Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. is an allergen species that belongs to the group of invasive weeds, and is very frequent and present in our region. The use of essential oils in the control of weeds attracts great attention of researchers. Many of them have already pointed out the ability of some oils and/or their individual components to delay seed germination of various weeds or completely inhibit it. In this paper, we present results of the efficacy of three essential oils on A. artemisiifolia seeds; the trials were carried out using two different in vitro methods, in which the percentage of seed germination was measured 7th day.  In testings with seeds soaked in essential oil solution, in Petri dishes (500 ml in 100 ml of distilled water), a significant inhibition of germination was observed in the case A. graveolens and S. officinalis oil (100 % and 97 % , respectively), while the oil of S. montana demonstrated slightly weaker inhibitory effect (86 %). When essential oils were applied in form of a vapour (an oil droplet of 25 ml applied on the inner side od Petri dish lids), A. graveolens and S. officinalis oils inhibited the seed germination 100 % and and 95 % , respectively , while the oil of S. montana again demonstrated the weakest inhibitory effect (52 %).

The aim of the presented research was to determine whether the application of the essential oils of A. graveolens, S. officinalis and S. montana in form of a solution or vapor, affects, and to what extent they are important for germination of seeds of the weed species A. artemisiifolia L.

Herein, we have reviewed the comparative analysis relating pharmacognostic and chemical approaches in the investigation of the chosen plants from Montenegrin flora known for the constituents recognized as carriers of different biological activities. In addition, some of the mentioned extensively studied plants were with uncertain status in the systematics, as not being recognized as new species. The results of pharmacognostic studies with the thorough chemical analyses addressing the problem in positioning some of the investigated plants from Swertia, Gentiana and Gentianella genera belonging to family Gentianaceae in systematics, performed within the collaboration of two research groups from Institute for Medicinal Plants Research “Dr. Josif Pančić” and Faculty of Chemistry, the University of Belgrade under the leadership of Dr. Nebojša Menković and Prof. Dr. Slobodan Milosavljević were summarized. In addition, the complete chemical structure elucidation of sesquiterpene lactones present in Anthemis sp. as potential anti-inflammatory agents, applying the sophisticated 2D NMR techniques was reviewed. Further, the parthenolide content determination in Tanacetum larvatum revealed the possibility of the successful application of 1H NMR techniques in quantification studies. The findings presented in the published literature stressed the importance of a combined chemical and pharmacognostic approach in the investigation of natural products originating from plants.

This study evaluated antioxidant activities and haematological effects of methanol extract of Asystasia gangetica leaves (MEAG) on monosodium glutamate (MSG) treated rats. Forty-two male Wistar rats randomly distributed into 7 groups (n=6) were used for the study. Groups 1-3 were the normal control, MSG control, and positive control respectively whereas groups 4-5 were the extract controls, and groups 6-7 were the curative groups. All the treatments were administered orally and standard analytical methods were used for analyses. The results showed that MEAG is a rich antioxidants source and contains phenolics, flavonoids and beta-carotene in high concentrations. The extract showed concentration-dependent increases in ferric reducing antioxidant power, DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and nitric oxide radicals scavenging activities but relatively lower than their respective controls. The MSG administration caused significant (P<0.05) reductions in the glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities but significantly (P<0.05) increased the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations in the MSG control rats. The MSG administration also caused significant (P<0.05) reductions in the haemoglobin (Hb) concentration, packed cell volume (PCV), red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts of the MSG control relative to the normal control. Treatment with MEAG significantly elevated GPx, SOD, and CAT activities; haematological indices and significantly reduced MDA levels in the extract controls, and curative groups treated with a high dose of MSG. These findings show that methanol extract of A. gangetica leaves is rich in antioxidants that could prevent oxidative stress and improves the haematological profile of MSG treated rats.