Ecology, Biology, Environmental Impacts, and Management of an Agro-Environmental Weed Ageratum conyzoides.

Ageratum conyzoides L. (Billy goat weed; Asteraceae) is an annual herbaceous plant of American origin with a pantropical distribution. The plant has unique biological attributes and a raft of miscellaneous chemical compounds that render it a pharmacologically important herb. Despite its high medicinal value, the constant spread of the weed is noticeable and alarming. In many countries, the weed has severely invaded the natural, urban, and agroecosystems, thus presenting management challenges to natural resource professionals and farmers. Its interference with agricultural crops, grassland forbs, forest ground flora, and its ability to replace native plant species are of serious concern. Therefore, it is pertinent to monitor its continuous spread, its entry into new geographic regions, the extent of its impact, and the associated evolutionary changes. While management strategies should be improvised to control its spread and reduce its adverse impacts, the possible utilization of this noxious weed for pharmacological and agronomic purposes should also be explored. The objective of this review is to provide a detailed account of the global distribution, biological activities, ecological and environmental impacts, and strategies for the management of the agro-environmental weed A. conyzoides.

Essential Oils and Neuropathic Pain.

Neuropathic pain is one of the most prominent chronic pain syndromes, affecting almost 10% of the United States population. While there are a variety of established pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatment options, including tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, anticonvulsants, trigger point injections, and spinal cord stimulators, many patients continue to have chronic pain or suboptimal symptom control. This has led to an increased interest in alternative solutions for neuropathic pain such as nutritional supplements and essential oils. In this review, we explore the literature on the most commonly cited essential oils, including lavender, bergamot, rosemary, nutmeg, Billy goat weed, and eucalyptus. However, the literature is limited and largely comprised of preclinical animal models and a few experimental studies, some of which were poorly designed and did not clearly isolate the effects of the essential oil treatment. Additionally, no standardized method of dosing or route of administration has been established. Further randomized control studies isolating the active components of various essential oils are needed to provide conclusive evidence on the use of essential oils for neuropathic pain. In this review, we explore the basis behind some of the essential oils of interest to patients with neuropathic pain seen in rheumatology clinics.