Immunomodulatory Role of Plants and Their Constituents on the Management of Metabolic Disorders: An Evidence-Based Review.

The relationship between the immune system and metabolic diseases is complex and increasingly recognized as critical to understanding conditions like obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Modulation of the immune system in patients with metabolic disorders can offer several potential benefits. While the salutary impact of plant-derived bioactive compounds on metabolic and immune functions is acknowledged, there is a paucity of comprehensive reviews on the multifaceted and synergistic mechanisms through which these effects are mediated. This review elucidates the therapeutic potential of phytochemical formulations in ameliorating metabolic disorders and delineates their mechanistic implications on relevant biomarkers and immune modulation. Our analysis reveals a predominance of plant species, including Boswellia serrata, Cinnamomum cassia, Citrus bergamia, Coffea arabica, Ficus racemosa, Momordica charantia, Morus Alba, and Trigonella foenum-graecum, that have undergone clinical evaluation and have been substantiated to confer both metabolic and immunological benefits. The phytoconstituents contained in these plants exert their effects through a range of mechanisms, such as improving glucose regulation, reducing inflammatory responses, and modulating immune system. As such, these findings hold considerable promise for clinical and therapeutic translation and necessitate further empirical validation through randomized controlled trials and mechanistic elucidations to affirm the safety and efficacy of herbal formulations.

Knowledge, attitude, and utilization of traditional medicine within the plural medical system in West Java, Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: The concept of 'medical pluralism' has become more popular among scholars in applied health science and prevalent in societies where one medical system alone cannot adequately meet the health care needs of the entire population. METHODS: The data collection is focused on the knowledge-belief-practice and the utilization of three medical systems in Kabupaten Bandung, West Java, Indonesia. Participants were purposively selected from households with at least one member experienced one of the listed diseases in the questionnaire. The extensive survey using a structured questionnaire has been undertaken to collect data on people's health care utilization behaviour. The dataset is further analyzed using multivariate analysis through non-canonical correlation, with the analytical data provided by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). RESULTS: With regards to the total utilization by patients, the traditional medical system presents as the dominant medical system in the research area, accounting for 59.3% (n = 419) of total utilization, followed by the modern medical system (33.0%, n = 233), and transitional medical system (7.7%, n = 54). This study identified that village category, illness, illness duration, occupation, belief in traditional medicine, knowledge of modern medicine, accessibility, cost, proximity to the medical service, and insurance have significant (χ2 = 0.000) relationship with the utilization of medical systems. The results of the multivariate analysis show that the block of the predisposing socio-demographic factors and the block of the predisposing psycho-social factors correlate strongly with the utilization of medical systems. CONCLUSIONS: In general, people in Kabupaten Bandung, West Java, Indonesia seeks treatment from various sources, which in the context of the medical system, consists of the traditional, transitional, and modern medical system; therefore, it adopts the patterns of transcultural health care utilization. In terms of the knowledge, beliefs, and practices of traditional medicine in West Java, the inhabitants of the five research villages were commonly familiar with medicinal plants and speak profoundly about their knowledge of traditional medicine, which in the research area is perceived as accessible, efficacious, affordable and culturally appropriate with Sundanese community.

Traditional medicine users in a treated chronic disease population: a cross-sectional study in Indonesia.

BACKGROUND: Traditional medicine (TM) is commonly used as a treatment in Indonesia. This raises the need for an analysis of its potential development and irrational use. Therefore, we analyze the proportion of TM users among chronic disease patients and its associated characteristics to optimize the use of TM in Indonesia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study of treated adult chronic disease patients was conducted using the fifth Indonesian Family Life Survey (IFLS-5) database. Descriptive analysis was used to identify the proportion of TM users, while a multivariate logistic regression was used to analyze their characteristics. RESULTS: This study included 4901 subjects and identified 27.1% as TM users. The highest TM use was in subjects with cancer (43.9%), liver issues (38.3%), cholesterol issues (34.3%), diabetes (33.6%), and stroke (31.7%). Characteristics associated with TM users were a perception of one's current health as unhealthy (OR 2.59, 95% CI 1.76-3.81), low medication adherence (OR 2.49, 95% CI 2.17-2.85), age above 65 years (OR 2.17, 95% CI 1.63-2.90), having higher education (OR 1.64, 95% CI 1.17-2.29), and residence outside of Java (OR 1.27, 95% CI 1.11-1.45). CONCLUSIONS: Low medication adherence among TM users highlights the potentially irrational use of treatment in chronic diseases. Nevertheless, the longstanding use of TM users indicates the potential for its development. Further studies and interventions are needed to optimize TM use in Indonesia.