2014, Pages 453–461
Volume 1: Polyphenols in Chronic Diseases and their Mechanisms of Action
Chapter 33 – Immunomodulatory Ethnobotanicals of the Great Lakes
The
demand for new medicinal health products encourages an evidence-based
evaluation of many wild plants used in traditional ethnomedicine. In
North America, indigenous and non-indigenous people from the Great Lakes
have used regional plants as phytotherapies for immune system ailments.
Bioactive compounds from plants with immunomodulatory properties may
serve as important regulators of immunity and inflammation. Prevention
and treatment of chronic human diseases (e.g., obesity, diabetes,
cancer, and cardiovascular disease) should target inflammatory and
oxidative stress, important driving forces in the disease process.
Several North American plants from the Great Lakes region are reviewed
for their potential impact upon the human immune system: Pinus strobus, Morus rubra, Urtica dioica, Foeniculum vulgare, and Acorus calamus.
The anti-inflammatory, antihistaminic, anti-infectious, and antioxidant
properties of these plants are examined in detail. Additional study of
these plants is warranted to describe their bioactive compounds and
mechanisms of action, to acknowledge Aboriginal contributions to
complementary and alternative medicine, and to promote sustainable
utilization of the Great Lakes’ flora.
Keywords
- Aboriginal;
- antihistimine;
- complementary and alternative medicine;
- CAM;
- ethnomedicine;
- Great Lakes;
- immunity;
- indigenous;
- infectious disease;
- inflammation;
- natural products
Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
