SPAGYRIC HERBALISM

U of T researchers lead discovery of ginger compound with potential to treat inflammatory bowel disease

University of Toronto

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Research Associate Jiabao Liu and Professor Henry Krause.

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Credit: University of Toronto

An international team led by researchers at the University of Toronto has found a compound in ginger, called furanodienone (FDN), that selectively binds to and regulates a nuclear receptor involved in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Through a screen to identify chemical components of ginger that bind to receptors associated with IBD, the team observed a strong interaction between FDN and the pregnane X receptor (PXR). FDN reduces inflammation in the colon by activating PXR’s ability to suppress the production of pro-inflammatory cytokines in the body. While researchers have been aware of FDN for decades, they had not determined its functions or targets in the body until now.

“We found that we could reduce inflammation in the colons of mice through oral injections of FDN,” said Jiabao Liu, research associate at U of T's Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research. “Our discovery of FDN’s target nuclear receptor highlights the potential of complementary and integrative medicine for IBD treatment. We believe natural products may be able to regulate nuclear receptors with more precision than synthetic compounds, which could lead to alternative therapeutics that are cost-effective and widely accessible.”

The study was published recently in the journal Nature Communications.

IBD patients typically start to experience symptoms early in life; around 25 per cent of patients are diagnosed before the age of 20. There is currently no cure for IBD, so patients must adhere to life-long treatments to manage their symptoms, including abdominal pain and diarrhea, enduring significant psychological and economic consequences.

While patients with IBD have found some relief through changes to their diet and herbal supplements, it is not clear which chemical compounds in food and supplements are responsible for alleviating intestinal inflammation. With FDN now identified as a compound with potential to treat IBD, this specific component of ginger can be extracted to develop more effective therapies.

An additional benefit of FDN is that it can increase the production of tight junction proteins that repair damage to the gut lining caused by inflammation. The effects of FDN were demonstrated in the study to be restricted to the colon, preventing harmful side effects to other areas of the body.

Nuclear receptors serve as sensors within the body for a wide range of molecules, including those involved in metabolism and inflammation. PXR specifically plays a role in the metabolism of foreign substances, like dietary toxins and pharmaceuticals. Binding between FDN and PXR needs to be carefully regulated because over-activating the receptor can lead to an increase in the metabolism and potency of other drugs and signaling metabolites in the body.

FDN is a relatively small molecule that only fills a portion of the PXR binding pocket. The study shows that this allows for an additional compound to bind simultaneously, thereby increasing the overall strength of the bond and its anti-inflammatory effects in a controlled manner.

“The number of people diagnosed with IBD in both developed and developing countries is on the rise due to a shift towards diets that are more processed and are high in fat and sugar,” said Henry Krause, principal investigator on the study and professor of molecular genetics at U of T’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine. “A natural product derived from ginger is a better option for treating IBD than current therapies because it does not suppress the immune system or affect liver function, which can lead to major side effects. FDN can form the basis of a treatment that is more effective while also being safer and cheaper.”

 

This research was supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Agence Nationale de la Recherche SYNERGY; Key-Area Research and Development Program of Guangdong Province, China; National Institutes of Health; National Natural Science Foundation of China; Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and New Frontiers in Research Fund.

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Journal

Nature Communications

DOI

10.1038/s41467-025-56624-0 

Article Title

An abundant ginger compound furanodienone alleviates gut inflammation via the xenobiotic nuclear receptor PXR in mice

 

Parasitic orchids live healthier

Kobe University

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When the orchid Oreorchis patens happens to grow close to rotten wood, it shifts its fungal symbionts to those that decompose the wood and significantly increases the amount of nutrients it takes from them — without ceasing to employ photosynthesis. As a result, the plants are bigger and produce more flowers.

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Credit: ANSAI Shun adapted from The Plant Journal 2005 (DOI: 10.1111/tpj.70045)

Why have some orchids stopped photosynthesis and become parasites feeding on fungi? Kobe University researchers found that in at least one species the transition may be driven by the opportunity more than by the need to do so.

Most orchids live in a symbiotic relationship with fungi in their roots: The plants provide sugar they produce through photosynthesis and in return receive water and minerals from the fungi. However, some orchids have stopped producing their own food and completely feed on fungi. The Kobe University botanist SUETSUGU Kenji says: “I’ve always been intrigued by how orchids turn parasitic. Why would a plant give up its reliance on photosynthesis and instead ‘steal’ from fungi?”

The orchid Oreorchis patens offers a prime opportunity to study this question, as it is a partial parasite, meaning that it can produce its own food but also takes up to half of its budget from fungi. The key question in the field was whether the orchids do so to top up what they can’t get enough of through photosynthesis, or whether they actually derive an additional benefit from their parasitism. Suetsugu explains: “I noticed that Oreorchis patens sometimes grows unusual coral-shaped rootstalks, a trait reminiscent of orchids fully relying on fungi. I thought that this would allow me to compare plants with these organs to those with normal roots, quantify how much extra nutrients they might be gaining, and determine whether that extra translates into enhanced growth or reproductive success.”

In a paper now published in The Plant Journal, the Kobe University team shows that when the orchid happens to grow close to rotten wood, it shifts its fungal symbionts to those that decompose the wood and significantly increases the amount of nutrients it takes from them — without ceasing to employ photosynthesis. As a result, the plants are bigger and produce more flowers. “In short, these orchids aren’t merely substituting for diminished photosynthesis, they’re boosting their overall nutrient budget. This clear, adaptive link between fungal parasitism and improved plant vigor is, to me, the most thrilling aspect of our discovery, as it provides a concrete ecological explanation for why a photosynthetic plant might choose this path,” says Suetsugu.

But then, why do only less than 10% of these orchids exhibit this behavior? The answer might be found in the fact that the researchers could only see parasitic individuals near fallen and rotting tree trunks. Becoming a parasite means that the orchids need to switch from their usual symbionts to different fungi that can handle the increased nutritional load. But appropriate fungi only occur when there is fallen wood and only in certain stages of the decomposition process. In other words, the orchids become parasitic only when they can, not whenever they need to, and this opportunity does not present itself often.

Many questions are still left open, such as what triggers the orchids to develop the coral-like rootstalks and whether environmental factors influence the amount of nutrients the plants take from the fungi. Suetsugu explains his wider outlook: “This work is part of a broader effort to unravel the continuum from photosynthesis to complete parasitism. Ultimately, I hope such discoveries will deepen our understanding of the diverse strategies orchids employ to balance different lifestyles, thereby aiding in the preservation of the incredible diversity of these plants in our forests.”

This research was funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (grant 17H05016), the Japan Science and Technology Agency (grant JPMJPR21D6) and the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature.

Kobe University is a national university with roots dating back to the Kobe Higher Commercial School founded in 1902. It is now one of Japan’s leading comprehensive research universities with nearly 16,000 students and nearly 1,700 faculty in 10 faculties and schools and 15 graduate schools. Combining the social and natural sciences to cultivate leaders with an interdisciplinary perspective, Kobe University creates knowledge and fosters innovation to address society’s challenges.

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Journal

The Plant Journal

DOI

10.1111/tpj.70045 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Subterranean morphology underpins the degree of mycoheterotrophy, mycorrhizal associations, and plant vigor in a green orchid Oreorchis patens

Article Publication Date

19-Feb-2025

 

Threatened Peruvian plant discovery highlights the power of citizen science

Pensoft Publishers

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Nasa katjae inflorescence.

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Credit: Joshua P. Allen, www.andes2amazon.com

The discovery of a new species in the Andean cloud forests of northern Peru has reinforced the vital role of citizen science in plant research. 

An international research team collected, identified and documented a previously unknown plant species, Nasa katjae, after seeing photographs uploaded by Peruvian naturalist, Carlos Pérez Peña, on the citizen science platform iNaturalist. The discovery was then published in the open-access journal PhytoKeys.

Belonging to the blazing star family (Loasaceae), Nasa katjae is a potentially vulnerable species endemic to a forest near Colasay in the Cajamarca region, not far from a populated area. It is characterised by its elongated stems and striking scarlet-red flowers adapted for hummingbird pollination. 

The species thrives in humid, high-altitude environments but is restricted to a narrow range, making it particularly susceptible to habitat loss driven by agricultural expansion and climate change.

This discovery highlights the importance of protecting the remaining pristine habitats in the Amotape-Huancabamba Zone, a biodiversity hotspot home to many rare and isolated species. The team behind the study emphasise that without immediate conservation efforts, these ecologically fragile regions could be lost before they are fully understood.

Lead author Dr Tilo Henning of the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research remarked on the significance of the find: “If we have overlooked this striking plant, think about what we have missed in more unobtrusive organismal groups such as mosses, fungi and insects.”

“Discovering such a conspicuous flowering plant in a forest directly adjacent to a larger human settlement signifies that we have not even begun to fully map the biodiversity of some regions. We urgently need more taxonomists and funding to meaningfully tackle this.”

While some areas in northern Peru have recently received formal protection, the forest fragment in which Nasa katjae is found remains unprotected. The authors of the study urge decision makers to take action to safeguard these habitats before it is too late.

The discovery of Nasa katjae displays the power of digital tools and citizen science in biodiversity research. Platforms like iNaturalist prove invaluable in detecting and documenting rare species, complementing traditional fieldwork and accelerating new discoveries.

Original source

Henning T, Allen JP, Montesinos-Tubée D, Rodríguez-Rodríguez EF, Peña JLM, Acuña-Castillo R (2025) No end to endemism – contributions to the difficult Nasa Weigend Series Alatae (Loasaceae). A new species from Peru and the rehabilitation of “ Loasa” calycina Benth. PhytoKeys 252: 163-186. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.252.141635

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Journal

PhytoKeys

DOI

10.3897/phytokeys.252.141635 

Article Title

No end to endemism – contributions to the difficult Nasa Weigend Series Alatae (Loasaceae). A new species from Peru and the rehabilitation of “ Loasa” calycina Benth.

Article Publication Date

19-Feb-2025

Nasa katjae habitat, a small stream at “Agua fria”.

Nasa katjae flower.

 

Nasa katjae flower.

Nasa katjae.

Credit

Joshua P. Allen, www.andes2amazon.com

 

Scientific insights into how humans access deep spiritual states

Study finds practices in Buddhism and Christianity share a similar cognitive pathway to profound focus

McGill UniversityFacebook

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Two seemingly opposite spiritual practices – Buddhist jhāna meditation and the Christian practice of speaking in tongues – have more in common than previously thought, a new study suggests.

While one is quiet and deeply focused, and the other emotionally charged and expressive, both appear to harness the same cognitive feedback loop to create profound states of joy and surrender.

The research, co-led by Michael Lifshitz, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University and Investigator at the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, with collaborators from Monash University and the University of Toronto, identified a phenomenon they call the Attention, Arousal and Release Spiral – a mental cycle that deepens both meditative and energized states.

Their findings, published in American Journal of Human Biology, offers new insights into how humans can cultivate deep states of focus.

“If we can understand this process better, we may be able to help more people access deep states of tranquility and bliss for themselves,” said Lifshitz. “In another sense, our findings may help to promote a sense of commonality and mutual respect between spiritual traditions. Despite differences in beliefs, we are all sharing a human experience.”

A common pathway to bliss

The researchers found that both jhāna meditators and those speaking in tongues enter a reinforcing cycle: they focus their attention on an object, such as the breath in meditation or God in prayer, which triggers a sense of joy. This joy makes attention feel effortless, leading to a feeling of surrender, which deepens the experience.

“As far as we know, this spiralling dynamic leading to increasingly deep and effortless bliss is a novel idea in the psychological sciences,” said Lifshitz. “It's fascinating that these radically different spiritual traditions seem to have discovered it and made use of it in different ways.”

To uncover this link, researchers collected firsthand accounts from Buddhist meditation retreats and evangelical Christian worship services in the U.S. They asked participants to describe the subtle micro-moments of their attention and emotional state during their practice. They also recorded the practitioners’ brain activity. While full neurobiological results are still being analyzed, early findings suggest that both practices involve a cognitive shift that allows for a uniquely immersive experience.

The next step involves using brain imaging techniques to map the physiological changes that occur as attention, arousal and release unfold in real time.

About the study

“The Spiral of Attention, Arousal, and Release: A Comparative Phenomenology of Jhāna Meditation and Speaking in Tongues” by Josh Brahinsky, Jonas Mago, Mark Miller, Shaila Catherine and Michael Lifshitz was published in American Journal of Human Biology. The study was supported by the US National Science Foundation and the Templeton Foundation.

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Journal

American Journal of Human Biology

DOI

10.1002/ajhb.24189 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

People

Article Title

The Spiral of Attention, Arousal, and Release: A Comparative Phenomenology of Jhāna Meditation and Speaking in Tongues

 

A catalytic two-step: Transforming industrial CO2 into a renewable fuel

Yale University

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New Haven, Conn. — Yale scientists have taken a critical next step in creating a scalable process to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and “recirculate” it as a renewable fuel.

In a new study published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology, Yale chemist Hailiang Wang and his colleagues describe their latest breakthrough in creating methanol — a widely used liquid fuel for internal combustion and other engines — from industrial emissions of CO2, a primary greenhouse gas contributing to climate change.

The process could have far-reaching applications throughout industry.

“This is a new strategy that brings CO2 reduction into methanol to a new level,” said Wang, a professor of chemistry in Yale’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences and lead author of the new study. Wang is also a member of the Yale Energy Sciences Institute and the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture.

Transforming CO2 into methanol is a two-step chemical reaction. First, CO2 reacts with a catalyst to become carbon monoxide (CO). The CO then undergoes a catalytic reaction to become methanol.

The most effective previous process — also developed in Wang’s lab — featured a single catalyst made of cobalt tetraaminophthalocyanine molecules supported on carbon nanotubes.

But the two reaction steps have a mismatch on this single-site catalyst: the conversion of CO2 to CO is not as efficient or selective, which presents a challenge for scientists trying to devise a robust process that can be scaled up for industrial use.

“Having just one type of catalytic site was not optimal for both steps in the reaction,” said Jing Li, a postdoctoral associate in Wang’s lab and first author of the new study. “To avoid this trade-off, we’ve now designed a ‘two-in-one’ catalyst.”

The new process starts with a nickel tetramethoxyphthalocyanine site for the conversion of CO2 into CO. The newly formed CO then migrates onto a cobalt site — catalysis scientists refer to this as “spillover” — to complete the reduction into methanol.

“Our work offers a potentially scalable solution to reduce carbon footprints and accelerate the transition to cleaner energy,” said Conor Rooney, a former Ph.D. student in Wang’s lab and co-author of the new study.

Rooney is a founder of Oxylus Energy, a company that works with industry partners to convert carbon waste into methanol liquid fuel, based on research from the Wang lab.

Additional co-authors from Yale include Seonjeong Cheon, Yuanzuo Gao, Bo Shang, Huan Li, Longtao Ren, and Shize Yang. Yang is director of Yale’s aberration-corrected electron microscopy core facility, a comprehensive electron microscopy and spectroscopy lab focusing on materials science research.

The study is a collaboration with Quansong Zhu and Robert Baker of Ohio State University, who provided experimental evidence for CO spillover from the nickel site to the cobalt site. Other collaborators on the study include Alvin Chang and Zhenxing Feng of Oregon State University and Huan Li, Zhan Jiang, and Yongye Liang of Southern University of Science and Technology.

The research was funded, in part, by the Yale Center for Natural Carbon Capture and the National Science Foundation.

 

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Journal

Nature Nanotechnology