• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.157-162
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• 2003

Various extracts of higher plants have been used in traditional medicine systems for centuries. While tropical and sub-tropical plants have received considerable attention from the researchers for evaluation of their bioactivity, temeperate plants have always been neglected somewhat. Similarly, seeds of the plants have not been considered seriously compared to other plant parts, e.g. leaves, stems, roots, flowers, etc. as a potential source for biologically active compounds. As part of our on-going evaluation of the extracts of the seeds of temperate plants, especially from Scotland, for biological activity, Achillea millefolium, Angelica sylvestris and Phleum pratense have been chosen for the present study. Both A. millefolium and A. sylvestris are well known for their traditional medicinal uses in Europe and also in the orient, but there is no report on any medicinal properties of P. pratense available to date. Extracts of the seeds of these plants have been assessed for their antioxidant and antibacterial potential and also for general toxicity. Both DCM and MeOH extracts of A. millefolium showed the most significant broad spectrum antibacterial activity among the three plants and inhibited the growth of almost all test strains of bacteria. The DCM extracts of all three species were active against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Citrobacter freundii $(MIC=6.25{\times}10^{-1}\;mg/mL)$. While the MeOH extracts of A. millefolium and P. pratense were active against C. freundii, that of P. pratense was also active against MRSA. The MeOH extract of A. sylvestris did not show any antibacterial activity against any of the eight bacterial strains at test concentrations. The MeOH extract of P. pratense showed the most prominent antioxidant activity $(IC_{50}=145\;{\mu}g/ml)$ and there was no antioxidant activity observed with the DCM extract of A. millefolium. The DCM extract of P. pratense was the most toxic $(LC_{50}=20\;{\mu}g/ml)$ among the extracts.

• Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.453-474
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• 2020

Here, we present an updated checklist based on voucher specimens of vascular plants for Gasan Mt. which is located in Chilgok-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea. The list includes 322 taxa in 212 genera and 81 families of vascular plants, of which 14 are endemic, six are rare plants, 48 are floristic target species, and 14 are considered naturalized in Korea. Based on voucher specimens, Gasan Mt. was the southern limit of Cimicifuga heracleifolia var. bifida Nakai and Iris odaesanensis Y. N. Lee on the Korean peninsula. Moreover, we confirmed a hybrid plant deriving from two Iris parents, I. minutoaurea Makino and I. odaesanensis, in a mountain fortress of Gasan Mt. We also present online databases including 325 voucher specimens deposited at the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine (KIOM; http://oasis.kiom.re.kr/herblib). This study has great significance as the first floristic study of Korean plants sharing virtual specimens online.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.125-129
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• 2006

Two herbal medicines of the Polygonatum genus, namely Polygonati Rhizoma and Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma, are difficult to distinguish from each other through exterior morphologic aspects. Furthermore, because the standard components for physiochemical distinction have not yet been standardized, the identification of these medicines through botanic taxology is based on genetic methods of random amplified microsatellite polymorphism (RAMP). For the RAMP evaluation, we used five sets of UBC microsatellite primers 811, 818, 834, 836, 842 and random primer M1. Although no specific band that could clearly distinguish Polygonati Rhizoma from Polygonati Odorati Rhizoma was found, 11 Polygonatum plants could be divided into two groups by this method. P. sibiricum and P. stenophyllum were classified to group I and the others were to group II. As P. sibiricum and P. stenophyllum were very similar in genetic and morphologic perspective, the results suggest that P. stenophyllum belongs to the Polygonati Rhizoma family.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.187-195
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• 2004

A number of plants from different geographical origins have been shown to possess antioxidant activity. Some of them have been developed as natural antioxidant formulations for food, cosmetic and other applications. Bangladeshi flora is a rich source of a range of plant species, many of which are medicinal plants, and have been used in the preparations of the Unani and Ayurvedic traditional medicines. There are no, or just a few, reports on any systematic screening of the extracts of Bangladeshi plants for free radical scavenging activity using DPPH assay available to date. As part of our on-going search for biological activity in Bangladeshi plants, Kadam (Anthocephalus chinensis), Goran (Ceriaps decandra), Swarnalata (Cuscuta reflexa), Gab (Diospyros peregrina), Sundari (Heritiera fomes), Dhundul (Xylocarpus granatum) and Possur (Xylocarpus mekongensis) have been selected for the assessment of their free radical scavenging activity, and studies on the contents of alkaloids, anthraqunones, flavonoids and tannins in these extracts. Most of these species have been used in traditional medicine in Bangladesh and other countries for the treatment of various illnesses ranging from common cold to cancer. All extracts, except the methanol extract of Cuscuta reflexa, displayed significant free radical scavenging activity in the DPPH assay $(RC_{50}$ values within the range of $2.75\;{\times}\;10^{-2}\;to\;4.7\;{\times}\;10^{-3}\;mg/mL)$. Among these extracts, the methanol extract of Xylocarpus granatum exhibited the most potent activity $(4.7\;{\times}\;10^{-3}\;mg/mL)$ and that of Cuscuta reflexa had the least activity $(1.64\;{\times}\;10^{-1}\;mg/mL)$. While none of these plants showed positive tests with Dragendorff's reagent, presence of low to moderate amounts of phenolic compounds, e.g. anthraquinones, flavonoids and tannins was evident in all of these plants, except for the methanolic extracts of C. reflexa and the barks of D. peregrina, which did not display any evidence for the presence of flavonoids and anthraquinones, respectively.

• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.227-239
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• 2010

Objective : The purpose of this study was to develop the simulator which can analyze the anti-inflammatory effects of herbs based on e-cell, or the virtual cell. Method : We have ensured the medical herbs and its active compounds by investigating the oriental medicine records and NBCI(Biomedicine database). Also we have developed the web-based search system for confirming database related to anti-inflammation. We have researched the cell signal pathway related with inflammatory response control and established the mathematical model of herb interaction on selected signal pathway in e-cell. Finally we have developed the prototype which can confirm the result of this model visibly. Results : We constructed the database of 62 cases of anti-inflammatory active compounds in 61 cases of medical herbs which have been known anti-inflammation effects in the paper, 16 cases of inflammatory factors, 10 cases of signal pathways related with inflammatory response and 6,834 cases of URL(Uniform Resource Locator) of referenced papers. And we embodied the web-based research system, which can research this database. User can search basic and detailed information of medical plants related with anti-inflammatory by using information system. And user can acquire information on an active compounds, a signal pathway and a link URL of related paper. Among investigated ten pathways, we selected NF-${\kappa}B$, which plays important role in activation of immune system, and we searched the mechanisms of actions of proteins which could be components of this pathway. We reduced total network into IKK-$I{\kappa}B$ - NF-${\kappa}B$, and completed mathematic modeling by using ordinary differential equations and response variables of $I{\kappa}B-NF-{\kappa}B$ signaling model network which is suggested by Baltimore Group. We designed OED(Ordinary Differential Equation) for response of IKK, $I{\kappa}B$, $NF-{\kappa}B$ in e-cell's cytoplasm and nucleus, and measured whether an active compound of medicinal plants which is inputted by an user would have a anti-inflammation effects in obedience to change in concentration over time. The proposed model was verified by using experimental results of the papers which are listed on NCBI.

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.46-53
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• 2009

Schizonepeta spike (Korean name "Hyung-Gae") has been used for oriental medicinal purposes in Korea, China and Japan. In this study, twenty six "Hyung-Gae" samples were collected including nine certified Schizonepeta tenuifolia plants, and seventeen commercially marketed "Hyung-Gae" products. Chloroplast trnL-F and rDNA ITS regions of the "Hyung-Gae" samples were sequenced and used to identify whether the samples were genuine S. tenuifolia or not. As the result, the trnL-F and ITS sequences of all the "Hyung-Gae" samples were shown to be identical and it was proven that commercially available medicinal products "Hyung-Gae" are genuine S. tenuifolia. Phylogenetic tree of S. tenuifolia using the trnL-F sequences was constructed and compared with phylogenetic tree using ITS of rDNA region sequences. In these tree, S. tenuifolia was affiliated in the family Lamiaceae. It is proven that trnL-F and ITS phylogenetic trees are useful to study taxonomic position of S. tenuifolia.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Oriental Medical Informatics
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.203-255
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• 2011

This study covers the historical aspects of the turmeric and curcuma only in detail on the medicinal uses, supported by references to the medical texts. And the result is as follows: 1. Turmeric and curcuma are rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plants of the ginger family, but both produced on the same herb. The rhizome is considered turmeric while the tuber is considered curcuma. 2. Turmeric is the round, oval, or ovate, and scutiform rhizome. 3. Curcuma is yellowish externally, internally more or less orange-yellow passing into reddish-brown. The tuber has a round and cuspidate appearance. The smell is aromatic, somewhat analogous to ginger. 4. Turmeric is somewhat analogous to curcuma in shape, but turmeric is pungent and bitter in taste, warm and intoxious in property, and yellow in color, acting on the spleen and liver channels and governing the gi of the blood while curcuma is pungent and bitter in taste, cold and intoxious in property, red in color, acting on the heart and pericardium channels and governing the blood. 5. Turmeric is referred to zedoary, sliced turmeric, old jaundice, precious aromatic, and ovate rhizoma, and curcuma is referred to radix curcuma, curcuma aromatica, and cicada-belly curcuma

• Korean Journal of Medicinal Crop Science
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.293-298
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• 2006

Optimum culture conditions for high frequency plant regeneration from leaf explants of Kalanchoe daigremontiana Hamet &Perrier were established. Shoot regeneration was achieved from leaf explant cultures using MS medium supplemented with indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and thidiazuron (TDZ) or benzyladenine (BA). Percent regeneration was influenced by plant growth regulators and source of explants. MS medium supplemented with TDZ (1.0 mg/l) and IAA (0.4 mg/l) was the most effective, providing shoot regeneration for 76.7 % of ex vitro leaf explants associated with a high number of shoots per explant (9.5 mean shoots per explant), whereas 100% shoot regeneration associated with 12.4 shoots per explant occurred from in vitro leaf explants on the same medium. Clusters of shoots were multiplied and elongated on MS medium containing several concentrations of BA. MS medium supplemented with 0.25 mg/l BA was proved as the most effective shoot elongation medium. Elongated shoots (2-3 cm) were rooted at 100% on half-strength MS medium. Rooted plantlets were then transferred to potting soil. Regenerated plants were established in the soil with 90% success.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.403-408
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• 2009

Dandelion (Taraxacum platycarpum) has been widely utilized for medicinal purposes. However, the dandelion seeds are relatively difficult to germinate under cultivation conditions, which hampers seedling propagation of dandelion plants and reduces the opportunity of usage of such a useful medicinal plant. Thus, in this study, in vitro conditions for the dandelion seed germination were optimized to enhance the germination rate. In seed washing steps, the sequential treatments with 20% of ethanol, 20% of NaOCl, and distilled water avoided microbial contamination with the highest in vitro germination rate (67.5%) from seeds sown in germination media. The media supplemented with 1.4 g/L of MS salts and 1% of sucrose significantly enhanced the germination rate compared to the media with 4.4 g/L of MS and 3% of sucrose. Sowing the seeds vertically in the optimized media supplement conditions, 1.4 g/L of MS salts and 1% of sucrose, gave the maximum in vitro germination rate (61%), which was almost three times higher than sowing seeds on a soil pot (23%). Our results indicate that the seed washing and sowing methods including germination medium supplements can be optimized to enhance in vitro seed germination of dandelion.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.550-553
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• 2010

The representative research institutes in North Korea are the Academy of Science and the laboratories of major universities. The National Academy of Science consists of headquarters, Academy of Medicinal Science, Academy of Forestry Science, and Academy of Agricultural Science. Under the authority of the National Academy of Science, Central Information Agency for Science and Technology (CIAST) has built up a database system integrating all the science technology data to provide scientific and technological information. The major universities of North Korea include Kim Il-sung University, Kim Chaek University of Technology, Pyongyang Agricultural College, and Wonsan Agricultural College, and an agricultural college is situated in each province. Out of 3,860 plant species in North Korea, 158 species which amounts to approximately 4% of the total are rare and endangered, and deforestation is under a critical situation. The Oriental Medicine (Koryo Medicine) has been well developed using medicinal plants, and practical researches on biotic pesticide are largely conducted as an alternative to tackle the shortage of farming materials. Hereafter, a South-North joint research on the amount of plant resources and the methods of its conservation is needed and the North Korean research areas of biotic pesticide are worth adopting to the South Korean eco-friendly organic agriculture.