Native Plants
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Tuesday - July 29, 2008
From: Cagayan de Oro , Philippine
Region: Other
Topic: Medicinal Plants
Title: Question about Allamanda cathartica
Answered by: Nan Hampton
QUESTION:
how would i prove that allamanda cathartica is an antidote for anti-tetanus in a cheaper way?ANSWER:
First of all, Allamanda cathartica (allamanda) is native to Brazil and not to North America. Since our focus and expertise are with plants native to North America, this is not a plant for which we have information at hand. We did learn by Googling its name that it has long been used in folk remedies to treat malaria. One study by S. Nayak et al., "Evaluation of wound healing activity of Allamanda cathartica L. and Laurus nobilis. L. extracts on rats" (BMC Complement Altern Med. 2006; 6: 12) gives you a sort of model for what would need to be done to determine if this plant has applications to tetanus. You would need to carry out a rigorous scientific study to show that allamanda was as effective, or better than, the current treatment, immune globulin and penicillin, in treating tetanus. Such a project would require a laboratory, non-human test animals, and someone with scientific credentials to carry out the experiments. It would probably require a lengthy study and, no doubt, be expensive. If you have substantial evidence that it is effective against tetanus, you might be able to interest researchers at a university or a drug company to test it scientifically.More Medicinal Plants Questions
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November 29, 2006 - I would like to know what the plants were that were used for medicinal purposes by the plains Indians in the Dakotas. Is there a place/site that I can go to to research the data?
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Tree that successfully treats psoriasis
January 31, 2009 - Dear Mr. Smarty plants,I have a rather unusual question. Do you know of a tree/plant that you can grow in a container, looks like a conifer/evergreen, is green, has wispy looking branches, but when t...
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Yucca plant for horse joint problems
October 21, 2008 - is the yucca plant the same as what the joint medication is made of to give to older horses for the joints, and if so, can a plant be nibbled on when it grows in the pasture?
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Possibility of native plants as natural mosquito repellants
February 08, 2007 - I live in Austin Texas and have what I would consider a mosquito infestation in my garden for most of the year. Are there native plants to this region that are proven to be naturally mosquito repella...
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Medicinal plants in North Texas
August 02, 2009 - Hi, I would appreciate some sort of list for medicinal plants in North Tx. I'm a photographer wanting to photograph this type of plant life. Thanks!!
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