Ethnomedicinal Uses of Honeybee Products in Lithuania: The First Analysis of Archival Sources.

Lithuania has old ethnomedicine traditions, consisting of many recipes with herbal, animal, and mineral original ingredients. All these findings were mostly collected in Lithuanian language, often in local community's dialects, and stored only in archives. We analyzed archival sources about honeybee and its products used for medicinal purposes dated from 1886 till 1992 in different parts of Lithuania.

New formula herbal pellets demonstrate a uniform and stable release of the active ingredients in vitro.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different capsule filling manufacturing techniques and storage conditions on the release of the active ingredients from herbal capsules during the dissolution test in vitro. Different techniques for the preparation of the original mixture of dry extracts were applied, and subsequently capsules with six different fillings were prepared. The stability of the capsules was evaluated in different long-term storage conditions, registering changes in the water content (loss of drying), capsule disintegration time, and phenolic compounds dissolution test in vitro.

The effect of Ginkgo biloba extract on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation in the normal and ischemic rat heart.

Free radical-induced myocardial damage and impairment of vascular endothelium-dependent relaxation are amongst the most important mechanisms responsible for ischemic heart injury. Ginkgo biloba leaf extract (GE) has been reported to improve blood circulation in the brain and have a beneficial impact on the cardiovascular system but its cardioprotective effects have not been elucidated yet. Therefore, this study investigated the influence of GE in 70% ethanol (1:5) administered orally to rats on the functions of isolated heart mitochondria under normal and ischemic conditions.

[The Museum of the History of Lithuanian Pharmacy and Medicine].

The exposition of Kaunas University of Medicine Museum of the History of Lithuanian Pharmacy and Medicine is arranged in a manner that allows the visitor to travel a century back in time as he enters an old pharmacy and physicians' offices. The Museum is a place where students learn the history of their specialty by handling old instruments and being in an authentic environment. By participating in live archeology festivals, the employees of the Museum arouse interest in the ancient medicine even among people who previously were not interested in museums at all.