Israeli Herbs Found Useful In Treating Infection

A recent research has discovered that some Israeli herbs are as effective as modern medicine in battling bacterial, fungal infections and infectious diseases.

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The Israeli climate, which is characterized by hot and sometimes windy weather, has resulted in plants developing special chemical compounds to deal with the extreme conditions they grow in. The therapeutic value of these chemicals was discovered by a team of researchers from Israel, funded by the EU.

Initial results from the external use of such herbs have shown that they can be used to treat problematic wounds, assist in treating fungal and other skin infections as well as for fighting parasites.

From plant to product

Nufar Natural Products, an Israeli company that utilizes these research findings, is developing and producing various products based on different medicinal herbs. Among the products produced is a series of Nufar teas, preparations based on aromatic and plant oils as well as natural cosmetic products.

Israel Solodoch, Nufar’s CEO, says that in the future it will be possible to develop natural preparations for treating fungal infections and lice based on these findings, as well as other preparations for Nufar’s natural cosmetics line.

 his research was conducted at the Jerusalem Hadassah College by Dr. Mina Farran, Dr. Gili Yosef, Dr. Barthold Friedlander and with the participation of students from the Faculty of Biotechnology, botanists and experts in Israel’s medicinal herbs. The research is within the scope of a project called Bio Explore funded by the European Union. It was also undertaken in cooperation with research groups from the Palestinian Authority, Greece and Spain.

Test kits were used for this research that were made with the participation of Dr. Gili Yosef. These kits have also been used by other ethno-botanical researchers in various countries around the world including: Ecuador, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, and elsewhere.

In each of these countries, Dr. Yosef has instructed locals on how to use these kits to prepare surveys of the medicinal use that can be made of those herbs growing in their countries.

Dr. Mina Farran says that these findings are only preliminary, that they must be investigated in greater detail and that other tests must be made before it will be possible to determine the final findings and other conclusions.

Photo by flora.cyclam