Toxicity.

Diabetes, the world largest metabolic disorder has become a serious threat to public health. The management of diabetes by synthetic drugs causes many unwanted complications. Hence this study was designed to explore the root Salep of Gymnadenia orchidis Lindl against type-2 diabetes to achieve a complications free herbal treatment for the disease. The Streptozotocin (STZ) induced-diabetic rats were supplemented with root Salep orally daily at an effective dose (200 mg/ g of body weight). The body weights and fasting blood glucose levels were measured periodically for 32 days.  After treatment period, the animals were sacrificed and glycosylated haemoglobin, lipid profiles, antioxidant enzymes levels, liver function enzymes etc. were determined. Phytochemically determined terpenoids was extracted from the root and orally supplemented (4 mg/g body weight) to the induced-diabetic animals. Normalization of fasting blood glucose levels, significant (P<0.001) decrement of glycosylated haemoglobin percentage, liver enzymes activities and increase body weights and anti-oxidants levels were noted for the Salep supplemented diabetic rats. Terpenoids played the key role in such observations. The root Salep of Gymnadenia orchidis Lindl or its terpenoids may be used as potentially herbal therapeutic agent for long term and effective solution against type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Mercury is a toxic metal and can cause serious health effects including kidney damage, anxiety depression and peripheral neuropathy. Beside the traditional sources of mercury such as industry mining, new sources of mercury exposure came to existence through cosmetics such as soaps, skin and whitening creams. In this study, eight samples of different brands of skin whitening creams were analyzed by Direct Mercury Analyzer (DMA) for the determination of mercury content. Quantification of mercury levels in these products was achieved by using external standard calibration curve method. The mercury levels in the studied skin whitening creams ranged from 0.00 ppm to maximum of 3.373ppm. The results showed that skin whitening creams have mercury level at detectable levels and is enough to cause adverse health effects. The study concluded that the Direct Mercury Analyzer (DMA) instrument proved to be an excellent tool for screening mercury in skin creams. This technique offers the advantages of simplicity, rapidity, low detection limit, accuracy and precision and no sample preparation.