Academic literature on the topic 'Pelargoniums – Therapeutic use'

Summary Pelargonium sidoides DC is an interesting plant with various biological properties. Pharmaceutical companies and manufacturers of food supplements are particularly interested in its beneficial effects in upper respiratory tract infections. The search for new therapeutic options is especially important at a time when antibiotics are prescribed too often. However, due to proven clinical effects of extracts from Pelargonium sidoides, their use in diet supplements, especially intended for infants and small children, is highly disputable. The paper presents reports on the use of Pelargonium sidoides extracts in paediatrics and also tries to answer the question whether the pelargonium extract should be qualified as food supplement or medicine.

Generalized periodontitis is one of the most common dental diseases. This pathology very often occurs, progresses or exacerbates on the background of concomitant somatic pathologies, such as diabetes, obesity, aging, hypertension, and in the last year, coronavirus disease. The main mechanisms or causal relationships of these pathologies with dental status have not been studied enough. The course of generalized periodontitis includes inflammatory-dystrophic, dysbiotic manifestations that affect periodontal tissues and may have systemic consequences. Interestingly, these same factors are widely associated with the progression or severe coronavirus disease caused by the coronavirus type SARS-CoV-2. However, the assessment of oral health, including the condition of periodontal tissues for the patients diagnosed with COVID-19 has not been studied and has not been widely described in the scientific literature. The course of generalized periodontitis associated with severe COVID-19 might help to identify the risk groups and establish appropriate recommendations for the treatment and follow-up of this group of dental patients and will allow choosing the effective treatment of periodontal disease for such patients, which is one of the most pressing tasks of modern dentistry today. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of standard and proposed comprehensive periodontal treatment, taking into account the mobility of teeth, determining the depth of periodontal pockets, and the level of epithelial attachment for the periodontal patients with lung diseases caused by coronavirus infection in rehabilitation. We examined, observed, and treated 60 dental patients diagnosed with generalized I-II stage periodontitis (chronic course) who were treated in the hospital for pulmonary complications of COVID-19 and were in rehabilitation at the time of the study. The duration of treatment and observation is approximately 7-10 days and 30 days after discharge from the hospital. 30 patients (Group A) were treated according to the standard treatment protocol, and the other 30 patients (Group B) were treated accordingly to the proposed complex. The patients were examined based at the University Clinic of Ivano-Frankivsk National Medical University in the clinic of the Therapeutic Dentistry Department. The age of the examined patients ranged from 25 to 61 years, including 30 women and 30 men. Both standard and proposed algorithms of procedures for treating the first stage included thorough removal of all local irritants of periodontal tissues, mechanical treatment of the tooth root surface, manual and ultrasonic scaling, removal of super- and subgingival soft and hard dental deposits, smoothing of the root surface with the following polishing of the treated surfaces and applying a desensitizer. The local drug therapy, according to the standard protocol, consisted of antiseptic treatment of the oral cavity, irrigation of periodontal pockets with an antiseptic solution; application of sorbent on the gums for 10 minutes, followed by application of the pharmaceutical preparation in gel form which contains chlorhexidine in a stable concentration of 0.25% and metronidazole 10% under the insulating cap. The treatment was completed by applying "Solcoseryl-dental adhesive paste". All the patients were prescribed a multivitamin-microelement complex, as well as hyposensitizing therapy, and oral care products were individually selected. According to the algorithm of the proposed additional local drug treatment we conducted a course of instillation into the periodontal pockets, by introducing cotton swabs soaked in 2% solution of Protargol, for 7-10 15-20 minute sessions; followed by simultaneous application of Resistol solution (from Pelargonium sidoides roots extract), which was pre-dissolved in 50 ml of boiled water and was used to rinse the oral cavity and swallowed according to the scheme: 1st week – 30 drops for solution 3 times a day, 2nd week – 20 drops 3 times a day which should be continued for up to 1 month. Then we recommended to use "Gingigel", a hyaluronic acid-based gel, which is applied on the gums with clean fingers, by gently massaging and evenly distributing it on the surface of the gingival mucous membrane, 3-4 times a day for 3-4 weeks; 8 tablets of "Imudon" a day should be taken orally for 14 days, followed by subsequent reduction to 4 tablets per month, while the tablets are absorbed in the mouth with an interval of 1-2 hours. In addition, we prescribed "ELGYDIUM", a therapeutic and prophylactic toothpaste with chlorhexidine, as well as antibacterial solution of "Chlorhexidine-Denta" 0.12%, for 14 days, which is then replaced with sea salt-based toothpaste "Parodontax" and rinsing the mouth twice a day with 15% aqueous solution of "Stomatofit" according to the scheme: dilution of 10 ml of the drug in 1/4 cup of boiled water during the next months. The received results of the clinical study revealed that generalized periodontitis associated with COVID-19 has an extremely aggressive clinical manifestation. Treatment and follow-up of dental patients with severe COVID-19 can help identify risk groups and establish appropriate recommendations for the effectiveness of standard and proposed comprehensive periodontal treatment. The comparison of the effectiveness of treatment protocols for the patients diagnosed with generalized periodontitis and those hospitalized for pulmonary complications of coronavirus did not reveal a significant difference in the obtained clinical data on the choice of treatment. Examination of areas compromised by generalized periodontitis and abutment teeth based on the obtained periotestometric data of tooth mobility, indicates a significant reduction in inflammation and strengthening of the ligaments and is a highly informative diagnostic method.

Alcohol abuse is a very common practice (just like in many other parts of the world) in Nkonkobe Municipality, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. This is associated with liver disease. An ethnobotanical survey of plants used for the treatment of alcohol-induced liver damage in Nkonkobe Municipality was conducted. During the survey and also from information gathered in the literature, Pelargonium reniforme Curtis, was prominently mentioned, among other plants, as the species used generally for the treatment of alcohol-induced liver damage. This project was designed to evaluate the effects of the plant on alcohol-induced liver damage, including its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. It also involves safety evaluation studies to determine if the plant is safe for consumption. Studies using rats of the Wistar strain were carried out to determine the protective and curative effects of P. reniforme on alcohol-induced liver damage. Results obtained showed that the plant extract can protect the liver cells as well as enhance recovery from tissue damage. The plant also showed good antimicrobial and antioxidant activity and this further validates its use in the treatment of liver diseases. Safety evaluation studies of the extract were carried out by investigating the effects of the oral administration on some haematological and biochemical parameters in male Wistar rats. The results obtained from the study suggest that the plant extract is not toxic at the doses used and is therefore safe for medicinal uses. The results of the various bioassays carried out in this project have justified the traditional uses of P. reniforme for the treatment of alcohol-induced liver damage.

The use of indigenous knowledge (IK) and indigenous bio-resources by pharmaceutical and herbal industries has led to concerns about the need to protect IK in order to prevent biopiracy and the misappropriation of indigenous knowledge and resources. While some commentators believe that intellectual property rights (IPR) law can effectively protect IK, others are more sceptical. In order to contribute to the growing debate on this issue, this study uses the relatively new and as yet largely critically unanalysed Masakhane Pelargonium case to address the question of whether or not IPR law can be used to effectively protect IK. It is argued here that discussion about the protection of IK is a matter that must be located within broader discussions about North-South relations and the continued struggle for economic and political freedom by indigenous people and their states. The Masakhane case suggests that IPR law in its current form cannot provide sufficient protection of IK on its own. Incompatibilities between IPR law and IK necessitate that certain factors, most important of which are land, organised representation, and what are referred as 'confidence and network resources', be present in order for IPR law to be used with any degree of success. The study also reveals various factors that undermine the possibility of using IPR law to protect IK. In particular, the study highlights the way in which local political tensions can undermine the ability of communities to effectively use IPR law to protect their knowledge. The thesis concludes with several recommendations that will enable indigenous communities and their states to benefit more substantially from the commercialisation of their bio-resources and associated IK.

Thesis (MTech. degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences)--Tshwane University of Technology, 2009.
Quality control procedures are vital in the pharmaceutical industry to guarantee the authenticity and quality of products. A major challenge in quality assurance of herbal material is the vast variation of active constituents in plants from the same species. As a result of this variation, the selection of only a few compounds as criteria for quality control is inadequate. Pelargonium (P.) sidoides is indigenous to South Africa and highly valued by traditional healers as a remedy to treat coughs, upper respiratory tract irritations and gastrointestinal conditions. An ethanolic extract of P. sidoides is used in the proprietary herbal tincture known as Umckaloabo®. The composition and concentration of polyphenols are parameters which determine the quality of this herbal medicine because it provides several therapeutic benefits in the non-specific medicinal treatment of infectious diseases. Despite the commercial development of P. sidoides very few studies have been conducted to document the full phytochemical range of variation for natural populations and no study has been published on the development of a fast accurate quality control method for the validation of raw material.