Today, there is a trend in research to return to plant extracts as remedies against endo- and ectoparasites. Many daily appearing papers describe the efficacy of different plant extracts. However, the second step, to develop a product for the market (that could settle obvious needs), is in general not done. Thus, many results will be forgotten soon and the work was done in vain. The present review shows in examples that very efficacious biocidal and repellent products were developed from extracts of the plants Vitex agnus castus, Azadirachta indica, and from others which produce etheric oils. Of course, it is needed that the extracts have to be tested seriously for their activity, non-toxicity, tolerability, and user compliance. However, the selected examples show that it is worthwhile to consider plants in the fight against endo- and ectoparasites.

Sixty heavily lice-infested male and female children (4-15 years) were selected and subjected to the treatment with a neem seed extract shampoo. Twenty to thirty milliliter of the shampoo were thoroughly mixed with completely wet hair and rubbed in to reach the skin of the scalp. After 5, 10, 15 and 30 min, the shampoo was washed out and the hair basically combed. Head lice were collected and examined. The neem seed extract shampoo proved to be highly effective against all stages of head lice. No obvious differences regarding the efficacy of the shampoo were observed between an exposure time of 10, 15 or 30 min. No side effects, such as skin irritation, burning sensations, or red spots on the scalp, forehead or neck, respectively, were observed.

In the present study, chloroform, aqueous, (polyethylene glycol/propylene carbonate) PEG/PC extracts were made from coconut, onion, garlic, fig, date tree, chicory, ananas, and cistrose. These extracts were tested in vivo and in vitro on their anthelmintic activity against cestodes (Hymenolepis diminuta, H. microstoma, Taenia taeniaeformis) and trematodes (Fasciola hepatica, Echinostoma caproni). In all in vitro tests, the target parasites died. It turned out that the treatment of mice and rats with a combination of onion and coconut extracts (with PEG/PC) eliminated all cestodes from their final hosts. In addition, the same composition was effective against the intestinal fluke E. caproni, but not against the liver fluke F. hepatica in the final host, while both worms were killed in vitro. Inoculation of fluids of coconut eliminated T. taeniaeformis tapeworms from naturally infected cats. This goal was not reached with oil of cistrose.

This study was designed to assess the effect of maternal diabetes in rats on serum glucose and insulin concentrations, insulin resistance, histological architecture of pancreas and glycogen content in liver of offspring. The pregnant rat females were allocated into two main groups: normal control group and streptozotocin-induced diabetic group. After birth, the surviving offspring were subjected to biochemical and histological examination immediately after delivery and at the end of the 1st and 2nd postnatal weeks. In comparison with the offspring of normal control dams, the fasting serum glucose level of offspring of diabetic mothers was significantly increased at the end of the 1st and 2nd postnatal weeks. Serum insulin level of offspring of diabetic dams was significantly higher at birth and decreased significantly during the following 2 postnatal weeks, while in normal rat offspring, it was significantly increased with progress of time. HOMA Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) was significantly increased in the offspring of diabetic dams at birth and after 1 week than in normal rat offspring, while HOMA insulin sensitivity (HOMA-IS) was significantly decreased. HOMA beta-cell function was significantly decreased at all-time intervals in offspring of diabetic dams. At birth, islets of Langerhans as well as beta cells in offspring of diabetic dams were hypertrophied. The cells constituting islets seemed to have a high division rate. However, beta-cells were degenerated during the following 2 post-natal weeks and smaller insulin secreting cells predominated. Vacuolation and necrosis of the islets of Langerhans were also observed throughout the experimental period. The carbohydrate content in liver of offspring of diabetic dams was at all-time intervals lower than that in control. The granule distribution was more random. Overall, the preexisting maternal diabetes leads to glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, and impaired insulin sensitivity and β-cell function in the offspring at different postnatal periods.

Head lice are an emerging social problem, not only in economically poor countries but also in practically all other societies. Several of the common anti-louse products have lost--at least in part--their efficacy due to increasing resistance of lice against insecticides such as permethrin or allethrin. Other compounds, like lindan, were redrawn or banned due to high toxicity. Some recently developed products are based on dimethicones or cyclomethicones and turned out to be easily inflammable. Other styled medicinal products are based on plant extracts-some were proven of high efficacy-others of ineffectivity. The present study investigated in in vitro tests the anti-head louse efficacy of 13 products, the contents of which are used worldwide: Aesculo-Gel L, EtoPril, Goldgeist Forte, InfectoPedicul, Jacutin Pedicul Fluid, K.Laus, Liberalice, Licatack, Mosquito Läuse-Shampoo, Nyda, Paranix, Picksan Louse Stop, and Wash Away Louse. It turned out that several of them are easily inflammable, and therefore, they endanger users (InfectoPedicul, Paranix, EtoPril, Nyda, Goldgeist Forte, and K.Laus, see Table 1). Others have to remain for many hours on the hair in order to reach efficacy (Table 4). During such long periods, highly dosed oils may become inhaled and thus may become dangerous for the user's lung epithelia by covering them. When incubating the lice for 3 or 10 min in vitro, only the following products killed all lice exposed to these products: InfectoPedicul, Paranix, Jacutin Pedicul Fluid, Nyda, K.Laus, Picksan Louse Stop, Licatack, and Wash Away Louse. When evaluating the possible dangers for the users, the last three products, especially, derived from plant extracts, are safe and highly effective at the same time. Furthermore, they had been tested dermatologically as "very good".