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Plant Source Foods
Published in Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy, Food and Lifestyle in Health and Disease, 2022
Chuong Pham-Huy, Bruno Pham Huy
Galangal is a perennial herb in the Zingiberaceae family. Galangal includes more than 200 species distributed in tropical and subtropical Asia, Australia, and the Pacific Islands. However, only Lesser Galangal and Greater Galangal are the two species most used as both spice and medicinal herb (213–226). Lesser galangal has the taxonomic name Alpinia officinarum and is originated in Southeast China (Yunnan, Hainan isle), Vietnam, Laos, and Japan (Okinawa). Greater galangal, named Alpinia galanga, is native to Indonesia, and now cultivated in Southeast Asia (Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, India), and in Australia and Hawaii (213–218). Different galangal species vary in their hotness and flavor. Flavor ranges from flowery to ginger-like to peppery-cinnamon. Greater Galangal rhizome has an orange-brown skin with pale yellow or white interior and is milder in flavor but larger in size (Figure 5.7). Lesser Galangal rhizome has a red-brown interior and fibrous texture. Both species can be eaten as fresh rhizome, sliced or powdered (213). Both the Greater and Lesser Galangal species have similar effects in cookery and medicine. Besides the two previous galangals, Kaempferia Galangal, another galangal species with red skin and white flesh in interior, is also sometimes used as a condiment and medicinal herb (213).
Ayurveda Renaissance – Quo Vadis?
Published in D. Suresh Kumar, Ayurveda in the New Millennium, 2020
To clear the existing confusion in nomenclature, Krishnamurthy (1971) proposed a new method of pharmacolinguistics, which is the study of linguistic aspects of names of medicinal plants, applied in its rudimentary form by the medieval Armenian physician Amirdovlat' Amasiats' I (1420–1496) (Gueriguian 1987). Based on this method he ascertained the identities of Haimavati and Kuliñjana. From eight different plants Haimavati was identified as Acorus gramineus. Alpinia galanga, Kaempferia galanga, Alpinia chinensis and Alpinia officinarum are generally equated with the Sanskrit entity Kuliñjana. However, based on pharmacolinguistic study it was ascertained that Alpinia galanga is the correct choice (Krishnamurthy 1971).
Increasing the Sensitivity of Adipocytes and Skeletal Muscle Cells to Insulin
Published in Christophe Wiart, Medicinal Plants in Asia for Metabolic Syndrome, 2017
Methanol extract of rhizomes of Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd. given orally to New Zealand rabbits at a dose equivalent to 4 g/kg of powdered rhizomes lowered plasma glucose from 101.4 to 73.8 mg/dL after 4 hours and this effect was similar to gliclazide at 80 mg/kg (76.4 mg/kg).346 In alloxan-induced diabetic rodents, the extract had no ability to lower plasma glucose similarly to gliclazide.346 Sulfonylureas like gliclazide have been reported not to decrease the blood glucose levels of alloxan diabetic animals with complete destruction of β-cells. When all β-cells are destroyed by alloxan on streptozotocin, there is no more insulin and insulinotropic agent do no impose hypoglycemia. Galangin from the rhizome of Alpinia galanga (L.) Willd. given orally at a dose of 100 mg/kg/day for 16 days orally to fructose-fed Wistar rats lowered glucose from 120.6 to 73.8 mg/dL (normal: 69.8 mg/dL), triglycerides from 163.4 to 98.5 mg/dL (normal: 91.6 mg/dL), decreased plasma insulin from 62.6 to 33.5 μU/mL (normal: 34.2 μU/mL), and increased insulin sensitivity an improvement of glucose clearance by skeletal muscles and/or adipocytes.348 This flavone at a concentration of 30 μM induced glucose uptake by L6 myotubes in vitro as efficiently as insulin at 0.1 μM.208
Herb–drug interactions: a mechanistic approach
Published in Drug and Chemical Toxicology, 2022
Ajay Kumar Sharma, Vijay Kumar Kapoor, Gurjot Kaur
All reported CYP2C9 interactions were found to be inhibitory in the herbs (Aesculus indica, Andrographis paniculata, Centella asiatica, Curcuma longa, Myristica fragrans) that have terpenoids as majority phytoconstituents with known anti-inflammatory action (Table 4). Testing of individual phytoconstituents in some cases has also been performed. Escin, a major phytoconstituent in Aesculus indica, shows varied effects on CYP enzymes. Single as well as multiple doses of escin induce CYP1A2, inhibit CYP2C9 and CYP3A4 while no effect was observed on CYP2E1 in rat liver (Huang et al.2014). Dipropyl sulfide, Dipropyl disulfide and Diallyl disulfide, the phytoconstituents present in Allium sativum (garlic) inhibited CYP2E1 and increased CYP2B1 and CYP2B2 activities in rat liver (Siess et al.1997). Synergistic in vitro antimicrobial activity of galangin, kaempferide and kaempferol-3-O-β-d-glucoside, phytoconstituents in Alpinia galanga, was seen with amoxicillin against amoxicillin-resistant Escherichia coli (Eumkeb et al.2012).
A Randomized Placebo Controlled Clinical Trial Demonstrating Safety & Efficacy of EnXtra® in Healthy Adults
Published in Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 2021
Shalini Srivastava, Mark Mennemeier, Jayesh Anand Chaudhary
Due to the aforementioned concerns, there is a growing interest in seeking developing safer alternatives having caffeine like psychostimulatory effects. There has also been a greater focus finding ingredients that act synergistically with caffeine while counteracting its undesirable effects. Enovate Biolife, after an extensive literature review and research developed and standardized an Alpinia galanga extract having potential ergogenic properties. In our preliminary study (13), numerous herbs exhibiting ergogenic effects underwent prelusive screening and we investigated the cognitive abilities of Cymbopogon flexuosus, Alpinia galanga, and Glycyrrhiza glabra. Results clearly indicated that A. galanga extract was superior and exerted a significant effect on the state of active attention of study volunteers. Building on these results, the acute administration of EnXtra® was further evaluated in other studies. Findings were of similar nature as EnXtra® substantially increased alertness score and improved task accuracy of participants without any trade off in response time (14, 15). Consequently, the present study was conducted with the aim of establishing the cardiac safety of EnXtra® with regards to its long-term consumption with an emphasis on progressive tolerance and development of habituation ordinarily associated with extended product use.
Medicinal plants consumption against urinary tract infections: a narrative review of the current evidence
Published in Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 2021
Efthymios Poulios, Georgios K. Vasios, Evmorfia Psara, Constantinos Giaginis
Moreover, the antibacterial and antioxidant effects of 15 diverse spices against 11 UTI-causing bacterial pathogens were investigated. The antioxidant effects of the methanolic extracts were evaluated concerning total phenols and flavonoids content by radical scavenging, total reducing power, and ferric reducing power analyses. The result of the antioxidative potency by the use of the four assays showed the order of potential antioxidant action: Acorus calamus > Alpinia galanga > Armoracia rusticana > Capparis spinosa > Aframomum melegueta. The total polyphenols and flavonoids contents of the understudy species were directly associated with their antioxidant activities. The 4 most effective spices exhibited a suppression area of at least 22 mm. A. calamus, A. melegueta, and C. spinosa showed the lowest MIC rate against Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Proteus mirabilis. All 15 spices exhibited a low MBC rate against most of the pathogenic bacteria [60].