African Medicinal Plants

HERBAL/TRADITIONAL PRODUCTS IN THE NETHERLANDS Herbal/traditional products are generally regarded relatively highly by Dutch consumers due to the long-standing presence of national brands such as Anta Flu (Pervasco BV) and the high level of health literacy among consumers with regards to herbal extracts and medicinal plants. This is also amplified by the growing distrust among consumers for big pharmaceutical companies and the way they are perceived to "sell" health. This phenomenon can also be related to the economic crisis that has led many to question consumerism and seek a more "natural" and simple lifestyle. The herbal/traditional products category fits into this as the products tend to be accessible in terms of price and many have been used for generations. More at:  http://www.fastmr.com/prod/887760_herbaltraditional_products_in_the_netherlands.aspx

Diabetes and medicinal plants-A review Diabetes mellitus (DM), both insulin-dependent DM (IDDM) and non-insulindependent DM (NIDDM) is a common and serious metabolic disorder throughout the world. Traditional plant treatments have been used throughout the world for the therapy of diabetes mellitus. Among many medications and other alternative medicines, several herbs have been known to cure and control diabetes; additionally they have no side effects. The present paper is an attempt to list of the plants with anti-diabetic and related beneficial effects originating from different parts of world. History showed that medicinal plants have been used in traditional healing around the world for a long time to treat diabetes; this is because such herbal plants have hypoglycemic properties and other beneficial properties, as reported in scientific literature. There are 136 such plants described in this review which clearly shows the importance of herbal plants in the treatment o...