Global warming as a result of climate change has become a major concern for people all over the world. It has recently drawn the attention of the entire conscious community, with the fear that if not addressed properly, it will result in the extinction of numerous species around the world. At the same time, it will pose a threat to human health, food security, living environment and standard of living. Thereby, possible solutions are being explored accordingly; regulations have been imposed in places binding green production practices, limiting the emission of CO 2 and emphasis is given on renewable resources along with the search for alternatives to carbon-positive materials. Cannabis sativa L. (hemp) has received a lot of attention because of its multipurpose usability, short production cycle, low capital demand in cultivation, possibility of carbon-negative transformation and easy carbon sequestering material. This paper reviews hemp as a very promising renewable resource including its potential uses in paper, textiles, composites, biofuel, and food industry.

At present, environmental sustainability is a big concern due to the limited resources and the adverse impacts of petroleum-based materials. Green composites (GCs) attracted intensive research interest for the last few decades from academicians, scientists, researchers, and practitioners both from the ecological and economic point of view and are presently being considered as one of the most promising research domains. Composites produced from renewable and/or natural resources thanks to their biodegradability and sustainability properties are envisaged as the next-generation materials to meet the growing demand worldwide. GCs are intensively investigated due to their multifunctional properties and utilization in a wide variety of fields including automobile, marine, aerospace, structural and infrastructural applications, packaging, electronics industry, sports, and biomedical applications. They also show potentials to replace the expensive as well as non-degradable petroleum-based composites. After the shelf life, it can be disposed of easily without harming the environment. The processing techniques, properties, and applications of green composites are comprehensively assessed in this review article. The feasibility of the naturally available fiber and polymers for green composites are also discussed highlighting the existing challenges with possible suggestions. It was intended to present a full overview of biodegradable polymer composites reinforced with natural fiber, as well as the necessary future directions for the concerned researchers.

Antimicrobial resistance has emerged as a global health crisis and, therefore, new drug discovery is a paramount need. Cannabis sativa contains hundreds of chemical constituents produced by secondary metabolism, exerting outstanding antimicrobial, antiviral, and therapeutic properties. This paper comprehensively reviews the antimicrobial and antiviral (particularly against SARS-CoV-2) properties of C. sativa with the potential for new antibiotic drug and/or natural antimicrobial agents for industrial or agricultural use, and their therapeutic potential against the newly emerged coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Cannabis compounds have good potential as drug candidates for new antibiotics, even for some of the WHO’s current priority list of resistant pathogens. Recent studies revealed that cannabinoids seem to have stable conformations with the binding pocket of the Mpro enzyme of SARS-CoV-2, which has a pivotal role in viral replication and transcription. They are found to be suppressive of viral entry and viral activation by downregulating the ACE2 receptor and TMPRSS2 enzymes in the host cellular system. The therapeutic potential of cannabinoids as anti-inflammatory compounds is hypothesized for the treatment of COVID-19. However, more systemic investigations are warranted to establish the best efficacy and their toxic effects, followed by preclinical trials on a large number of participants.

Background: Moringa oleifera has been used in folk medicine to alleviate several diseases. In the present study, ethanolic extract of Moringa oleifera bark has been investigated to study its potential on paracetamol induced hepatotoxicity on model rats. Methods: Rats (150–200 gm) were divided into 5 groups containing 6 animals each. Acute hepatotoxicity was induced by paracetamol (600 mg/kg body weight) administered once daily for one week whereas the extract of investigated plant was given orally throughout the whole experiment at 250 and 500 mg/kg body weight. Silymarin (100 mg/kg body weight) was given orally as standard hepatoprotective drug. The level of hepatic injury recovery was determined by the estimation of liver enzymes like SGPT, SGOT, ALP, Bilirubin, Total protein, globulin and Albumin. Results: Treatment with MO extract as well as standard hepatoprotective agent silymarin ameliorated plasma levels of hepatic enzymes. Body weight was improved significantly by MO extracts (p < 0.01), whereas liver weight was recovered insignificantly. SGPT, SGOT and ALP levels were improved very highly significantly (p<0.001) and highly significantly (p<0.01) at MO 250mg dose. While at the dose of 500 mg/kg ameliorated SGPT Level very highly significantly (p<0.001), SGOT Level highly significantly (p<0.01) but insignificant to ALP level.   Conclusion: The biochemical parameters provide evidence that the ethanolic extract of of Moringa oleifera bark has shown hepatoprotective activity.

A comprehensive study onPhysico-Mechanical characteristics of Okra fibre (Abelmoschus esculentus) for textile applications.