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Published in Michael J. O’Dowd, The History of Medications for Women, 2020
Viburnum opulus, cramp bark, or guelder rose, and the related V. prunifolium, contain scopoletin, a coumarin which has a sedative effect on the uterus. Useful for dysmenorrhea and threatened miscarriage, Viburnum was listed in all the major pharmacopoeias in the early pan of this century (Squire, 1908) and remained in the American National Formulary until 1960. V. prunifolium contains salicin which also occurs in the willow, Salix alba, and from which salicylic acid was derived. Both salicin and salicylic acid are analgesic chemicals and were first synthetically prepared in 1852, but were found to cause marked gastric irritation. In 1899 the Bayer Company produced acetylsalicylic acid, known better by its proprietary name, aspirin (Griggs, 1997).
An Overview of Important Endemic Plants and Their Products in Iran
Published in Raymond Cooper, Jeffrey John Deakin, Natural Products of Silk Road Plants, 2020
Anethum graveolens (Figure 7.19) is an annual plant growing up to 0.8 m by 0.2 m at a medium rate. The flowers are hermaphrodite. The plant is self-fertile. It is noted for attracting wildlife. It is suitable to grow in light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. It is suitable to grow in the soil with acid, neutral, and basic (alkaline) pH. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The seeds are a common and very effective household remedy for a wide range of digestive problems. The seed is aromatic, carminative, mildly diuretic, galactogogue, stimulant, and stomachic. It is also used in the form of an extracted essential oil. It is used either in an infusion or by eating the whole seed, the essential oil in the seed relieves intestinal spasms and griping, helping to settle colic. Chewing the seed improves bad breath. Dill is also a useful addition to cough, cold, and flu remedies. It can be used with anti-spasmodics such as Viburnum opulus to relieve period pains. Dill is said to contain the alleged “psychotroph”, myristicine (Zargari, 2014; Mozaffarian, 2011; Plant for a Future; Kaur & Arora, 2009).
A review of the impact on the ecosystem after ionizing irradiation: wildlife population
Published in International Journal of Radiation Biology, 2022
Georgetta Cannon, Juliann G. Kiang
Seed set, seeding consumption, seed dispersal and maintenance of plant communities in the ecosystem are impacted by co-living animals. Moller et al. (Moller et al. 2012) studied fruit trees such as rowan (Sorbus aucuparia), pear (Pyrus communis), and apple (Malus domestica), and bushes such as European cranberry bush (Viburnum opulus), twistingwood (Viburnum lantana), and wild rose (Rosa rugose) along with butterflies and bumble-bees in the area of Chernobyl. In the areas with high radiation contamination, they found insect-pollinated fruit plants produced fewer fruits and this correlated with the local reduction in pollinating insects and with the generally smaller size of fruit trees. Lower fruit abundance led to lower levels of fruit-eating birds thus further limiting seed dispersal. These observations suggest that the abundance of frugivores, pollinating insect populations, and fruit production were directly associated with radiation levels. In other words, the number of fruit-bearing trees was low when the level of radiation was high, while the fruit sets were low when pollinating insect populations was low due to high radiation levels. The results taken together suggest that the close interplay among many species and between animals and plants is strongly affected by chronic radiation. Direct killing of the fruit trees by high radiation resulting in the overgrowth of other plants years later should be also be considered.