https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. A nut used in herbal tea has become a hydrogel perfect for a variety of biomedical uses in new research from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Engineering (UChicago PME) and UChicago Chemistry Department. https://phys.org/news/2025-02-material-tree-nuts-broad-medical.html Biochemistry Mon, 17 Feb 2025 11:00:07 EST news659003222 Herbal medicine is difficult to produce on an industrial scale. A team of Kobe University bioengineers manipulated the cellular machinery in a species of yeast so that one such molecule can now be produced in a fermenter at unprecedented concentrations. The achievement also points the way to the microbial production of other plant-derived compounds. https://phys.org/news/2024-11-bioengineered-yeast-mass-herbal-medicine.html Cell & Microbiology Tue, 12 Nov 2024 08:00:01 EST news650538076 A research team has identified two highly efficient glycosyltransferases, AmGT28 and AmGT44, from Astragalus membranaceus, which convert medicarpin to medicarpin 3-O-glucoside and show a preference for pterocarpans over isoflavonoids. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-efficient-glycosyltransferases-membranaceus-enable-biosynthesis.html Plants & Animals Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:48:03 EDT news642689282 Nothing calls to mind nonsensical treatments and bizarre religious healing rituals as easily as the notion of Dark Age medicine. "The Saturday Night Live" sketch "Medieval Barber Theodoric of York" says it all with its portrayal of a quack doctor who insists on extracting pints of his patients' blood in a dirty little shop. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-modern-medicine-middle-ages-rootshow.html Social Sciences Fri, 03 Nov 2023 11:17:04 EDT news618229021 Nazim Mamedov, adjunct assistant professor in the Stockbridge School of Agriculture, has been telling the international scientific community about the pharmacological properties of specific herbal plants native to Syria and Iran. Now his research, published in two chapters of the new anthology "Biodiversity, Conservation and Sustainability in Asia," will refresh and advance the content of his courses on herbal medicine. https://phys.org/news/2023-08-herbal-syrian-rue-potential-treatment.html Plants & Animals Mon, 28 Aug 2023 15:01:34 EDT news612453692 For the Embera, Wounaan and Kuna Tule peoples of the Choco region in Colombia, the COVID-19 pandemic is just one of the many threats they face. Like many other Indigenous communities around the world, they witnessed little in the way of a response from their government. Effectively they were left on their own to make sense of this new disease spreading across the world. https://phys.org/news/2021-06-gamification-threat-covid-indigenous-people.html Ecology Wed, 02 Jun 2021 12:00:01 EDT news541853790 A new and promising class of chemical compounds has major potential for treating Zika virus and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, according to a new study by University of Alberta scientists. The next step is to develop a drug. https://phys.org/news/2018-07-compounds-rsv-zika-virus.html Biochemistry Wed, 11 Jul 2018 16:25:45 EDT news450545128 The Food Safety and Technology Research Centre under the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has developed a new method for rapid authentication of Chinese herbal medicines, including Ganoderma (known as Lingzhi in Chinese), and Gastrodiae Rhizoma (known as Tianma in Chinese). The new method is quick and simple, taking around 10 minutes to analyse one raw sample, achieving authentication of genuine and counterfeit species, classification of wild types and cultivated types, as well as differentiation of geographical origins. This method can be further applied to other herbal medicines. https://phys.org/news/2018-01-team-rapid-authentication-method-chinese.html Analytical Chemistry Wed, 10 Jan 2018 06:01:56 EST news434786503 A Kansas State University microbiologist has found a breakthrough herbal medicine treatment for a common human fungal pathogen that lives in almost 80 percent of people. https://phys.org/news/2013-09-fungus-nontoxic-medicinal-compound.html Cell & Microbiology Thu, 12 Sep 2013 13:20:04 EDT news298210789 A phylogenetic study has shown that related plants are used traditionally in three disparate regions to treat similar medical conditions. https://phys.org/news/2013-03-herbal-medicine-evolutionary-lens.html Ecology Wed, 06 Mar 2013 09:02:47 EST news281782961 The mysterious inner workings of Chang Shan—a Chinese herbal medicine used for thousands of years to treat fevers associated with malaria—have been uncovered thanks to a high-resolution structure solved at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI). https://phys.org/news/2012-12-chinese-medicine-yields-secrets-atomic.html Biochemistry Sun, 23 Dec 2012 13:00:48 EST news275488362 The international credibility of Australia’s universities is being undermined by the increase in the “pseudoscientific” health courses they offer, two academics have written in today’s edition of the Medical Journal of Australia. https://phys.org/news/2012-03-pseudosciences-reputation-australia-universities.html Other Mon, 05 Mar 2012 10:09:05 EST news250164527 For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, a compound derived from this extract's bioactive ingredient, could be used to treat many autoimmune disorders as well. Now, researchers from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine have discovered the molecular secrets behind this herbal extract's power. https://phys.org/news/2012-02-scientists-molecular-secrets-year-old-chinese.html Biochemistry Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:00:16 EST news248265547 The newfound scientific power to quickly "fingerprint" species via DNA is being deployed to unmask quack herbal medicines, reveal types of ancient Arctic life frozen in permafrost, expose what eats what in nature, and halt agricultural and forestry pests at borders, among other applications across a wide array of public interests. https://phys.org/news/2011-11-quack-medicines-insect-immigrants-secrets.html Plants & Animals Sun, 27 Nov 2011 13:29:14 EST news241622934 Teeth whitening and anti-wrinkle treatments were as sought after in Renaissance times as they are today, a historian claims. https://phys.org/news/2011-03-beauty-ages.html Other Mon, 21 Mar 2011 06:42:06 EDT news219908505 Echinacea has been used for hundreds of years as an herbal remedy to prevent or treat colds, and today it is among the most commonly used herbal medicines in North America. However, in spite of its popularity, studies of the effect of the herb on the body's immune system are conflicting. https://phys.org/news/2010-06-potential-industrial-agricultural-echinacea-trump.html Biochemistry Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:20:01 EDT news197031787 Deep in Africa's Kalahari Desert lies the "Devil's claw," a plant that may hold the key to effective treatments for arthritis, tendonitis and other illnesses that affect millions each year. Unfortunately, years of drought have pushed the Devil's claw toward extinction, so scientists are scrambling to devise new ways to produce the valuable medicinal chemicals of the Devil's claw and other rare plants. https://phys.org/news/2009-08-biofactories-rare-substances-endangered-devil.html Other Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:30:02 EDT news169653842