying degree of hypoglycemic and anti-hyperglycemic activity.	Journal of Ethnopharmacology	see above
1990	3,375	Thapsigargin, a tumor promoter, discharges intracellular Ca2+ stores by specific inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2(+)-ATPase	Full abstract Thapsigargin, a tumor-promoting sesquiterpene lactone, discharges intracellular Ca2+ in rat hepatocytes, as it does in many vertebrate cell types. It appears to act intracellularly, as incubation of isolated rat liver microsomes with thapsigargin induces a rapid, dose-dependent release of stored Ca2+. The thapsigargin-releasable pool of microsomal Ca2+ includes the pools sensitive to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and GTP. Thapsigargin pretreatment of microsomes blocks subsequent loading with 45Ca2+, suggesting that its target is the ATP-dependent Ca2+ pump of endoplasmic reticulum. This hypothesis is strongly supported by the demonstration that thapsigargin causes a rapid inhibition of the Ca2(+)-activated ATPase activity of rat liver microsomes, with an identical dose dependence to that seen in whole cell or isolated microsome Ca2+ discharge. The inhibition of the endoplasmic reticulum isoform of the Ca2(+)-ATPase is highly selective, as thapsigargin has little or no effect on the Ca2(+)-ATPases of hepatocyte or erythrocyte plasma membrane or of cardiac or skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum. These results suggest that thapsigargin increases the concentration of cytosolic free Ca2+ in sensitive cells by an acute and highly specific arrest of the endoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump, followed by a rapid Ca2+ leak from at least two pharmacologically distinct Ca2+ stores. The implications of this mechanism of action for the application of thapsigargin in the analysis of Ca2+ homeostasis and possible forms of Ca2+ control are discussed.	Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America	peer-reviewed journal published by United States National Academy of Sciences, IF: 9.58
		[ ]	Full abstract	[[]]	see above

So why is ethnobotanical knowledge worth preserving?

In the end, it's really not our judgement to make. These cultures consider the knowledge worth preserving so who are we, people much less familiar and educated on those matters, to say it's not? But beyond that, I hope I've demonstrated at least some of the ways we can utilize such knowledge. Whether its mapping species distribution of the Amazon, discovering neglected and underutilized crops, finding new foods, investigating phytochemicals for drug discovery, or preserving a rich history and legacy of cultures who's knowledge has been explicitly targeted by colonizers.

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