Introduction: Medicinal herbs Acorus calamus, Curcuma longa, Zingiber officinale, and Piper betle have been traditionally used for treating stomach-related conditions such as irregular bowel movement, bloating, and gastric ulcers. The present study aimed to explore current status, research trends, and future directions of these herbs as functional herbal teas in prevention and treatment of gastritis. Methods: A total of 80 articles from Scopus database were retrieved and reviewed. Research trends were quantitatively analysed using VOSviewer software, focusing on the keywords, authors, countries, journals, and documents. A narrative review was integrated to provide comprehensive insights into the study. Results: Analysis revealed China and India as driving forces of this specific area of research, with the Journal of Ethnopharmacology emerging as a prominent source for publications in this field. “Curcumin”, “ginger”, and “Helicobacter pylori” were the main keywords of the study. Several gastroprotective mechanisms, including stimulation of mucosal proliferation, regulation of gastric acid production, reduction of inflammation in the gastric mucosa, protection of the gastric mucosa from oxidative damage, and inhibition of the growth of H. pylori, were associated with these herbs. Active compounds, such as α-asarone, curcumin, gingerol, and piperbetol, were found to be responsible for these effects. Conclusion: This study highlights various gastroprotective properties of A. calamus, C. longa, Z. officinale, and P. betle, providing researchers with a deeper understanding of the subject matter and opening new avenues for potential development into a functional herbal tea formulation known as “Lega Tea” (Relief Tea).

HYPOTHALAMIC AMENORRHOEA AS AN EXTRAINTESTINAL MANIFESTATION OF CROHN’S DISEASE: A CASE REPORT Crohn’s disease (CD), a chronic inflammatory bowel condition, although rare in Malaysia, can present with atypical systemic features, including reproductive dysfunction. We report the case of a 31-year-old woman referred for secondary amenorrhoea and presumed endometriosis, later diagnosed with CD following worsening gastrointestinal symptoms and significant weight loss. Hormonal evaluation revealed hypothalamic–pituitary axis suppression secondary to malnutrition and systemic inflammation. Treatment with corticosteroids and nutritional rehabilitation led to weight gain and resumption of menses within 3 months. This case highlights the importance of recognising functional hypothalamic amenorrhoea as a reversible consequence of chronic illness and nutritional deficiency. It also underscores how systemic diseases such as CD may mimic gynaecological conditions, potentially delaying accurate diagnosis. Early multidisciplinary collaboration is essential in evaluating menstrual disturbances with overlapping gastrointestinal symptoms, especially in regions where inflammatory bowel disease remains uncommon.

Aims: This study was aimed to evaluate in vitro antiviral activity of topical formulations incorporated with a styrylpyrone derivative (SPD) against Herpes Simplex Virus type 1 (HSV-1). Methodology and results: Two types of SPD-incorporated formulations (ointment and gel) were tested for their antiviral activity against HSV-1 clinical strain using plaque reduction assay on Vero cells. The antiviral activity was determined based on the percentage of plaque reduction occurred between treatment and control (non-treated infected cells). In this study, 10% SPD-gel (SPD = 0.004 mg) and 20% SPD-ointment (SPD = 0.003 mg) showed plaque reduction percentage of 87% and 79% respectively. Further evaluation on the ointment base, gel base (formulation without SPD) demonstrated less than 10% of antiviral activity while pure SPD at 0.0025 mg showed 81% of plaque reduction. These results indicated that the antiviral activity observed in both SPD-incorporated ointment and gel was mainly due to SPD regardless of formulation components. Furthermore, the antiviral activities observed in both SPD-incorporated products were also in agreement with the antiviral activity observed in pure SPD. Conclusion, significance and impact study: SPD-incorporated products retained the antiviral activity and can further be tested in animal model.
Herpesvirus 1, Human

Aims: The present study is aimed at determining the antiviral activity of Eleusine indica whole plant methanol extract. Methodology and results: Whole dried plants were extracted with methanol and the solvent was evaporated using a rotary evaporator. The crude methanol extract was previously shown to have antiviral activity towards herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) with selective index (SI = CC50 / EC50) of 12.2. The extract was further studied for the possible mode of action including pretreatment, attachment, penetration or virucidal activity. The observations suggested that E. indica crude methanol extract protects cells from HSV-1 infection, inhibits virus from docking to the surface of the cells and penetrating into the cells, as well as modifying virus through the virucidal effect. Conclusion, significance and impact of study: Methanol extract of E. indica is safe with antiviral potential as a prophylactic agent, inhibits viral attachment, penetration and virucidal effect.
Herpesvirus 1, Human