Source:
https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/health/at-global-conference-on-ethnopharmacology-experts-acknowledge-herbal-drugs-efficacy-to-tackle-lifestyle-diseases/1870851/
https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/health/at-global-conference-on-ethnopharmacology-experts-acknowledge-herbal-drugs-efficacy-to-tackle-lifestyle-diseases/1870851/
The event supported by the Ministry of AYUSH and the Department of Biotechnology among others saw participation of over 60 experts from around 40 countries such as Canada, Nigeria, the USA and Australia.
Experts from India and abroad have acknowledged the efficacy of herbal
drugs in treating non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular ailments,
diabetes and stroke at a three-day global conference.
The seventh International Congress of the Society for
Ethnopharmacology was organised here by the Jamia Hamdard University where
experts and representatives from the industry deliberated on the strengths of
the traditional medicine system and the challenges it faces.
The event supported by the Ministry of AYUSH and the Department of
Biotechnology among others saw participation of over 60 experts from around 40
countries such as Canada, Nigeria, the USA and Australia.
Dr Ikshit Sharma from AIMIL Pharma spoke in details about the potential
of herbal drug BGR-34 in managing diabetes by not only providing consistent
blood sugar lowering effects but also acting as metabolic regulator.
Sitesh C Bachar, Professor and Chairman, Pharmacy Department in the
University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, stated that many modern medicines have been
demonstrated to be strong radical scavengers but they are also carcinogenic and
cause liver damage.
His study highlighted the evaluation of natural compounds found in plants
as effective drugs against hepatic complications.
Dr Peter O Ajagbouna, an expert from Nigeria, spoke about the
pharmacological effects of a plant –Mausanga Cecropiodes — against
cardiovascular diseases which he has experimented on animal models of
hypertension myocardial infraction and diabetes.
“Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of mortality in the world
today. Although modern drugs are effective, they have their adverse effects. In
our country, therefore many researchers have focussed screening natural sources
that have been intended with minimal side effects while being used in the
treatment of these diseases,” he said.
Director of Trigonella Labs in Australia Dr Dilip Ghosh dwelled on
medicinal properties of fenugreek seeds which has the generally recognised as
safe (GRAS) status in the USA and is as an effective and safe neutraceutical
ingredient for blood sugar management.
Similarly, Dr Pradeep Visen who is from Toronto, Canada, shared results
of clinical validation of medicinal herbs in the management of Type-2 diabetes
and cardiovascular disease risk factors.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), heart diseases, cancer,
diabetes, and chronic respiratory diseases, once linked only to affluent
societies, are now global, and the poor suffer the most.
