eucomis bicolor/cyclooxygenase

Eucomis species (Hyacinthaceae) are widely used in South Africa as traditional medicine. The bulbs are used to alleviate a variety of symptoms including pain and inflammation. High levels of cyclooxygenase-1 and -2 (COX-1 and COX-2) inhibitory activity have been associated with certain Eucomis

Phytochemical analyses of the bulbs of Eucomis vandermerwei and E. zambesiaca yielded homoisoflavonoids and triterpenoid derivatives. A new (17S*23S*)-epoxy-3β,15β,29-trihydroxy-27-norlanost-8-en-24-one) was isolated from E. zambesiaca. Resnova humifusa yielded homoisoflavonoids, and a

Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of 39 plants used in traditional Zulu medicine to treat headache or inflammatory diseases were screened for prostaglandin-synthesis inhibitors. Extracts were tested in an in vitro assay for cyclooxygenase inhibitors. In general, ethanolic extracts caused higher

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory compounds can relieve pain and inflammation associated with elevated levels of prostaglandins in the body and are proposed to be the agents responsible for the action of traditional herbal remedies associated with the reduction of pain, fever and inflammation.

Population growth, urbanization and the unrestricted collection of medicinal plants from the wild is resulting in an over-exploitation of natural resources in southern Africa. Therefore, the management of traditional medicinal plant resources has become a matter of urgency. In southern Africa the