Helle Wangensteen

Helle Wangensteen is a Professor at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, specializing in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Pharmacognosy. Her research bridges traditional medicinal knowledge with modern scientific methods.

• Current projects: Health effects of Nordic berries, Plant.ID, REA:Life
• Teaching: FARM1100 - Pharmaceutical Chemistry, FARM3100 - Pharmacognosy, and FARM5000 - Master's Preparatory Course

Her work focuses on isolation and identification of natural substances from medicinal plants to explain traditional uses and discover new pharmaceutical leads. Key areas include antioxidant and anti-inflammatory mechanisms, plant molecular identification, and global health applications.

Recent publications analyze anti-plasmodial compounds from Gentiana purpurea, anti-inflammatory properties of Norwegian plants, coumarins from Daphne mezereum, and neuroprotective effects of St. John’s Wort. Her team also investigates bioactive polysaccharides and polyphenols with applications in ulcerative colitis and endometriosis treatment.

Methodologies include NMR spectroscopy, DNA metabarcoding, and immunological screening assays, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach to natural product drug discovery.