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Environmental Magnetite in the Human Brain

Mineral nanoparticles similar to those that have been associated with Alzheimer’s disease may enter the brain through the inhalation of polluted air.

By Ashley P. Taylor

In more than three dozen postmortem human brains, scientists have detected nanoparticles of magnetite that they suspect came from the environment. The brain produces magnetite particles that are associated with Alzheimer’s disease, but these endogenous particles are angular in shape, whereas the newly discovered compounds are spherical. Their shape and other properties suggest that the nanoparticles were generated during high-temperature processes like combustion.

The results, published yesterday (September 5) in PNAS, suggests that inhaled magnetite, which is known to be a ubiquitous air pollutant, can make its way to the brain. Barbara Maher, an environmental scientist at the University of Lancaster, and her coauthors now speculate that this environmental magnetite could pose a health risk.

“This is the first report of iron oxide particles in brain tissue that may have come from an industrial source. As such, this opens up questions about potential neurotoxic effects from industrial pollutants that had not been previously considered,” University of Florida’s Jon Dobson, who researches the potential neurodegenerative role of biologically produced magnetic compounds and was not involved in the study, told The Scientist in an email.

In 1992, researchers discovered angular particles of magnetite in the human brain. Sixteen years later, a comparison of healthy and Alzheimer’s brains revealed that higher levels of magnetite correlated with the incidence of disease. Most recently, scientists studying rat neuronal cell cultures found that magnetite and amyloid-β peptides seemed to stabilize each other; the two particles together were more harmful to neurons in culture than amyloid-β peptides alone.

Maher had been studying the airborne particulate matter, including magnetite, along roadsides, and decided to examine whether that magnetite might enter the brain, where it could potentially have similar toxic effects. She and her colleagues examined the quantity and structure of the magnetite within frontal cortex samples of 37 human brains, which came from the Manchester Brain Bank in the U.K. and from people who had died in fatal accidents in Mexico City between 2004 and 2008.

Using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, the researchers searched the brain slices. They identified endogenous, angular magnetite particles, which ranged in diameter from 50 to 150 nanometers, as well as spherical particles that ranged from less than 5 nanometers to more than 100 nanometers. The researchers believed these spherical compounds came from particulate matter in the air, Maher said.

Both in shape and in texture, these round magnetite particles resembled magnetite particles from roadside particulate matter, “and some of the particles have some very distinctive surface textures,” Maher said. Moreover, the magnetite particles “co-occur with other rather exotic metals, [which] are not metals that you would expect normally to find in the human brain,” she added. The researchers hypothesize that magnetite particles from the air are inhaled and enter the brain via the olfactory bulb, a neuronal gateway to the brain that does not have the same blood-brain barrier protection that other brain regions do, Maher said.

Dobson noted that a causal link between magnetite particles of any type and neurodegeneration has not been established. However “mechanisms proposed for a potential role in neurodegeneration would be the pretty much the same for both types of particles,” he added.

Although researchers do not know if environmentally derived magnetite has the same effects as endogenous magnetite on neuron health, “it would be foolish to ignore the possibility that it could be creating an additional health hazard for humans,” Maher said.

The study “gives an explanation for the high abundance of magnetite in the brain and, in turn, points towards its connection with Alzheimer’s,” Jordi Soriano, a University of Barcelona biophysicist who has studied magnetite’s effects on neurons in cell culture and was not involved the present study, told The Scientist in an email.

He noted, however, that the researchers did not sample any brains from people who had lived in nonurban areas, which would be necessary “to prove the connection between pollution and magnetic nanoparticles accumulation and structure.” This type of epidemiological study correlating likely magnetite exposure and neurodegenerative disease is one area for future research, Maher said.

B. Maher et al., “Magnetite pollution nanoparticles in the human brain,” PNAS,doi:10.1073/pnas.1605941113, 2016.

Neonatal Gut Bacteria Might Promote Asthma

Byproducts of gut microbes in some 1-month–old babies trigger inflammation that is linked to later asthma development, researchers find.

By Anna Azvolinsky

Abnormal gut microbiota communities present in some 1-month-old children promote inflammation that results in an almost threefold increased risk of developing allergies by age 2, according to a study published today (September 12) in Nature Medicine. More of these kids—who had lower levels of four commensal gut bacteria groups and higher relative levels of two types of fungi—developed signs of asthma by age 4. Further experiments implicated gut microbiota-associated metabolites in stimulating immune cell dysfunction that leads to an increased risk for developing allergies and asthma.

“While some of this information has been seen in animal models, this is really one of the first and best human studies that fills in many of the gaps of how you get from microbiota problems to immune dysfunction to non-communicable diseases like asthma,” said Rodney Dietert, professor of immunotoxicology at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, who was not involved in the work.

“This is a well done study [providing a strong correlation] between the early microbiome, both bacterial and fungal, and T cell development,” said microbiologist Brett Finlay of the University of British Columbia, in Canada, who was part of a 2015 study that linked gut bacteria to asthma risk but was not involved in the current study. “It re-emphasizes the importance of early life microbiota and correct immune development.”

The gut microbiota influences the developing immune system and susceptibility to allergies. To further interrogate this relationship, epidemiologist Christine Johnson of the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, Michigan, Susan Lynch of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and their colleagues analyzed stool samples from 130 babies around their 1-month birthday and from 168 infants around 6 months of age, as well as health information including the children’s responses to 10 food and aeroallergens at 2 years. All children included were part of the Wayne County Health, Environment, Allergy and Asthma Longitudinal Study (WHEALS), a prospective birth cohort.

The team profiled the diversity and relative abundance of both bacterial and fungal species present in each child’s stool sample and identified three compositionally distinct neonatal gut microbiota states. The team then used allergy test results at 2 years of age to categorize the children as allergy-prone kids who are sensitive to multiple allergens (children sensitive to all 10 allergens had a sixfold higher risk of developing asthma, the team previously showed), and those sensitive to only one or none of the allergens. Infants with a neonatal microbiota state characterized by lower levels of common gut bacteria—specifically, Bifidobacteria, Lactobacillus, Faecalibacterium, and Akkermansia, and higher levels of some fungi including Candida tended to be allergy prone at age 2. Four of the allergy-prone children were diagnosed with asthma by age 4, aligning with recent results from a different group who showed that loss of the same four bacteria types in the gut at 3 months of age predicted signs of asthma by 1 year.

“We were then interested in whether these different gut microbiota states produce distinct metabolites that may skew immune function,” Lynch told The Scientist. The researchers showed that the children with the allergy and asthma-linked gut microbiota state also had a distinct metabolite profile that lacked anti-inflammatory fatty acids and breast milk–derived oligosaccharides that were found in children who possessed the two lower-risk gut microbiota states. When the team mixed immune cells from healthy adult donors in sterile solutions containing the metabolites from the allergy and asthma–linked samples mixed, the cell cultures gained more inflammation-promoting T helper 2 cells, which are associated with allergies. The metabolites also reduced the percentage of T regulatory cells previously shown to suppress allergic responses.

The researchers identified a specific lipid, called 12,13-DiHOME, that was enriched in the high-risk neonate samples. This lipid alone was sufficient to suppress “the group of T-cells necessary to prevent allergic response,” explained Lynch. “That for me is incredibly exciting as it suggests that microbial-associated metabolites in the neonatal gut may represent an important driver of early-life immune cell phenotypes associated with disease development in childhood.”

“This experiment is a really great contribution as it identifies the likely mediators that can cause immune dysfunction,” said Dietert.

The researchers are continuing to follow the children on study, including evaluating their lung function at age 11 when a definitive asthma diagnosis is possible. “Age 4 is still a dicey time to diagnose asthma,” Johnson explained. “There can be symptoms that don’t necessarily result in actual asthma several years later.”

The team also plans to conduct a similar study with another cohort, taking into account environmental factors that could influence the development of the gut microbiota.  Some factors, including breast-feeding, time since conception, and mode of delivery, have already been shown to influence the colonization by commensal microbes in the gut after birth.

“What we have now are correlations,” said Finlay. “What we need next is to further understand the mechanisms by which the microbiota affects immune development.”

K.E. Fujimura et al., “Neonatal gut microbiota associates with childhood multisensitized atopy and T cell differentiation,” Nature Medicine, doi:10.1038/nm.4176, 2016.

Viral Protein Boosts Muscle Mass in Male Mice

An endogenous retrovirus that supports placenta formation in females also helps male mice build muscle, according to a study.

A protein called syncytin, which is of viral origin but several times over evolutionary history has integrated into the genomes of mammals, supports the increase of muscle mass in male mice, according to a study published this week (September 13) in PLOS Genetics. Syncytin was already known to enable placenta formation, and its role in males may help explain why male mammals tend to be bigger and stronger than females.

“This is the first strong line of evidence that retroviral envelope proteins play an important role beyond the placenta,” Cedric Feschotte, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Utah who was not involved in the research, told Nature.

In viruses, syncytin enables membrane fusion with host cells to empty a virus’s genomic content into the cytoplasm. In mammals, the protein plays a similar role in directing cell fusion during the formation of the outer layer of the placenta. “It’s a little mind-boggling to think that cellular fusion is directed by a virus we acquired 30 million years ago,” Lars-Inge Larsson, a pathologist at the University of Copenhagen who did not participate in the study, toldNature.

When virologist Thierry Heidmann of France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Université Paris-Sud and his colleagues deleted one version of syncytin (syncytin B) from the mouse genome, however, male knockout mice weighed 18 percent less than animals with both syncytin A and syncytin B. And given that only males were affected, malformation of the placenta clearly wasn’t to blame. “We were very, very surprised to see that the differences were in males but not females,” Heidmann told Nature.

Syncytin was already known to be active in immature muscle cells called myoblasts, and mature muscle cells formed via the fusion of immature myoblasts. Sure enough, the small size of the male syncytin Bknockout mice could be explained by reduced muscle mass, with these animals displaying 20 percent fewer muscle fibers and fewer nuclei per fiber. Further experiments demonstrated that both forms of syncytin were active during muscle formation and that blocking them reduced cellular fusion by more than 40 percent, Nature reported.

Syncytins have also been found to be active in immune cells, and of course, many other retrovirus remnants still linger in the genome. In terms of biological functions for these ancient viral proteins, “what we’re seeing is probably just the tip of the iceberg,” Fechotte told Nature.

http://www.the-scientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/47034/title/Viral-Protein-Boosts-Muscle-Mass-in-Male-Mice/

The Loom

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Mammals Made By Viruses

By Carl Zimmer |

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If not for a virus, none of us would ever be born.

In 2000, a team of Boston scientists discovered a peculiar gene in the human genome. It encoded a protein made only by cells in the placenta. They called it syncytin.

The cells that made syncytin were located only where the placenta made contact with the uterus. They fuse together to create a single cellular layer, called the syncytiotrophoblast, which is essential to a fetus for drawing nutrients from its mother. The scientists discovered that in order to fuse together, the cells must first make syncytin.

What made syncytin peculiar was that it was not a human gene. It bore all the hallmarks of a gene from a virus.

Viruses have insinuated themselves into the genome of our ancestors for hundreds of millions of years. They typically have gotten there by infecting eggs or sperm, inserting their own DNA into ours. There are 100,000 known fragments of viruses in the human genome,  making up over 8% of our DNA. Most of this virus DNA has been hit by so many mutations that it’s nothing but baggage our species carries along from one generation to the next. Yet there are some viral genes that still make proteins in our bodies. Syncytin appeared to be a hugely important one to our own biology. Originally, syncytin allowed viruses to fuse host cells together so they could spread from one cell to another. Now the protein allowed babies to fuse to their mothers.

It turned out that syncytin was not unique to humans. Chimpanzees had the same virus gene at the same spot in their genome. So did gorillas. So did monkeys. What’s more, the gene was strikingly similar from one species to the next. The best way to explain this pattern was that the virus that gave us syncytin infected a common ancestor of primates, and it carried out an important function that has been favored ever since by natural selection. Later, the French virologist Thierry Heidmann  and his colleagues discovereda second version of syncytin in humans and other primates, and dubbed them syncytin 1 and syncytin 2. Both virus proteins seemed to be important to our well-being. In pre-eclampsia, which gives pregnant women dangerously high blood pressure, levels of both syncytin 1 and syncytin 2drop dramatically. Syncytin 2 also performs another viral trick to help its human master: it helps tamp down the mother’s immune system so she doesn’t attack her baby as a hunk of foreign tissue.

In 2005, Heidmann and his colleagues realized that syncytins were not just for primates. While surveying the mouse genome, they discovered two syncytin genes (these known as A and B), which were also produced in the same part of the placenta. This discovery allowed the scientists to test once and for all how important syncytin was to mammals. They shut down the syncytin A gene in mouse embryos and discovered they died after about 11 days because they couldn’t form their syncytiotrophoblast. So clearly this virus mattered enormously to its permanent host.

Eye inflammation and gut bacteria

uveaGut bacteria may provide the trigger for autoimmune uveitis, a destructive inflammation of the eye, researchers at the US National Eye Institute (NEI) reported in a study published today (August 18) in Immunity. Autoimmune uveitis is a painful condition that can lead to debilitating blindness. It often hits adults 20 to 60 years old, and is responsible for up to 15 percent of all blindness and severe visual impairment in developed countries.

Researchers believe activated retina-specific T cells attack the eye, causing the inflammation, but the antigen that activates those T cells lies inside the normally immune-privileged eye, meaning T cells are not able to circulate in that area. How those T cells become activated without exposure to the eye has been poorly understood. The NEI’s Reiko Horai,Rachel Caspi, and their colleagues used a mouse model prone to developing uveitis and found that the animals’ intestines showed signs of increased T cell activation prior to the onset of uveitis.

“It’s the first study to show the potential of the microbiome to induce an autoimmune disease specific to the eye,” said Andrew Taylor, an ocular immunologist at the Boston University School of Medicine who was not involved in the research.

The team also found that the model mouse intestines showed high levels of interleukin-17A, a proinflammatory cytokine produced by T cells. In another experiment, the researchers administered a wide-spectrum antibiotic cocktail to the mice in an effort to reduce the gut microbiome. The antibiotics appeared to slow the development of uveitis in the mice and reduce the number of activated T cells. The researchers also found that microbe-rich extracts from model mouse intestines activated retina-specific T cells.

“It’s been known for other autoimmune diseases that gut bacteria can provide a necessary component, but the mechanism wasn’t known,” Caspi told The Scientist. “What appears to be happening is that they make some substance that, to the T-cells, looks like a protein from the retina.”

The researchers were unable, however, to identify the specific proteins or the bacteria that might produce this substance, which Caspi noted was a limitation of the study. It may be that a combination of bacteria work together to trigger the retina-specific T-cells, making the task of identifying the responsible proteins and bacteria even more challenging, she added.

The team was also unable to directly demonstrate that the retina-specific T helper cells in the gut are the same cells circulating to the eye—breaching the immune-privileged barrier to cause inflammation and disease, noted Veena Taneja, an immunologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, who was not involved in the study. “They have not shown that these cells are the cells that cause disease,” she said. “And they have not shown that these cells are actually being activated in gut.”

Caspi said the team plans to continue to isolate the specific bacteria and/or proteins involved in activating the retina-specific T cells. “We don’t know what that actual protein is and I don’t know how long it will take to find it,” she said. “It may that we have to search far and wide for this mimic.”

R. Horai et al., “Microbiota-dependent activation of an autoreactive T cell receptor provokes autoimmunity in an immunologically privileged site,” Immunity,doi:10.1016/j.immuni.2015.07.014, 2015.

From Wiki:

Onset of uveitis can broadly be described as a failure of the ocular immune system and the disease results from inflammation and tissue destruction. Uveitis is driven by the Th17 T cell sub-population that bear T-cell receptors specific for proteins found in the eye.[15] These are often not deleted centrally whether due to ocular antigen not being presented in the thymus (therefore not negatively selected) or a state of anergy is induced to prevent self targeting.[16][17]

Autoreactive T cells must normally be held in check by the suppressive environment produced by microglia and dendritic cells in the eye.[18] These cells produce large amounts of TGF beta and other suppressive cytokines, including IL-10, to prevent damage to the eye by reducing inflammation and causing T cells to differentiate to inducible T reg cells. Innate immune stimulation by bacteria and cellular stress is normally suppressed by myeloid suppression while inducible Treg cells prevent activation and clonal expansion of the autoreactive Th1 and Th17 cells that possess potential to cause damage to the eye.

Whether through infection or other causes, this balance can be upset and autoreactive T cells allowed to proliferate and migrate to the eye. Upon entry to the eye, these cells may be returned to an inducible Treg state by the presence of IL-10 and TGF-beta from microglia. Failure of this mechanism leads to neutrophil and otherleukocyte recruitment from the peripheral blood through IL-17 secretion. Tissue destruction is mediated by non-specific macrophage activation and the resulting cytokine cascades.[19] Serum TNF-α is significantly elevated in cases while IL-6 and IL-8 are present in significantly higher quantities in the aqueous humour in patients with both quiescent and active uveitis.[20] These are inflammatory markers that non-specifically activate local macrophages causing tissue damage.

Connie’s comments: Take your probiotic (acidophilus,yogurt,pickled veggies) and prebiotic (raw garlic, yellow foods) for the health of your gut and eyes.

Plants boost testosterone

According to medicine hunter Chris Kilham, the power of many of these natural, plant-derived aphrodisiacs has been verified by clinical studies—and modern science has only begun to scratch the surface. Chris has traveled the world investigating medicinal plants and teaches ethnobotany at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He has authored 13 books, including Hot Plants: Nature’s Proven Sex Boosters for Men and Women, which focuses on sex-enhancing plants. Chris shares just a few natural agents of desire with Dr. Oz:

Rhodiola rosea

Rhodiola rosea is a plant native to Siberia that radically reduces cortisol levels in the blood, thereby reducing stress and enhancing sexual function, Chris says. According to Chris, dosages between 100 and 300 milligrams a day have been proven effective in human studies. Moreover, Chris says rhodiola rosea enhances brain function, mood, cardiovascular function and immune function, and boosts energy, stamina and endurance. “When you take it, you feel it, and you feel good,” says Chris, who takes it every day. “I feel more energetic, more lively, more clear minded.”

Maca

Maca is a root resembling a turnip that is a staple food in the Peruvian highlands. Chris says maca contains compounds that significantly boost sexual desire, alleviates erectile dysfunction and also helps women relieve the uncomfortable symptoms of menopause, especially hot flashes and night sweats. There are products containing maca extract as well as maca powder that can be added to shakes or used like flour in cooking, Chris says.

Tongkat ali

Tongkat ali is a tree root from Malaysia that has been used in Southeast Asia for hundreds of years for the treatment of malaria as well as improving various sexual parameters, Chris says. According to Chris, tongkat ali has been shown to help alleviate erectile dysfunction, boost testosterone levels in males and progesterone levels in females, and may have cancer-inhibiting properties. He says it’s a safe and effective substitute for brand-name drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction.

Deer Antler

You may not know this but male deers, known as bucks, are pretty intensely sexual animals. And for some odd, yet fascinating reason, their antler’s somehow concentrate their hormonal and sexual essence. I know that’s not a very scientific claim, but trust me, a dropperful of deer antler extract is a major kick in the pants, and you can’t argue with results. For those of you who insist on knowing why, deer antler is rich in prostaglandins—which are hormone-like compounds that help control blood pressure, smooth muscle activity and inflammation, and stimulate glandular secretion, calcium movement, hormone production and cell growth.

Orchic

Orchic is a friendly name for bull testicles. Yes, you read that right, and no I am not suggesting you head down to the butcher store and buy a pair. You can actually get this in a friendly, encapsulated supplement form so you don’t have to taste anything. If you didn’t know better you’d say it looks like a non-descript vitamin pill.

Pine Pollen

As far as herbs go, Pine Pollen is somewhat obscure, known mainly in the Chinese Medicine tradition as a powerful androgenic and vitality enhancing substance. And pine pollen is just that—the sexual fluid of pine trees. It’s the seed that when mixed with soil, air, sun and water can grow into a massive, multi-ton, hundred foot plus pine tree. And it tends to have similar effects on your hormonal system and sex drive. Like mucuna, it’s a powerful and rare jing-enhancing herb (meaning an herb that restores your sexual and vital essence) with distinctly aphrodisiac effects.

Colostrum

When baby calves are born, for the first few days, their mothers produce a very special kind of highly nourishing milk that is loaded with essential nutrients, vitamins, immune-stimulating factors, and a number of other potent health-boosting compounds that all work in their own way to nourish and stimulate your hormonal system. Colostrum is nature’s way of ensuring that the baby calves have the essential nutritional kickstart they need to grow into healthy adults and thrive. And in order to support that rapid body mass gain, colostrum is also loaded with growth hormone, which as you might have guessed has the end result of stimulating your sex drive.

Shilajit

In the ancient Indian system of medicine known as Ayurveda, shilajit is known as an ojas-building substance, loosely translating to “vital essence or energy”, which is similar to the Daoist concept of Jing. That’s because it’s literally millions of years of prehistoric plant matter compacted in a night-black, resinous tar that is literally an amalgamation of essential minerals in a highly biologically active form. Shilajit is formed under the weight of the Himalayan mountains in India and Nepal and in remote regions you’ll find it seeping out of crags and split rocks at dizzyingly high altitudes. It’s been used for thousands of years in India to restore sexual function and overall health, and it’s a staple food if you’re looking to boost your sex drive.

Mucuna Pruriens

Mucuna beans are one of nature’s most unique treasures. In part because they’re one of the few plants loaded with an unusually large amount of psycho and hormonally active compounds, particularly L-Dopa (as in dopamine), which also doubles as a powerful aphrodisiac.

The high concentrations of L-Dopa cause the brain to release dopamine, in turn stimulating the pituitary gland to produce human growth hormone, which promotes muscle growth, increased strength, and has been proven to raise levels of testosterone, all of which result in an increased sex drive. It also simultaneously lowers levels of prolactin, which can reduce menstrual discomfort and associated weight gain in women and increase sperm motility, and hence fertility, in men.

Mucuna is classified as a jing-enhancing herb in the Daoist herbal tradition, which means that it is nourishing at the most fundamental levels to the body. Jing loosely translates to “vital essence” or “life force” and in the case of mucuna, can clearly be understood in terms of its restorative effects on the brain, nervous, and hormonal systems. Jing is believed to be depleted as we age and through sexual activity, so plants like mucuna that act to replenish it are prized in many herbal traditions.

Ailments and plant species, ethnobotany

ICF values of category of aliments

Category Species (%) All Species Use citations (%) All use citations ICF value
‘Mich’ and febrile diseases 6 9% 26 11% 0.80
Evil eye and satan beshita 13 20% 41 18% 0.70
Respiratory and throat infections 6 9% 15 7% 0.64
Rabies and internal disease 17 26% 45 20% 0.64
Gastrointestinal disorder and parasites infections 23 35% 60 26% 0.63
Venereal disease and impotence 7 11% 13 6% 0.50
External injuries and parasites infections 19 29% 33 14% 0.44
Snake bite 4 6% 6 3% 0.40
Swelling and cancer 9 14% 14 6% 0.38
Sensorial disease 4 6% 5 2% 0.25

FL value of medicinal plants

Species and Family Local name Therapeutical uses Fidelity level (FL)
Carissa spinarum L. Apocynaceae Agam evil eye 100%
Clausena anisata (Willd.) Benth Rutaceae Limbche evil eye 100%
Acokanthera schimperi (A. DC.) Schweinf. Apocynaceae Yemerz Enchet ‘kusil, yetat merz’ 100%
Calpurnia aurea (Alt.) Benth. Fabaceae Digita diarrhea 100%
Ficus thonningii Blume. Moraceae Chibha ‘ayn bar teza’ 100%
Cyphostemma junceum (Webb) Decoings ex Wild & Drummond Vitaceae Etse Zewe snake bite 100%
Sansevieria erythraeae Mattei Dracaenaceae Algeti/chiret ‘sinfete wesib’ 100%
Zehneria scabra Asteraceae Hareg Ressa (Este Sabek) ‘mich’, ‘kintarot’ 86%
Stephania abyssinica (Dillon. & A. Rich.) Walp. Menispermaceae Kib Kitel/Etse Eyesus stomachache/’kuruba’, babies’ sickness 80%
Phytolacca dodecandra L’Herit Phytolaceae Endod ‘wef beshita’, ‘kusil’ 75%
Verbena officinalis L. Verbenaceae Atuch stomachache, evil eye, snake bite 73%
Ocimum lamiifolium Hochst. Lamiaceae Dama Kesse ‘mich’, ‘kusil’ 67%
Croton marcostachyus Del. Euphorbiaceae Bissana gastrointestinal disorder, ‘wef beshita’ 63%
Justicia schimperiana (Hochst. ex A. Nees) T. Anders Acanthaceae Sensel (Smiza) evil eye, ‘wef beshita’, ‘kuruba’ 63%
Capparis tomentosa Lam. Capparidaceae Gumero evil eye, ‘satan beshita, ‘tesbo beshita’ 57%
Cucumis ficifolius A. Rich.Curcurbitaceae Yemidir Embuay stomachache, ‘kuruba’, ‘chiffea’, ‘majrat getr’, ‘nessr’, rabies, ‘wef beshita’ 50%
Plumbago zeylanicum L. Plumbaginaceae Amira coughing, ‘kurtimat’, cancer, swelling 40%
Dorstenia barnimianaSchweinf. Moraceae Work Bemeda cancer, rabies, syphilis, ‘wef beshita’, ‘yeahya kintarot’, ‘mushuro’ 22%

https://ethnobiomed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1746-4269-3-12

Medicinal plants and uses

ingle medicinal plants treatment with parts used and preparation

Species Family Local Name Use(s) Parts used and preparation
Achyranthes aspera L. Amaranthaceae Telenzje ‘shererit kusil’ (Herpes zoster) Chewing fresh leaves
      blood clotting Dressing with crushed fresh leaves
Acokanthera schimperi (A. DC.) Schweinf. Apocynaceae Yemerz Enchet ‘kusil’ Dressing with crushed whole plant
      ‘yetat merz’ (bacterial infection of nail) Dressing with crushed fresh root
Allium sativum L. Alliaceae Nech Shinkurt ‘ayne maz’ (eye sickness) Rubbing with warmed bulb
      evil eye Smelling aroma of bulb
Asparagus africanus Lam. Asparagaceae Yeset Kest ‘sinfete wesib’ Root powder is eaten with chicken soup
Brucea antidysenterica J. F. Mill. Simaroubaceae Aballo (Waginos) ‘bullad’ (weight loss fever, itching, diarrhea) Fruit powder mixed with honey and fermented for seven days is taken orally until cure
      ‘fintita sigelebet’ (Haemorrhoids) Fruit powder mixed with milk is taken orally for three days
      ‘mushuro’ (weight loss, dysentery and fever) Root powder mixed with honey is taken orally until cure
      dysentery Juice of leaf is taken orally in the morning
      ‘chiffea’ (Eczema) Dressing with inner bark paste mixed with butter or oil
Calpurnia aurea(Alt.) Benth. Fabaceae Digita ‘kuruba’ Leaves or Fruit powder mixed with water or honey is taken orally
Carica papaya L. Caricaceae Papaya malaria Juice of leaves is taken orally
Centella asiaticaL. Apiaceae Yeayit Joro swelling Dressing with leaf paste
Clausena anisata(Willd.) Benth Rutaceae Limche ear sickness Juice of leaves is used as ear drop
Clausena anisata(Willd.) Benth Rutaceae Limche stomachache Chewing root
Clematis hirsutaPerr & Guill Ranunculaceae Azo Hareg ‘mich’ Juice of fresh leaves is used as body lotion
      cough Juice of leaves with butter of fat is taken orally
      swelling Dressing with Leaf paste
Commelina sp. Commelinaceae Yemariam Wuha allergic Dressing with crushed fresh leaf
      ear infection Juice of leaves as ear drop
Croton marcostachyusDel. Euphorbiaceae Bissana ‘ekeke’ (scabies) Dressing with Crushed leaves mixed with butter or oil
      ‘kuruba’ Leaves are eaten with wat(Diarrhoea, dysentery, stomach disorder) (local soup)
      ‘wef beshita’ (hepatitis, jaundice) Leaf powder mixed with water is taken orally for seven days
      diarrhea Leaf powder mixed with water is taken orally
      quaqucha (Tinea versicolor) Rubbing and dressing with Latex from leaves
Cucumis ficifolius A. Rich. Curcurbitaceae Yemidir Embuay (Este Melecot) ‘ayn bar tessa’ Chewing root
      ‘majrat getr’ (meningitis) Root powder mixed with honey taken orally
      ‘nessr’ (epistaxis) Juice of root applied though nose
      ‘wef beshita’ Root powder is taken mixed with skimmed milk or noug orally in the morning
      rabies Root powder is eaten with tef kita
      stomachache, ‘kuruba’, umbilical cord labouring Chewing root
Cussonia holstiiHarms ex. Engl. Araliaceae Sila burning Dressing with crushed fresh leaves
Cyphostemma junceum (Webb) Decoings ex Wild & Drummond Vitaceae Etse Zewe snake bite Chewing roots
Datura stramonium Solanaceae Astenagir swelling Dressing with leaf paste
      tooth ache Fresh leaves are boiled with water and the vapour is inhaled
      ‘fore fore’ (dandruff) Fresh leaves are used for rubbing and dressing
      ‘kusil’ Dressing with leaf paste
Dorstenia barnimianaSchwienf. Moraceae Work Bemeda ‘wef beshita’ Root powder is taken with skimmed milk or noug orally in the morning
      ‘yeahya kintarot’ (donkey’s wart) Dressing with root paste
      cancer Making small opening and inserting the root
      rabies Root powder is taken with skimmed milk or noug orally in the morning for seven days
      syphilis Root powder is taken with honey orally in the morning
      weight loss, diarrhea and fever Root powder mixed honey and fermented for seven days is taken orally in the morning until cured
Draceana steudeneri Engl. Dracaenaceae Etse Patos evil eye Root is burned and smoke is inhaled
Echinops keberichoMesfin Compositae Kebercho evil eye Root powder is sprinkled on burning charcoal and smoke is inhaled
Euphorbia abyssinica J. F. Gmel. Euphorbiaceae Qulqwal venereal diseases Latex is eaten with tef of wheat kit
      ‘wef beshita’ Latex mixed with water is taken orally
      rabies Root powder mixed water is taken orally
Euphorbia tirucalli L. Euphorbiaceae Kinchib ‘kintarot’ Rubbing with latex and dressing
      ‘kusil’ Dressing with latex
Ferrula communis L. Apiaceae Dog cough Filtrate of boiled root mixed with honey taken orally until cured
Ficus thonningiiBlume. Moraceae Chibha ‘ayn bar tessa’ (lose of appetite) Root with Noug is eaten
      diarrhea Chewing root
      stomachache Chewing inner Bark
Glinus lotoides L. Molluginaceae Meterea tapeworm Fruit powder mixed with noug is taken orally
Gnidia glauca(Fresen) Thymelaeaceae Beto rabies Root powder mixed with skimmed milk is taken orally for seven days
Gossypium herbaceum L. Malvaceae Tit snake bite Chewing root
Hagenia abyssinica(Bruce) J. F. Gmel. Rosaceae Kosso ‘kosso’ (tape worm) Powder mixed with water and fermented over night is taken orally in the morning
Helinu mystacinus (Ait.) E. Mey. ex Steud Rhamnaceae Esat Abered burning Dressing with crushed fresh leaves
Huernia concinna N. E. Br. Asclepiadaceae Yelam Tute ‘kusil’, swelling Dressing with crushed fresh leaf
Impomea sp. Convolvulaceae Filatsut babies’ sickness Bathing with crushed leaf and stem
      cancer Making small opening and inserting the root
Indigofera spicata Forssk. Fabaceae Yebab Alenga babies’ sickness Bathing with crushed fresh leaf and stem
      stomachache Chewing root
Justicia schimperiana(Hochst. ex A. Nees) T. Anders Acanthaceae Sensel (Smiza) ‘wef beshita’, ‘kuruba’ Juice of leaves is taken orally
      evil eye Smelling the aroma of fresh root
Kalanchoe petitana A. Rich. Crassulaceae Endehuahula swelling Making small opening and inserting the root
Millettia ferruginea(Hochst.) Bark Fabaceae Birbira ‘mujelea’ (chigger) Dressing with fruit paste mixed with butter
      ‘tfre metmte’ (bacterial infection of nails) Dressing with leaf paste
      ‘yejoro kunkun’ (earache) Juice of leaves or stem is used as ear drop
      amoeba Fruits powder mixed with honey is taken orally
Mimusops kummel Bruce ex. DC. Sapotaceae Eshe amoeba Eating fruits
Momordica foetidaSchumach Cucurbitaceae Qura Hareg ‘zuresh’ (babies sickness) Bathing with crushed fresh root
Myrtus communis L. Myrtaceae Ades ‘fore fore’ (Dandruff) Bathing with crushed fresh leaves
      diarrhea, stomach disorder Juice of leaf is taken orally in the morning
Ocimum lamiifoliumHochst. Lamiaceae Dama Kesse ‘kusil’ Fresh crushed leaves dressing
Ocimum lamiifoliumHochst. Lamiaceae Dama Kesse ‘kusil’ Dressing with Bark paste
      ‘mich’ Juice of leaves is taken with coffee orally
Pergularia daemia L. Asclepiadaceae Yeayit Hareg snake bite Making small cut at location and inserting root
Phytolacca dodecandraL’Herit Phytolaceae Endod (Male) ‘kuruba’ Root or leaf powder mixed with water is taken orally
      ‘kusil’ Dressing with Fruit paste
      ‘wef beshita’ Leaf powder mixed with water is taken orally
      rabies Root paste is taken with tef kita in the morning for seven days
Plumbago zeylanicum L. Plumbaginaceae Amira ‘kurtimat’ (rheumatic Pain) Fresh leaves are boiled and the filtrate is taken with honey orally for seven days
      cancer Root powder mixed with digne (sulphur) is applied
      cough Fresh leaves are boiled and the filtrate is taken with fermented butter orally
      snake bite Chewing Leaves
      swelling Dressing with root paste
Podocarpus gracilis Podocarpaceae Zigba vomiting Juice of leaves is taken orally
Rhamnus prinoides L. Rhamnaceae Gesho ‘chiffea’ (Eczema) Appling leaf paste mixed with butter as ointment
Ricinus communis L. Euphorbiaceae Kachima ‘kuruba’ Juice of root is taken orally
      tooth ache Chewing fresh root
Rumex nepalensisSpreng. Polygonaceae Tult ‘entil siwerd’ (tonsillitis), ‘kuruba’ Juice of root is taken orally
      umbilical cord labouring Tying fresh root around west
Ruta chalepensisL. Rutaceae Tena Adam evil eye Smelling aroma of fresh leaf and stem
      flue Juice of leaves is taken with coffee
Sansevieria erythraeaeMattei Dracaenaceae Algeti/cheret ‘sinfete wesib’ (impotence) Root powder is taken with tef potage
Sida ternata L. F. Malvaceae Yemidir Hareg ‘lashet’ (fungal disease) Dressing with crushed fresh leaves
Solanum marginatum L.f Solanaceae Geber Embuay ‘kusil’, swelling Dressing with crushed fresh root
Stephania abyssinica(Dillon. & A. Rich.) Walp. Menispermaceae Kib Kitel (Etse Eyesus) ‘kuruba’ Juice of root is taken orally
      babies’ sickness Juice of leaves mixed with butter is taken orally
      stomachache Juice of leaf and stem is taken orally
      ‘kintarot’ Dressing with stem paste
      ‘girfita’ (fever, headache) Bathing with crushed fresh leaves
Stereospermum kunthianum Bignoniaceae Zana ‘kola kusil’ (infected cut or wound) Dressing with Bark paste
Taverniera abyssinica A. Rich Fabaceae Dingetegna Vomiting, dysentery Chewing root
Verbascum sinaiticumBenth. Scrophulariaceae Daba Keded ‘kusil’ Dressing with Fresh crushed leaves
      diarrhea, stomachache Juice of root is taken orally
Verbena officinalis L. Verbenaceae Atuch ‘gusmit’ (stomach disorder) Juice of leaves is taken orally
      ‘yeshererit beshita’ (Herpes zoster) Dressing with leaf paste
      ear sickness Juice of fruit with olive oil is used as ear drop
      evil eye Smelling of aroma of fresh root
      snake bite Chewing root
      stomachache Chewing root
      ‘wesfat’ (ascaris) Juice of root is taken orally
Vernonia adoensis Sch. Bip. ex Walp. Asteraceae Este Mossa menstrual disorders Root are chewed with honey
Vernonia amygdalina Del. Asteraceae Girawa ‘entil siwerd’ (Tonsillitis) Juice of leaf is taken orally
      ‘likift’ (devil sickness, madness) Root is burned and smoke is inhaled
      ‘satan beshita’ (devil sickness) Bathing with crushed fresh leaves
      evil eye, ‘satan beshita’, ‘tesbo beshita’ (epidemic disease) Root powder is sprinkled on burning charcoal and smoke is inhaled
Ximenia americana L. Olacaceae Enkoye ‘entil siwerd’ (tonsillitis) Juice of bark is taken orally
      ‘kusil’ Dressing with bark paste
Zehneria scabra Asteraceae Hareg Ressa (Este Sabek, Shahirit) ‘mich’ Leaves and stem are boiled and the vapour is inhaled and bathing
      ‘kintarot’ (wart) Pressing with warmed stem
Zingiber officinale Rosc. Zingiberaceae Zinjible stomachache Chewing rhizome

 

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