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Sixty-six medicinal plant species traditionally collected and used by the Red-headed Yao people in Jinping county, Yunnan Province, SW China, were investigated and studied through the approaches of ethnobotany, anthropology and participatory rural appraisal (PRA). Among these plants, 27 species were recorded to have medicinal values for the first time recorded in literature, 23 species were found to have different medicinal functions from those recorded in the literature. Many medicinal herbs are simultaneously wild food plants. The local Yao people take medicinal baths on some special days very common to treat and prevent diseases. The Red-headed Yao medicinal herb doctors have conserved medicinal plants and their habitats over the years. Most of the folk healers are old women, who are concerned about passing on their secrets to the younger generation. They fear that the younger generations have not learned enough about the herbal traditions to keep the practice going. The authors suggest that plants used by the Red-headed Yao people need to be further studied phytochemically and pharmacologically. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Michelia yunnanensis Franch. is a Chinese endemic ornamental shrub with potential for greater utilization as a landscape and medicinal plant if propagation was less difficult. Seed development and breaking of seed dormancy were investigated to improve propagation of M. yunnanensis. No fresh seeds germinated when tested at the time of dispersal. Newly matured seeds of M. yunnanensis contained differentiated linear underdeveloped embryos that were physiologically dormant. The embryo/seed length ratio of M. yunnanensis was 0.15. Warm stratification did not break seed dormancy. Dormancy was broken by cold stratification at 4°C but not by flowing water or nitrate. Embryos developed grew inside seeds during cold stratification at 4°C. In newly harvested dormant seeds, embryos were 0.94mm long and increased in length 139% before radicle emergence (germination). GA3 substituted for cold stratification to break dormancy in seeds of M. yunnanensis incubated at 25°C or 20/25°C. Mature M. yunnanensis seeds exhibited intermediate complex morphophysiological dormancy. Optimal germination of non-dormant seed in terms of both germination percentage and rate occurred at 20/25°C. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Repeated column chromatography of the EtOAc-soluble fraction of the aerial parts of Dodonaea viscosa led to the isolation of two new modified clerodanes, methyl dodovisate A (1) and methyl dodovisate B (2), two new prenylated flavonoids, 5,7,4'-trihydroxy-3',5'-di(3-methylbut-2-enyl)-3,6-dimethoxyflavone (10) and 5,7,4'-trihydroxy-3'-(4-hydroxy-3-methylbutyl)-5'-(3-methylbut-2-enyl)-3,6-dimethoxyflavone (11), together with eight known compounds, dodonic acid (3), hautriwaic acid (4), hautriwaic lactone (5), (+)-hardwickiic acid (6), 5α-hydroxy-1,2-dehydro-5,10-dihydroprintzianic acid methyl ester (7), strictic acid (8), dodonolide (9), and aliarin (12). The structures of the new compounds were elucidated by spectroscopic data analysis. Compounds 1-9 and 11 were evaluated on larvicidal activity against the fourth-instar larvae of Aedes albopictus and Culex pipens quinquefasciatus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Ethnopharmacological research aims at gathering information on local and traditional uses of plants and other natural substances. However, the approaches used and the methods employed vary, and while such a variability is desirable in terms of scientific diversity, research must adhere to well defined quality standards and reproducible methods Objectives With ConSEFS (the Consensus Statement on Ethnopharmacological Field Studies) we want to define best-practice in developing, conducting and reporting field studies focusing on local and traditional uses of medicinal and food plants, including studies using a historical approach. Methods After first developing an initial draft the core group invited community-wide feedback from researchers both through a web-based consultation and a series of workshops at conferences during 2017. Outcomes The consultation resulted in a large number of responses. Feedback was received via a weblink on the Journal of Ethnopharmacology's website (ca. 100 responses), other oral and written responses (ca. 50) and discussions with stakeholders at four conferences. The main outcome is a checklist, covering best practice for designing, implementing and recording ethnopharmacological field studies and historical studies. Conclusions Prior to starting ethnopharmacological field research, it is essential that the authors are fully aware of the best practice in the field. For the first time in the field of ethnopharmacology a community-wide document defines guidelines for best practice on how to conduct and report such studies. It will need to be updated and further developed. While the feedback has been based on responses by many experienced researchers, there is a need to test it in practice by using it both in implementing and reporting field studies (or historical studies), and peer-review. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ethnopharmacological relevance The ethnopharmacology of Southwest China is extremely interesting because of the region's high level of cultural and medicinal plant diversity. Little work has been done to document the traditional medicinal practices in this area. This review aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge of how medicinal plants in this area are utilized, and conserved, in order to better understand the medicinal flora, identify research gaps, and suggest directions for further research. Material and methods A literature review was conducted that included peer reviewed journals, website, books, theses and scientific reports from 1979 to 2014. The distribution and characteristics of medicinal plant knowledge in each province, methods applied in research, and the fluctuations of literature in 5 year intervals were analyzed. The distribution research on different plant groups including fungi, ferns, mosses, and vascular plants were also analyzed. Results and discussion A total of 436 publications from 1979 to 2014 were selected for analysis. References were classified into three stages: discovery stage, utilization stage and conservation stage. Detailed results about the focus of the references, the methods applied, the development and relationship among all folk medicine in Southwest China, Daodi ethnomedicinal resources, Pharmacological studies and Toxicology studies were discussed. While, compared to the rich medicinal flora, the complex demographics and cultural diversity, a large gap still exist to fully understand and document the medicinal flora. Conclusions Based on the review results, most research efforts in Southwest China focused on the first step: discovery of traditional usage, geographical distribution, and taxonomy of medicinal species. Only a small percentage of traditional uses or treatments have been tested by modern ethnobotanical approaches. Further research needs to put more emphasis on identifying adulterations, evaluating of Daodi medicine, and elucidating effective compounds from traditional drugs, using molecular and phytochemical approaches. Knowledge on ethnic and cultural aspects of medicinal plant species, to develop effective conservation and sustainable use protocols is lacking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linum usitatissimum L. (flax) has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years in China. Throughout the history of its cultivation, flax was mainly used for oil and medicine. It was not until the last 100 years that fibre flax began to be cultivated and used. This paper discusses the distribution, cultivation and use of flax in China especially in the past, based on literature reviews and ethnobotanical surveys for its traditional uses. The modern distribution of wild flax species in China is also presented in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new compounds, a xanthonoid and a flavonoid C-glycoside, were isolated from the ethyl acetate extract of the dried herb of Comastoma pedunlulatum. The structures of the new compounds were elucidated, respectively, as 1,8-dihydroxy-3,5-dimethoxyxanthone 1-O-[2-(4′-hydroxy-3′,5′-dimethoxy-E-cinnamoyl)]-β-d-xylopyranosyl-(1-6)-β-d-glucopyranoside (1) and 6″-O-acetylisoorientin (2) on the basis of their spectroscopic and physicochemical properties. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]