Earticle

Volatile terpenes are characteristic chemical compounds contained in the rhizomes of genus Atractylodes plants and their chemical structure have been identified using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The present study aimed to classify volatile terpenes analyzed by GC-MS in Atractylodes rhizomes by their chemical structures. The articles published from 2007 to 2017 were searched using electronic databases. The reported volatile terpenes identified by GC-MS were classified by their chemical skeletons. Volatile terpenes were divided into C10-based monoterpenes and C15-based sesquiterpenes and they were subdivided into acyclic, monocyclic, polycyclic (bicyclic and tricyclic) terpenes. Particularly, monocyclic sesquiterpenes included Elemene-type, Olefinic, and Bisabolene-type; bicyclic sesquiterpenes included Eudesmane-type, Guaiane-type, Germacrene-type, Cadinene-type, Humulene-type, Caryophyllene-type, Himachalane-type, Eremophilane-type, Spirovetivane-type, Hydroazulene-type, Marasmane-type, Olefinic, and Valencane-type; and tricyclic sesquiterpenes included Longifolene-type, Aristolene-type, Patchoulane-type, Isocomene-type, Cedrene-type, Copaene-type, Longipinane-type, Neoclovene-type, and Panasinsane-type. The present study provides structural information of volatile terpenes from Atractylodes rhizomes, which would be fundamental data for further structural researches.

The average lifespan of human is steadily increasing with material affluence and advanced technology. With this trend, people start putting value on prevention of disease which is one of strong fields of traditional medicine. Meanwhile, some people today are turning away from traditional medicine due to the lack of standardization, especially, the herbal medicines used in traditional medical treatment. This mainly comes from the reason that the resources of herbal medicine both have agricultural and pharmaceutical characteristics which makes confusion in policies of standardization of herbal medicine. In this review article, 11 medicinal resources-related institutes in South Korea are examined and their roles are also be discussed. If these institutes cooperate with each other efficiently, they can greatly contribute to the standardization of herbal medicine as well as the status of Korean Traditional Medicine. This study will be a good source of future studies of networking of these institutes for the purpose of standardization of herbal medicine.

The succulent leaves of Aloe have been widely used for medicinal and cosmetic industries. In this study, a comparative foliar anatomy in six cultivated Aloe species in Korea was carried out using light microscopy. These taxa show characteristics similar to those found in other Aloe species within the genus. The leaves of six cultivated species in this study are amphistomatic, tetracytic, and sunken stomata. The size range of the stomata and stomata index (SI) are 26.8-60.9 × 18.0-48.5 μm (length × width), 1.0-11.9, respectively. Epidermal cells varied from rectangular to hexagon, with distinctive striate anticlinal wall. Druse, raphides, and styloids oxalate crystals are also found in the parenchyma cells. Moreover, xerophytic features which adapted to survive in water stressed condition are briefly discussed. These results of the anatomical characteristics of studied taxa could provide essential information for identifying species as herbal medicinal resources in Aloe family.

I visited Botanical Garden of the City of Geneva, Botanical Garden at the University of Bern, and Old Botanical Garden (Zurich), Switzerland and examined medicinal plant. From Botanical Garden of the City of Geneva, 148 species in 50 families of plants were investigated by taking photos. Among them, the most dominant family name is Lamiaceae with 20 species. Other plants are like Compositae with 18 species, Leguminosae 8 species, Bromeliaceae 7 species, and Apiaceae 6 species. 165 species in 45 family of plants in Botanical Garden at the University of Bern were investigated. The most planted family name is Compositae with 20 species. Other plants are like Lamiaceae with 17 species, Apiaceae 13 species, Ranunculaceae 12 species, and Leguminosae 11 species.

Industrial applications using natural microorganism resources are being attempted in various industries. One of the most useful microorganisms is the Metschnikowia persimmonesis KCTC 12991BP which is from Calyx of Diospyros kaki. This strain is a highly anti-bacterial yeast that has recently been separated by a Korean research team for the first time. In this study, antimicrobial activity of the strain against plant-contaminated microorganisms was tested. Microorganisms that can occur in the strain and plants were cultured by pure isolation and then competition tests of them were done. As a result, these tests were established that the Metschnikowia persimmonesis KCTC 12991BP has antimicrobial activity against not only Botrytis cinerea and Fusarium oxysporum which were already been reported before, but also Fungal endophyte, Paecilomyces inflatus, Colletoirichum higginsianum, Sclerotinia sclerotiourm, and Alternaria alternata. Based on the mycostasis effects of this strain, it can be used as natural preservatives which is much more safer than chemical preservatives. Doing so will ensure the nation’s safety and furthermore, it is believed that it will be served as a first mover in the global herbal medicine market by establishing medicinal values from microorganisms separated from herbal medicine resources.

200 medicinal plants were examined by photographing from Botanical Garden of the Department of Biology(Faculty of science), University of Zagreb, Croatia. Among them, the most dominant family name is Lamiaceae with 35 species. Other plants are like Compositae with 26 species, Apiaceae 8 species, Crassulaceae 8 species, Amaryllidaceae 7 species, Cyperaceae 7 species, Plantaginaceae 7 species. Poaceae 7 species, Rosaceae 7 species. And there are others as well in the following order; Caprifoliaceae, Caryophyllaceae, Saxifragaceae.

418 medicinal plants were examined by photographing from Botanical Garden of University of Salzburg and Botanical Garden of University of Vienna, Austria. From Botanical Garden of University of Salzburg, 238 species in 74 families of plants were investigated by taking photos. Among them, the most dominant family name is Compositae with 30 species. Other plants are like Lamiaceae with 29 species, Rosaceae 15 species and Solanaceae 10 species. 180 species in 55 families of plants in Botanical Garden of University of Vienna were investigated. The most cultivated family name is Lamiaceae with 16 species. Other plants are like Iridaceae with 12 species, Boraginaceae 11 species, Dryopteridaceae 10 species and Primulaceae 8 species.

Diospyros kaki has been widely cultivated throughout East Asia, including South Korea. The calyx of this fruit has also been used to stop hiccups for a long time. In this study, Kaki Calyx was examined from a herbal medicinal perspective and 21 herbal formulas containing Kaki Calyx were reviewed so as to see if the nature of this Korean herb was reflected in those formulas. This study will be a good source of future studies of calyx based herbs. Firstly, the origins of Kaki Calyx were compared through the Pharmacopoeia of each country. Mature Kaki Calyx was used in China, Japan and Taiwan but there is no mention of maturity of Kaki Calyx in Korean pharmacopoeia. Secondly, the herbal medicinal perspective of Kaki Calyx was analyzed. It was sorted as an order Qi medicine ( ) which breaks the blocked Qi. Kaki Calyx was specially used 理氣藥 to stop hiccups. Lastly, 9 old literatures from the 14th century to the 19th century were thoroughly examined. 21 herbal formulas which contain Kaki Calyx were found and three of them were continually mentioned within the old literatures, which indicates that these 3 formulas were widely used in the past. In addition, it was noticed that Kaki Calyx was used constantly with Syzygii Flos in 18 out of the 21 formulas. This study shows that the calyx of persimmon was a clearly medicinal-purposed herb, so calyx of other herbs might also have medicinal characteristics. It is required to study the reason why Kaki Calyx and Syzygii Flos were used together. Also, future studies of other calyx based herbs will be necessary.

Here, we evaluated toxicity effects of Lepidii seu Descurainiae Semen and its adulterant species. Authentic Lepidii seu Descurainiae Semen and closely related inauthentic plant materials were evaluated for their cytotoxicity induction in human hepatocarcinoma (HepG2) as compared to normal human kidney epithelial (HEK293) cell lines. In this study, we compared 5 species of plant seeds, Lepidium apetalum (LA), Descurainia sophia (DS), Draba nemorosa (DN), Lepidium virginicum (LV), and Erysimum cheilanthoides (EC). Five species were tested with MTT assay for their cytotoxicity after 24 hours of exposure to the cells. Among the five species, EC possessed the most robust toxicity, with specific selectivity against HepG2 and HEK293 cells. MTT assay alone cannot establish toxicity, and further studies on toxic mechanism are needed. However, it is anticipated that it will be possible to evaluate the toxicity of Korean herbal medicine with high prediction ability, and it is expected to be utilized as toxicological data before in vivo experiment.