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REVIEW ARTICLES
Ageratum conyzoides
L.: A review on its phytochemical and pharmacological profile
Anjoo Kamboj, Ajay Kumar Saluja
April-June 2008, 2(2):59-68
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.41171
Ageratum conyzoides
L. (AC) is an annual herbaceous plant with a long history of traditional medicinal uses in many countries in the world, especially in the tropical and subtropical regions. The weed has been known since ancient times for its curative properties and has been utilized for treatment of various ailments, such as burns and wounds, for antimicrobial properties, for many infectious conditions and bacterial infections, arthrosis, headaches and dyspnea, pneumonia, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antiasthmatic, antispasmodic and haemostatic effects, stomach ailments, gynaecological diseases, leprosy and other skin diseases. A wide range of chemical compounds including alkaloids, cumarins, flavonoids, chromenes, benzofurans, sterols and terpenoids have been isolated from this species. Extracts and metabolites from this plant have been found to possess pharmacological and insecticidal activities. This contribution provides a comprehensive review of its ethnomedical uses, chemical constituents and the pharmacological profile as a medicinal plant. Particular attention has been given to analgesic and anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and wound healing properties, radioprotective, antifungal, anthelmintic and nematicidal, insecticidal effects presented in this review such that the potential use of this plant either in pharmaceutics or as an agricultural resource can be evaluated.
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29,809
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4
Pongamia pinnata
: Phytochemical constituents, traditional uses and pharmacological properties: A review
VV Chopade, AN Tankar, VV Pande, AR Tekade, NM Gowekar, SR Bhandari, SN Khandake
April-June 2008, 2(2):72-75
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.41173
Many herbal remedies individually or in combination have been recommended in various medical treatises for the cure of different diseases. The
Pongamia pinnata
, commonly known as 'Karanj', has been recognized in different system of traditional medicines for the treatment of different diseases and ailments of human beings. It contains several phytoconstituents belonging to category flavonoids and fixed oils. The fruits and sprouts of
P. pinnata
were used in folk remedies for abdominal tumours in India, the seeds for keloid tumours in Sri Lanka and a powder derived from the plant for tumours in Vietnam. In Sanskritic India, seeds were used for skin aliments. Today, the oil is used as a liniment for rheumatism. Leaves are active against
Micrococcus
; their juice is used for cold, cough, diarrhoea, dyspepsia, flatulence, gonorrhoea and leprosy. Roots are used for cleaning gums, teeth and ulcers. Bark is used internally for bleeding piles. Juices from the plant as well as oil are antiseptic. In the traditional systems of medicines, such as Ayurveda and Unani, the
P. pinnata
plant is used for anti-inflammatory, anti-plasmodial, anti-nonciceptive, anti-hyperglycaemics, anti-lipidoxidative, anti-diarrhoeal, anti-ulcer, anti-hyperammonic and antioxidant. Its oil is a source of biodiesel. It has also alternative source of energy, which is renewable, safe and non-pollutant.
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14,083
1,534
5
Herbal drugs in milieu of modern drugs
Nazma Inamdar, Shima Edalat, Vikram B Kotwal, Sunita Pawar
January-March 2008, 2(1):2-8
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.39154
Medicinal herbs are moving from fringe to mainstream use with a greater number of people seeking remedies and health approaches free from side effects caused by synthetic chemicals. Most people believe that herbs are harmless plants, but when these are taken concurrently with drugs, interactions are possible. In this review article, we have discussed several popular herbs, and attempted to provide a comprehensive review that summarizes drug-herb interactions. Mustering systematic information about drug-herb interactions will be a Herculean task. The hurdles in evaluating herbal drugs include lack of standardization, insufficient quality control, overall under-reporting, etc. The challenges posed in evaluating and improving the safety of herbal drugs are the need for standardization and quality control, official compendia, dissemination of information, additional research, pharmacovigilance and regulations. With concentric efforts to surmount these challenges, the wealth of traditional knowledge can be put to judicious use in the form of herbal remedies and that it finds a rightful place in the health care system.
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13,662
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1
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Anti-diabetic activity of leaf extract of
Tridax procumbens
Durgacharan A Bhagwat, Suresh G Killedar, Rahul S Adnaik
April-June 2008, 2(2):126-128
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.41188
A study of ancient literature indicates that diabetes was fairly well known and well conceived as an entity in India. Plant-based drugs have been used against various diseases since a long time. The nature has provided abundant plant wealth for all the living creatures, which possess medicinal virtues. The essential values of some plants have long been published, but a large number of them have remained unexplored to date. Therefore, there is a necessity to explore their uses and to conduct pharmacognostic and pharmacological studies to ascertain their therapeutic properties. In fact, nowadays, diabetes is a global problem. Hence, the present study aims to open new avenues for the improvement of medicinal uses of
Tridax procumbens
(Compositae) for the selected area for diabetes. Another important objective of such a study is to bring the anti-diabetic medicinal plants sector on a firm scientific footing, raise awareness and add value to the resource. Dried aqueous, alcoholic, and petroleum ether (60-80°C) extracts of leaves of
Tridax procumbens
were subjected for hypoglycaemic activity in Wistar rats (150-200 g). Blood sugar level was determined using digital glucometer. The oral administration of leaf extracts at doses of 200 mg kg
−1
lead to a significant blood glucose reduction. This laid the foundation to study the active compounds of such anti-diabetic plants that are responsible for the hypoglycemic activities. It also proves the traditional claim of Mandesh region with regard to
Tridax procumbens
for its anti-diabetic activity.
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12,794
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REVIEW ARTICLES
Psidium guajava
L: A review
JV Kamath, Nair Rahul, CK Ashok Kumar, S Mohana Lakshmi
January-March 2008, 2(1):9-12
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.39155
Psidium guajava
L, belonging to the Myrtacea family, has been reported to have anti-diarrheal, hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, lipid lowering, antibacterial and antioxidant activities. It contains important phytoconstituents such as tannins, triterpenes, flavonoid:quercetin, pentacyclic triterpenoid:guajanoic acid, saponins, carotenoids, lectins, leucocyanidin, ellagic acid, amritoside, beta-sitosterol, uvaol, oleanolic acid and ursolic acid. In view of the immense medicinal importance of the plant, this review is an effort to compile all the information reported on its phytochemical and pharmacological activities. The present review is an attempt to generate interest among the masses regarding its immense potential in preventing and treating several common diseases.
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12,715
1,437
3
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Different chemo types of Gokhru (
Tribulus terrestris
): A herb used for improving physique and physical performance
Devi Datt Joshi, Ramesh Chandra Uniyal
July-September 2008, 2(3):158-161
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.42734
Tribulus terrestris
in India is recommended as diuretic, demulcent and aphrodisiac while in traditional Chinese medicines it is used to calm the liver. Currently male impotency is being cured using saponins from
T. terrestris
of Bulgarian origin. The change in therapeutic practices with geoclimatic regions have been scientifically elaborated by using the molecular marker techniques, for proper chemo type selection and standardization of herb to fulfill the therapeutic requirement based on quality, quantity of content and efficacy, for targeted therapy and production of quality products with finger prints as claimed in the product.
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1
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Comparative study on effect of natural and synthetic superdisintegrants in the formulation of fast dissolving tablets
Santanu Chakraborty, Madhusmruti Khandai, Satya Prakash Singh, Niranjan Ch. Patra
January-March 2008, 2(1):22-25
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.39158
In the present study, the effects of a natural superdisintegrant vis-à-vis isolated mucilage of
Plantago ovata
and synthetic superdisintegrants like sodium starch glycolate (SSG) and croscarmellose sodium (Ac-di-sol) were compared in the formulations of fast dissolving tablets (FDT). FDTs of aceclofenac (model drug) were prepared by direct compression method using microcrystalline cellulose as direct compressible vehicle. Those tablets were evaluated for weight variation, hardness, disintegration time, drug content, friability and dissolution. Swelling index was also investigated with an aim to compare the swelling property of mucilage of
Plantago ovata
with SSG and Ac-di-sol. Among all the super disintegrants,
Plantago ovata
mucilage showed the highest swelling index. Hence, the present study revealed that this natural superdisintegrant (
Plantago ovata
mucilage) showed better disintegrating property than the most widely used synthetic super disintegrants like SSG and Ac-di-sol in the formulations of FDTs.
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Characterization and evaluation of natural copal gum-resin as film forming material
Milind J Umekar, Pramod G Yeole
January-March 2008, 2(1):37-42
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.39163
Copal resin (CR) was investigated for its physicochemical properties, which are yellowish cream in colour with acid value 129.82 ± 2.38, saponification value 172.60 ± 4.03, ester value 42.78 ± 3.19, softening point 88-92°C, glass transition temperature (Tg) 85.29°C, refractive index 1.534-1.536 and moisture content (loss on drying) 0.699 ± 0.08% w/w. The free films, prepared in alcohol by solvent evaporation technique, were brittle with high tacking property. Addition of 1% w/w propylene glycol improved the mechanical properties (tensile strength, percent elongation and Young's modulus) of CR films, whereas glyceryl monostearate, sorbitan mono-oleate and sorbitan monolaurate in 15% w/w reduced the tackiness significantly. Water vapour transmission rate of CR film was 2.16 ± 0.31 × 10
-5
g cm/cm
2
and 4.13 ± 0.18 × 10
-5
g cm/cm
2
at relative humidity (RH) of 43% and 93%, respectively. CR films show good swelling property in phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). Present investigation proposes the film-forming natural material with its potential as a coating material for sustained release and colon-targeted drug delivery.
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ORIGINAL ARTICLES
In vitro
anthelmintic activity of three medicinal plants against
Haemonchus contortus
Tadesse Eguale, Mirutse Giday
January-March 2009, 3(1):29-34
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.49371
The development of anthelmintic resistance and the high cost of conventional anthelmintic drugs led to the evaluation of medicinal plants as an alternative source of anthelmintics. In the current study,
in-vitro
experiments were conducted to determine the possible anthelmintic effects of crude aqueous and hydroalcoholic extracts of the leaves of
Chenopodium ambrosioides,
Lawsonia inermis
and seeds of
Jatropha curcas,
on eggs and adult
Haemonchus contortus.
Both extracts of
C. ambrosioides
and
J. curcas
inhibited the hatching of eggs at a concentration less than or equal to 2mg/ml, while the effect of
L. inermis
was not dose-dependent and did not inhibit the hatching of eggs of
H. contortus,
significantly, at all tested concentrations. Based on their ED
50
, the two most potent extracts using egg hatch assay were the hydroalcoholic
extract of
C. ambrosioides
(0.09mg/ml) and
the
aqueous extract of
J. curcas
(0.1mg/ml) in a decreasing order of potency. With regard to the effect of extracts on the survival of adult parasites, extracts from
C. ambrosioides
have shown a moderate effect, while
J. curcas
and
L. inermis
have shown no statistically significant effect on the survival of adult parasites at the concentrations tested, and the few mortality cases recorded were not dose-dependent (
P
< 0.05). The overall findings of the present study have shown that
C. ambrosioides
and
J. curcas
contain possible anthelmintic compounds and further evaluation of these plants should be carried out.
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REVIEW ARTICLES
Some rare plants of ethnomedicinal properties from Jalgaon district of Maharashtra
Prashant Y Mali, Vijay V Bhadane
April-June 2008, 2(2):76-78
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.41174
An extensive ethnobotanical survey was conducted during 2000-2006 in Jalgaon district Maharashtra, India, based on information obtained from tribal and rural people. Two hundred and sixty-two species with medicinal properties were collected. Critical evaluation of abundance and frequency of distribution of collected and identified taxa yielded seven important medicinal plants, which are very rare, namely Eulophia nuda (Orchidaceae),
Remusatia vivipara
(Araceae),
Sterculia villosa
(Sterculiaceae),
Costus speciosus
(Zingiberaceae),
Ensete superba
(Musaceae),
Curcuma psudomontana
(Zingiberaceae) and
Gloriosa superba
(Liliaceae). An urgent protection and conservation measures of habitat and diversity are suggested for posterity. Brief description, distribution along with ethnomedicinal information such as local name, part used, and modes of administration are given for each species.
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7,601
547
2
International market scenario of traditional Indian herbal drugs - India declining...
TP Aneesh, Mohamed Hisham, M Sonal Sekhar, Manjusree Madhu, TV Deepa
July-September 2009, 3(3):184-190
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.56271
In the present article, an endeavor has been made to present an overview of the comparison of Indian traditional herbal medicine in the international market. This article intends to contribute to this knowledge by giving a survey of published data regarding the microbial contamination of herbal plants, by dealing with methodological aspects and by considering the influence of different commonly used pharmaceutical preparation techniques on the microbiological status of the products. It also highlights heavy metal poisoning of these herbal products and the need for India to follow the Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) guidelines. As herbal medicinal products are complex mixtures, which originate from biological sources, great efforts are necessary to guarantee a constant and adequate quality. By carefully selecting the plant material and a standardized manufacturing process, the pattern and concentration of constituents should be kept as constant as possible, as this is a prerequisite for reproducible therapeutic results. China has successfully overcome
such difficulties by modernizing its traditional medicine profession
with government-sponsored GAPs. The cultivation practices offer Standard Operating
Procedures for use of fertilizers, irrigation systems and disease
management allied with insects and pest prevention and cure.
GAPs also establish standards for noxious and harmful contaminants
like heavy metals, pesticide residues and microbes in plants.
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2
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Anthelmintic activity of
Ficus benghalensis
Manoj Aswar, Urmila Aswar, Bhagyashri Watkar, Meenakshi Vyas, Akshaya Wagh, Kishore N Gujar
July-September 2008, 2(3):170-172
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.42737
The World Health Organization estimates that a staggering two billion people harbor parasitic worm infections. Parasitic worms also infect livestock and crops, affecting food production with a resultant economic impact. Despite this prevalence of parasitic infections, the research on anthelmintic drug is poor. As per WHO, only few drugs are frequently used in the treatment of helminthes in human beings. Anthelmintics from the natural sources may play a key role in the treatment of these parasite infections. In view of this, an attempt has been made to study the anthelmintic activity of roots of
Ficus benghalensis
. In this study, methanolic, aqueous, chloroform, petroleum ether extracts were used and studied for paralysis and death of earthworm. All the extracts were found not only to paralyze (Vermifuge) but also to kill the earthworms (Vermicidal). The aqueous and methanolic extract was found to be more effective to execute the earthworm.
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6,776
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Hepatoprotective activity studies of herbal formulations
Manisha Bhagwat Kamble, Rahul Kondaji Dumbre, Vinod D Rangari
July-September 2008, 2(3):147-151
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.42731
Traditional system of medicine recommends various hepatoprotective agents and preparations to treat hepatic disorders. Polyherbal formulations F1 and F2 were developed for treatment of liver disorders by exploiting the knowledge of traditional system of medicine and evaluated for hepatoprotective activity using acute liver toxicity models of CCl
4
and Paracetamol induced liver damage in rats. The rats were monitored for morphological changes in liver, biochemical parameter Serum Glutamate Oxaloacetate Transaminase, Serum Glutamate Pyruvate Transaminase, Serum Alkaline Phosphatase, and Serum bilirubin, histopathological studies, and pentobarbitone sleeping time. Both of these formulations F1 and F2 showed significant hepatoprotective activity at dose of 400 mg/kg, which was comparable to silymarin at 6 mg/kg. Formulations F1 and F2 are effective both as prophylactic and therapeutic in experimental liver damage. Biochemical parameters showed better results for formulation F2 but morphological, pentobarbitone sleeping time and hisptopathological observation were similar for both the groups.
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5,931
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1
Antibacterial activity of plants used in Indian herbal medicine
PS Pavithra, VS Janani, KH Charumathi, R Indumathy, Sirisha Potala, Rama S Verma
January-March 2010, 4(1):22-28
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.62161
Delonix elata
,
Enicostemma axillare, Merremia tridentata, Mollugo cerviana
and
Solanum incanum
are medicinal plants
used in traditional Indian medicine for the treatment of various ailments. These plants were selected to evaluate their potential antibacterial activity. To determine antibacterial activity and phytochemicals in the crude extracts of five medicinal plants used in traditional Indian medicine for the treatment of various ailments like rheumatism, piles fever, skin diseases and snake bite. The antibacterial activity of organic solvent extracts of these plants were determined by disc diffusion and broth dilution techniques against gram-positive bacterial strains (
Bacillus subtilis
,
Staphylococcus aureus
)
and
gram-negative bacterial strains (
Escherichia coli,
Klebsiella pneumoniae
,
Pseudomonas
aeruginosa
). Results revealed that the chloroform and methanol extracts of
D. elata
and methanol extracts of
M. cerviana
exhibited significant antibacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative strains with minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) ranging from 1.5 to 100 mg/ml. Methanol extracts of
M. tridentata
exhibited activity only against gram-positive bacterial strains with MBC ranging from 12.5 to 100 mg/ml. Extracts of
E. axillare
and
S. incanum
showed activity only against
B. subtilis
and were not bactericidal at 100 mg/ml. The most susceptible organism to the organic extracts from all the studied plants was
B. subtilis
and the most resistant organism was
P.
aeruginosa
. The presence of phytochemicals such as alkaloids, tannins, triterpenoids, steroids and glycosides in the extracts of these plants supports their traditional uses as medicinal plants for the treatment of various ailments. The present study reveals potential use of these plants for developing new antibacterial compounds against pathogenic microorganisms.
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6,221
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5
Efficacy of cow urine therapy on various cancer patients in Mandsaur District, India - A survey
NK Jain, VB Gupta, Rajesh Garg, N Silawat
January-March 2010, 4(1):29-35
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.62163
Evaluation of cow urine therapy on cancer patients in 8 days camp at Mandsaur district was carried out. The object of this survey was to evaluate efficacy of cow urine therapy on various cancer patients who were reported across from different state of India. Total 68 cancer patients reported during the survey from 8 April 2007 to 15 April 2007. A questionnaire was developed to assess the efficacy of cow urine therapy. During survey, out of 68 patients, 7.35% patients withdraw themselves from the treatment and 63 (92.64%) patients continued the therapy. There was a high proportion (30.87%) of throat cancer and the other prevalent cancer was breast cancer (14.70%) followed by cervix and uterine cancer (5.88%), buccal cavity cancer and sinus (4.41%) lung cancer, lymphoma and bone cancer (2.94%), both throat and buccal (5.88%) and other cancer (8.82%), respectively. The symptoms (pain, inflammation, burning sensation, difficulty in swallowing, irritation, etc.) of cancer patients were categorized into severe, moderate and mild categories, respectively. Intensive study of the data of cancer patients revealed that the degree of severe, moderate and mild symptoms were 82.16%, 15.8% and 1.58% on the first day and 7.9%, 55.3% and 36.34% on the eighth day, respectively. It was evaluated that patients who were receiving cow urine therapy since 2-3 months were most benefited. Hence, this traditional therapy may really a boon to cancer patients.
[ABSTRACT]
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6,654
428
1
Antimicrobial and wound healing activities of leaves of
Alternanthera sessilis
Linn
Sunil S Jalalpure, Nitin Agrawal, MB Patil, R Chimkode, Ashish Tripathi
July-September 2008, 2(3):141-144
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.42729
The leaves of
Alternanthera sessilis
(Linn.) R.Br.ex DC (Family Amaranthaceae) were exhaustively extracted by soxhlet apparatus with different solvents like, petroleum ether (40-60ºC), chloroform, acetone, methanol and distilled water in ascending order of the polarity. All the five extracts were subjected to antimicrobial screening by using the cup plate and turbidimetric methods. The chloroform extract among all five extracts showed maximum zone of inhibition and significant MIC values in above two methods respectively. Hence chloroform extract was taken for the screening of wound healing activity and models adopted for wound healing activity were, incision, excision and granuloma studies. The chloroform extract of leaves of
Alternanthera sessilis
at a dose of 200 µg/mL (orally) in all models showed significant results. Contraction of wound area (
P
< 0.005) at 16
th
day, time for complete epithelization in 16 days (
P
< 0.0001), and scar area after complete epithelization was found to be 33.2 ± 0.0730 (
P
< 0.0008) in excision wound model, wound breaking strength 388 ± 5.85 grams (
P
< 0.0001) in incision wound model, granuloma dry weight 47.7 ± 2.29, granuloma breaking strength 247 ± 10.2 (
P
< 0.022) in granuloma studies. All the results were significant for different parameters in wound healing activity when compared with control group. Presence of sterols in chloroform extract was also confirmed by preliminary phytochemical investigation, TLC and HPTLC methods.
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RESEARCH ARTICLES
Free radical scavenging activity of aqueous extract of roots of
Baliospermum montanum
Muell-Arg
Prajakta V Desai, Raju R Wadekar, Girish H Kedar, Kalpana S Patil
January-March 2008, 2(1):31-33
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.39161
Free radical scavenging potential of the aqueous extract of roots of
Baliospermum montanum
Muell-Arg, a medicinal plant, was evaluated by using diphenyl-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) assay and nitric oxide (NO) scavenging assay. The
in vitro
antioxidant activity of the plant extract was determined by DPPH and NO scavenging activity method. In the DPPH method, antioxidants present in the plant extract reacted with DPPH, which is a stable free radical, and converted it to 1,1-diphenyl-1,2-picryl, hydrazine. The results were expressed as IC
50
. Ascorbic acid, which was used as a standard, showed an IC
50
of 19.90 ± 2.3 μg/ml, whereas the plant extract showed an IC
50
of 26.22 ± 0.8 mg/ml. In the second method, NO generated from sodium nitroprusside in aqueous solution at physiological pH interacted with oxygen to produce nitrite ion, which was measured at 540 nm. Ascorbic acid, the standard, showed an IC
50
of 5.62 ± 2.5 μg/ml; the plant extract showed an IC
50
of 36.66 ± 2.8 μg/ml. In the present study, aqueous extract of
B. montanum
showed remarkable and concentration-dependent free radical scavenging activity comparable to that of a standard such as ascorbic acid in the studied models; significant results were observed in the estimated parameters, thereby indicating that
B. montanum
has promising free radical scavenging activity.
[ABSTRACT]
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5,652
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1
REVIEW ARTICLES
Aromatherapy: Short overview
Meenakshi Bharkatiya, Rajesh K Nema, Kamal Singh Rathore, Sunita Panchawat
January-March 2008, 2(1):13-16
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.39156
Aromatherapy is the practice of using volatile plant oils, including essential oils, for psychological and physical wellbeing. Aromatherapy is a therapeutic remedy that has helped millions of people down the years. Aromatherapy has a variety of helpful properties, which include antibiotic, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antifungal agents and so on. Essential oils, unlike prescription drugs, work only on those areas that are 'broken', which means they do not go on the healthy tissues and work there. They travel around the body, look for illnesses and target those alone. Aromatherapy is often used in conjunction with massage therapy, acupuncture, reflexology, herbology and other holistic healing therapies.
[ABSTRACT]
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ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Anti-hepatotoxic and anti-oxidant defense potential of
Tridax procumbens
Reddipalli Hemalatha
July-September 2008, 2(3):164-169
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.42736
Tridax procumbens
is a widely occurring medicinal herb used by ethnomedical practitioners. With increased use of chemicals and alcohol besides growing incidence of viruses and autoimmune diseases, the incidence of liver injury is growing for which conventional drugs used for treatment are often inadequate. Various models are adopted in pharmological studies for inducing hepatitis/ liver injury similar to those observed in human viral hepatitis, diabetes and oxidative stress. D-galactosamine with lipopolysacchride (LPS), carbontetrachloride (CCl
4
) and paracetamol intoxication, diabetes induced with alloxan are widely used on rodents for this purpose.
In vitro
studies on
Tridax procumbens
(TP) revealed the anti-oxidant potential of the herb with chloroform fraction of the ethanolic extract showing maximum activity. It is also reported to possess anti-oxidant minerals such as iron, magnesium, copper and zinc.
In vivo
studies on rodents on the anti-oxidant potential of TP induced through LPS, CCl
4,
alloxan and paracetamol intoxication induced hepatitis confirmed the results from
in vitro
studies as a potential anti-hepatotoxic herb.
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5,515
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2
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Evaluation of anti-nociceptive activity of
Cissus quadrangularis
on albino mice
GS Mate, NS Naikwade, CS Magdum, AA Chowki, SB Patil
April-June 2008, 2(2):118-121
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.41186
Throughout the history, man has used several forms of therapy for relief of pain; among them, medicinal herbs have gained popularity because of its wide use and less side effects.
Cissus quadrangularis
, for example, is a commonly used folklore medicine in India to hasten the fracture healing process; in Cameroon, the whole plant is used for the treatment of oral dehydration, while in Africa and Asia, the leaves, stems and roots are utilized for the treatment of various ailments. The plant extract were prepared by using chloroform and distilled water in proportion (20:80), macerated for 72 h with occasional stirring and concentrated under dry vacuum. The extract of
Cissus quadrangularis
was examined for centrally acting analgesics by using the hot plate method, formalin test and acetic acid-induced writhing method for peripherally acting analgesics. The doses administered were 250 mg/kg and 350 mg/kg. The animal that administered both the doses showed significant analgesic activity. The animal that administered a dose of 350 mg/kg has shown the maximum analgesic activity which is comparable to the standard.
[ABSTRACT]
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Anthelmintic activity of the crude extracts of
Ficus racemosa
CH Chandrashekhar, KP Latha, HM Vagdevi, VP Vaidya
April-June 2008, 2(2):100-103
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.41180
The crude extracts of
Ficus racemosa
(Moraceae) were evaluated for anthelmintic activity using adult earthworms; the bark extract of
Ficus racemosa
exhibited a dose-dependent inhibition of spontaneous motility (paralysis) and evoked responses to pin-prick. With higher doses (50 mg/mL of aqueous extract), the effects were comparable with that of 3% piperazine citrate. However, there was no final recovery in the case of worms treated with aqueous extract in contrast to piperazine citrate with which the paralysis was reversible and the worms recovered completely within 5 h. The result shows that the aqueous extract possesses wormicidal activity and thus, may be useful as an anthelmintic.
[ABSTRACT]
[FULL TEXT]
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[CITATIONS]
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686
1
ORIGINAL ARTICLES
Pharmacognostical studies on the leaves of
Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour) Spreng
Nirmala Devi Kaliappan, Periyanayagam Kasi Viswanathan
July-September 2008, 2(3):182-184
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.42740
Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour) Spreng
belonging to the family
Lamiaceae
commonly known as Karpuravalli, Omavalli in Tamil, Patta ajavayin, Patharcur in Hindi, Country borage in English is a large succulent aromatic perennial herb. It is highly aromatic pubescent herb with distinctive smelling leaves. The plant is distributed throughout in India, cultivated in the gardens. The leaves of this plant have been used in malarial fever, hepatopathy, renal and vesical calculi, cough, chronic asthma, hiccough, bronchitis, anthelmintic, colic and convulsions. This paper deals with the micro morphological studies carried out on the leaves of
Plectranthus amboinicus
one of the WHO accepted parameter for identification of medicinal plants. For the better understanding of structural details Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) also employed.
[ABSTRACT]
[FULL TEXT]
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5,524
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A rapid and simple scheme for the standardization of polyherbal drugs
Arvind Kumar Sharma, SS Gaurav, Acharya Balkrishna
April-June 2009, 3(2):134-140
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.54904
In America and Europe, fast growing awareness and confidence has been shown by consumers for alternative medicine. The Indian system of medicine comprises of Ayurved, Unani and Siddha. In these systems maximum drugs are made up of polyherbal materials. The Indian System of Medicine is a pioneer in the use of herbominiral material as medicines. The World Health Organization (WHO) in 1999, had given a detail protocol for the standardization of herbal drugs comprising of a single content, but very little literature is available for the standardization of polyherbal drugs. We have developed a rapid and simple scheme for the standardization and authentication of a polyherbal drug comprising of many substances. Madhunashini is a polyherbal drug, which is a complex mixture of different herbal and mineral substances. We have undertaken the task of developing a novel scheme for a sensitive, specific and accurate standardization of Divya Madhunashini. The present scheme could also be applicable for the standardization of other polyherbal drugs, for their consistency, potency and efficacy. A packet of 120 tablets of Madhunashini, 500mg, has been taken from the Divya pharmacy, Haridwar outlet; batch No.DPO-12 Exp. 9/2009. Madhunashini is a mixture of 23 poly herbal materials. We have categorized all 23 herbominiral materials into four categories, alkaloid content, glycoside content, bitter content and tannin content. Our result indicates that the extraction of polyherbal drugs in different solvents, in a particular sequence, yields all the four categories of active constituents, which are further identified by high performance thin layer chromatography, whereas, material extracted with one solvent has not exhibited any clear Rf values and always appears in the form of a tail.
[ABSTRACT]
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[CITATIONS]
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1,424
3
RESEARCH ARTICLES
Preparation of transdermal monolithic systems of indapamide by solvent casting method and the use of vegetable oils as permeation enhancer
GS Sanap, GY Dama, AS Hande, SP Karpe, SV Nalawade, RS Kakade, UY Jadhav
April-June 2008, 2(2):129-133
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.41189
Transdermal drug delivery systems of indapamide have been formulated by using solvent casting method. Monolithic systems were prepared by using hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) and ethyl cellulose (EC) polymers by incorporating glycerine and dibutyl phthalate as plasticizers, respectively. All the patches were uniform with respect to physicochemical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) evaluation. The
in vitro
drug release studies indicated that HPMC containing films have shown better release than that of EC containing films without any permeation enhancer. A total of eight monolithic systems were prepared by using a drug polymer ratio of 1:4 and incorporated different vegetable oils as permeation enhancers in different concentrations. The prepared systems released the drug in the following order: F3 > F4 > F7 > F5 > F8 > F6 > F1 > F2. The various permeation parameters such as flux, permeability coefficient, enhancement ratio and diffusion rate constants were determined for all the formulations. The maximum flux of 9.08 x 10
2
mg/cm
2
h was observed with HPMC monolithic system containing 30% w/w olive oil. A significant improvement of flux was observed in the following order: olive oil > linseed oil > sunflower oil > cottonseed oil > coconut oil > castor oil. Further improvement of flux was observed, when 30% w/w olive oil was applied directly onto the skin prior to the studies. The
in vitro
release studies revealed that the release was sustained up to 24 h and it follows zero-order kinetics. All the films were found to be stable at 37°C and 45°C with respect to their physical parameters and drug content.
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[CITATIONS]
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REVIEW ARTICLE
Ethnomedicinal plants for prevention and treatment of tumours
Madhuri Sharma, Pandey Govind
January-March 2009, 3(1):2-5
DOI
:10.4103/0973-8258.49367
The plant kingdom plays a major role in the life of human beings and animals. The plant, as one of the important sources, still maintains its original place in the treatment of various diseases, including tumours (neoplasms), with no ill effects. Considerable studies have been carried out on ethnomedicinal plants of India; however, only few medicinal plants have attracted the interest of scientists, to investigate them for a remedy for tumours. Plants may promote host resistance against infection by restabilizing body equilibrium and conditioning body tissues. In fact, ethnomedicinal plants (indigenous system of medicine) are easily available, cheaper and possess no toxicity. Hence, this review contributes to the knowledge of certain ethnomedicinal plants, which are prevalent for prevention and treatment of benign and malignant (cancer) tumours.
[ABSTRACT]
[FULL TEXT]
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