Korkmaz, Mustafa; Karakus, Sinem; Selvi, Selami; Çakilcioglu, Ugur

This survey was conducted in Uzumlu district and its surrounding villages in order to determine the useful plants consumed for different ethnobotanical purposes such as animal fodder, ornamental plant, good, fuel, and dye by the local people living in the area between 2010 and 2011 summer vegetation periods. Totally 77 traditional uses of 64 plant taxa were determined at the end of the study. The biggest families with the numbers of taxa were Fabaceae (10), Asteraceae (9), Rosaceae (6), Salicaceae (4) Brassicaceae, Poaceae, and Liliaceae (3). All parts of 42 plants, stems of 11 plants, flowers of 6 plants, branches of 5 plants, seeds of 3 plants, fruits of 3 plants, aerial parts of 2 plants, fruit exocarp of 2 plants, and root of 1 plant were determined to be used for different purposes. In addition, local names and ethnobotanical aspects of totally 17 taxa (26.5 %) were presented firstly in this study. East Anatolia is a very important region of Turkey in terms of plant diversity, and many studies have been conducted on the traditional uses of plants; but, the least have been carried out in Erzincan province. Because of that, this study was conducted in the area.

Korkmaz, Mustafa; Karakuş, Sinem; Özçelik, Hasan; Selvi, Selami

Indigenous people living in eastern regions of Turkey are, still using traditional treatment methods with medicinal plants. The region is important both in terms of plant diversity and traditional uses of medicinal plants.Traditional use is decreasing day to day, but traditional treatment methods still comes before modern treatment methods. The present study carried out during April to September 2010 in Erzincan (Turkey) by interviewing medicinal plant holders and the people to determine the most used medicinal plants reveals. Latin names, local names, used parts and preparation methods of 49 species from 29 families. The largest families are: Asteraceae (8 taxa), Lamiaceae and Rosaceae (6 taxa) and Fabaceae, Lauraceae and Zingiberaceae (2 taxa). The number of medicinal plant taxa that were used to treat the diseases are diuretic (11), sedative (11), liver (9), stomach (8), skin (7), gastrointestinal (7), cardiovascular (6), blood pressure (5), diabetics (4) and cholesterol (4). Single uses of the medicinal plants are generally preferred for treatments.

Korkmaz, Mustafa; Karakuş, Sinem; Selvi, Selami; Çakılcıoğlu, Uğur

This survey was conducted in Üzümlü district and its surrounding villages in order to determine the useful plants consumed for different ethnobotanical purposes such as animal fodder, ornamental plant, good, fuel, and dye by the local people living in the area between 2010 and 2011 summer vegetation periods. Totally 77 traditional uses of 64 plant taxa were determined at the end of the study. The biggest families with the numbers of taxa were Fabaceae (10), Asteraceae (9), Rosaceae (6), Salicaceae (4) Brassicaceae, Poaceae, and Liliaceae (3). All parts of 42 plants, stems of 11 plants, flowers of 6 plants, branches of 5 plants, seeds of 3 plants, fruits of 3 plants, aerial parts of 2 plants, fruit exocarp of 2 plants, and root of 1 plant were determined to be used for different purposes. In addition, local names and ethnobotanical aspects of totally 17 taxa (26.5 %) were presented firstly in this study. East Anatolia is a very important region of Turkey in terms of plant diversity, and many studies have been conducted on the traditional uses of plants; but, the least have been carried out in Erzincan province. Because of that, this study was conducted in the area.

Atila, Gözde; Uslu, Hamit; Beytut, Ebru; Koç, Evren; Ersan, Yusuf

The study was aimed to determine the effects of Momordica charantia (MC) on fasting blood glucose levels, oxidative stress and plasma lipid profile in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats. Diabetic rats were orally administered MC extract (200 mg/kg) and subcutaneous insulin (1 IU) for 21 days. MC and insulin treated groups showed a significant decrease in the fasting blood glucose levels from the 7th day (p < 0.001). There were no differences in HDL cholesterol and triglyceride levels. There was a decrease in the LDL and VLDL cholesterol levels (p < 0.05). Furthermore, treatment with MC and insulin reduced in the erythrocyte TOS levels (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in plasma and erythrocyte TAS levels between the untreated diabetic group and MC group. The anti-hyperlipidaemic property of the MC extract was determined, while the more antioxidant and anti-hyperglycaemic features of the insulin was observed. Based on this information, it is considered that it will be more effective to use MC and exogenous insulin in combination for preventing complications such as oxidative stress and, hyperlipidaemia shaped by diabetes.