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This work is an informative study investigated the nutrient contents and the antioxidant activity of Mentha pulegium L. and Artemisia abrotanum L. two plants largely used in North African traditional medicine as well as in pharmaceutical and agro-alimentary industries. These plants have been used as herbal tea, or powder in herbal remedies, to treat painful menstruation, and gastrointestinal disorders. Recently they were extensively used during the pandemic of Covid-19. Results revealed that both plants were not, only, a good source of essential minerals, like Calcium, Iron, and Magnesium. But they were also rich sources of crude fibre and protein. Vitamin C amount was found 180.94 ±3.01 mg/g100g, with an IC50 value 54.45±25.53 μg/mL 10-1 in M. pulegium and 171.64±3.0 mg/100g with IC50 value 60.61± 19.71 μg/mL 10-1 in A. abrotanum. The antioxidant study showed a high activity that paves the way for the possibility of new health-related uses.

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Background We investigated whether Laurus nobilis tea consumption affects lipid profile and oxidative stress in healthy volunteers.Methods Plasma concentrations of serum lipid profile parameters and Catalase, Uric acid, carbonylated proteins and superoxide dismutase levels were measured.Results We found a significant positive correlation between Delta- high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and Delta-Uric Acid (R = 0.396, p = 0.036) as well as Delta-Triglyceride and Delta- carbonylated proteins (R = 0.438, p = 0.020). Also, there was a negative correlation between Delta- Low-density Lipoprotein cholesterol and Delta- superoxide dismutase (R= -0.479, p = 0.009).A significant positive correlation between Delta- Low-density Lipoprotein cholesterol, Delta- triglyceride down and Delta- Low-density Lipoprotein Receptor up (p = 0.017, p = 0.038 respectively).In addition, a statistically significant negative correlation between the mean levels of Delta-Low-density Lipoprotein cholesterol down and of Delta-Low-density Lipoprotein receptor (p = 0.013). A statistically significant negative correlation between the mean concentrations of Delta-Low-density Lipoprotein cholesterol down and of Delta-Low-density Lipoprotein receptor up was observed (p = 0.010). The mean levels of Delta-triglyceride down and Delta-Low-density Lipoprotein receptor showed a significantly negative correlation (p = 0.005). There has been a significant increase in Low-density Lipoprotein Receptor levels over the period of study as it went from 444.54 (±241.03 pg/mL)day 0 to 634.00 (± 290.19 pg/mL)day 11 (p=0.000). Our study showed a significantly negative correlation only between Delta- superoxide dismutase up (superoxide dismutase Day11 - superoxide dismutase Day0) and age (p = 0.03), where Delta is the difference in the level of parameters between day 11 and day 0.Conclusion These findings highlight that the infusion of Laurus nobilis can be added to foods to enhance or regulate Low-density Lipoprotein Receptor activity levels with an elevation of HDL-cholesterol serum concentration concomitant to high antioxidant activity. Trial registration Not applicable

Background: Abnormal uterine bleeding-menometrorrhagia due to uterine myomas is a health problem affecting women’s quality of life and it is considered a frequent cause of emergency visits for women. If first line medication fails to treat symptoms, surgical procedures, such as hysterectomy could be indicated, which could interfere with women's physical, social, emotional, and material quality of life. The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of a mixture of two medicinal plants, Mentha pulegium L and Artemisia abrotanum L, on 13 women with menometrorrhagia, who were candidates for hysterectomy. Methods: The herbs were taken as a tea infusion by the oral route. A total of 5 g of the dried aerial parts of the mixture were added to 100 ml of boiling water and the tea infusion was taken three times a day starting from the onset of menstruation for three consecutive days, and it was repeated for three consecutive months. Results: The study results showed that 10 out of the 13 women involved avoided the surgical procedures. The mean number of bleeding days declined from 11.50 (±3.77) at baseline to 7.60 (±2.11) (p=0.01). Participants confirmed a change in the bleeding intensity, regularization of their menstrual cycle, and improvement in their quality of life. Conclusions: This preliminary study explores a new approach to treat abnormal uterine bleeding- menometrorrhagia, based on tea infusion consumption of a mixture of two medicinal herbs, and it paves the way for future studies. Trial registration: This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05406960 (07/06/2022).