Professor Trimby
Caroline DeVan
Concepts of Biology 17
Project 1 Part 3
1. The article appeared in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology. Its purpose is targeted towards scientists who engineer pharmaceuticals to combat rashes produced by plants with the help of jewelweed.
2. The authors are associated with the Department of Biological and Allied Health Sciences, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the College of Pharmacy in Ohio Northern University. This information was found under the names of the author, above the abstract.
3. The specific research question addressed in this paper is if jewelweed helps ease rashes caused by poison ivy.
4. The hypotheses are if jewelweed helps treat poison ivy rash, and if lawsone correlates with the treatment.
5. Research published by Henn, Foster and Duke, Lewis and Elvin-Lewis, Garrett, Hamel and Chiltoskey, Smith, Gilmore, and Ishiguro and Oku, have shown historical evidence that jewelweed is used as a folk remedy to treat hives and rashes.
6. 40 volunteer subjects between the ages of 18 and 65 participated in this study. This information was found under the section labeled “2. Methods.”
7. There were two protocols in testing jewelweed's effect on poison ivy. The first protocol treated squares with a single water wash, double water wash, jewelweed mash, jewelweed aqeuous infusion, lawsone solution, and jewelweed soup. The second protocol treated squares with a single water wash, garden balsam extract, garden balsam mash, garden balsam soap, jewelweed soap, and Dawn dish soap. These protocols were found under the “2. Methods” section.
8. The severity of the symptoms were scored on a scale of 0, no reaction, to 14, rash over 91-100% of the infected area.
9. The results do not indicate that any of the jewelweed compounds are effective in preventing a rash, as the only significant diminution of the rash was with soap, and it wasn't only with jewelweed soap, but with balsam soap and Dawn dish