Magnolia Extract, Magnolol, and Metabolites: Activation of Cannabinoid CB2 Receptors and Blockade of the Related GPR55.

The bark of Magnolia officinalis is used in Asian traditional medicine for the treatment of anxiety, sleeping disorders, and allergic diseases. We found that the extract and its main bioactive constituents, magnolol and honokiol, can activate cannabinoid (CB) receptors. In cAMP accumulation studies, magnolol behaved as a partial agonist (EC50 = 3.

Interactions of Magnolia and Ziziphus extracts with selected central nervous system receptors.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Magnolia officinalis Rehder and Wilson [Magnoliaceae] bark and Ziziphus spinosa (Buhge) Hu ex. Chen. [Fam.

Hypothermic effects of hops are antagonized with the competitive melatonin receptor antagonist luzindole in mice.

Hops (Humulus lupulus, Cannabinaceae) has been used in traditional European medicine as a mild sedative for the treatment of anxiety, nervousness, and insomnia. However, there has been little information available about the underlying sleep inducing mechanism of hops. We have investigated the effects of a hops extract on the rectal body temperature in mice.

Efficacy and safety of butterbur herbal extract Ze 339 in seasonal allergic rhinitis: postmarketing surveillance study.

The efficacy and safety of the butterbur leaf extract Ze 339 (carbon dioxide extract from the leaves of Petasites hybridus L., 8 mg petasines per tablet) were tested in patients with seasonal allergic rhinitis. In an open postmarketing surveillance study, 580 patients were treated with an average of 2 tablets of Ze 339 daily for 2 weeks.

Valerian-hops combination and diphenhydramine for treating insomnia: a randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial.

Context: Insomnia is a prevalent health complaint associated with daytime impairments, reduced quality of life, and increased health-care costs. Although it is often self-treated with herbal and dietary supplements or with over-the-counter sleep aids, there is still little evidence on the efficacy and safety of those products.

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of a valerian-hops combination and diphenhydramine for the treatment of mild insomnia.

A stability-indicating HPLC method for the determination of glucosamine in pharmaceutical formulations.

A stability-indicating high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed for the assay of glucosamine in bulk forms and solid dosage formulations. The HPLC separation was achieved on a Phenomenex Luna amino column (150 mm x 4.6 mm, i.

Structural identification of nonvolatile dimerization products of glucosamine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance analysis.

The degradation profile of glucosamine bulk form stressed at 100 degrees C for 2 h in an aqueous solution was studied. Column chromatography of acetylated product mixture led to isolation of two pure compounds (1b and 2b) and a mixture of at least three isomers (3b). 1a and 2a were identified as 5-(hydroxymethyl)-2-furaldehyde (5-HMF) and 2-(tetrahydroxybutyl)-5-(3',4'-dihydroxy-1'-trans-butenyl)pyrazine, respectively, by utilizing a variety of analytical techniques, such as GC-MS, LC-MS, on-line UV spectrum, (1)H and (13)C NMR, and DEPT, as well as (1)H-(1)H COSY.

Interactions of valerian extracts and a fixed valerian-hop extract combination with adenosine receptors.

Phytopharmaceuticals and dietary supplements containing valerian are used as mild sleep-inducing agents. An in vitro radioligand binding assay at A(1) and A(2A) adenosine receptors (ARs) was conducted with a fixed extract combination of valerian and hop (Ze 91019) to investigate a possible mechanism for the pharmacological activity of the extract. Component extracts of valerian and hop were also individually investigated.