The resort worldwide to edible medicinal plants for medical care has increased significantly during the last few years. Currently, there is a renewed interest in the search for new phytochemicals that could be developed as useful anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic agents to reduce the risk of many diseases. The activation of nuclear transcription factor-kappa B (NF-κB) has now been linked to a variety of inflammatory diseases, while data from numerous studies underline the importance of phytochemicals in inhibiting the pathway that activates this transcription factor. Moreover, the incidence of type I allergic disorders has been increasing worldwide, particularly, the hypersensitivity to food. Thus, a good number of plant products with anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic activity have been documented, but very few of these compounds have reached clinical use and there is scant scientific evidence that could explain their mode of action. Therefore, this paper intends to review the most salient recent reports on the anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties of phytochemicals and the molecular mechanisms underlying these properties.

Recently, much interest has been generated for a wide range of phyto-constituents with reports demonstrating their role in the modulation of inflammatory responses, including phenolics, alkaloids, and terpenoids. Natural products have long been, over the years, contributed to the development of modern therapeutic drugs. At present, steroids, antihistaminic drugs, suppressants or inhibitors of the release of mediators and the like have been used as anti-allergic agents. However, some of them lack immediate effectiveness or have central side effects. Drug discovery from plants involves a multidisciplinary approach combining botanical, ethno-botanical, phytochemical and biological techniques. Several natural product drugs of plant origin are in clinical use and some are undergoing Phase II and Phase III clinical trials. A major effort was directed toward discovery of novel anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic agents, which resulted in the invention of several patented formulations. These formulations concern a variety of pharmaceutical preparations which can be used as solid or liquid dosage forms or encapsulated as a soft or hard gelatin capsule. The present article is a short review of recent patents on the role of phytochemicals in preventing inflammation and allergy.

Topical application of honey to burn and wounds has been found to be effective in controlling infection and producing a clean granulating bed. It is suggested that the wound healing effect of honey may in part be related to the release of inflammatory cytokines from surrounding tissue cells, mainly monocytes and macrophages. It has been reported that honey hastens wound healing by accelerating wound contractions. Microscopic evaluation demonstrated that there was a significant acceleration of dermal repair in wound treated with honey. Macroscopic and microscopic observations under in vivo assessment suggested that the topical application of honey might have favourable influences on the various phases of burn and wound healing hence accelerating the healing process. The regulatory effects of honey are related to components other than the sugars. However, the mechanisms by which honey affects the release of anti inflammatory agents and growth factors from monocytic cells are as yet unclear. Whether honey affects other cell types, particularly endothelial cells and fibroblasts, involved in wound healing also needs to be clarified. The present article is a short review of recent patents on the healing effect of honey in wound and burn management.