Research Paper in Herbal Chemistry

Ethno - Medical Plants Used for Abnormal Menstruation Disease in Honnali Taluk of Davanagere District,Karnataka, India

T. Vasantha Naik, N R Santosh, and R. Vanaja

The present paper deals with ethno-medical information on 12 flowering plant species commonly used by women of Honnali Taluk abnormal menstruation disease and it is very common among women above the age of 35 years. Abnormal uterine bleeding i.e., excessive menstrual scanty menstrual are also common problems. The cause of disease, its symptoms, and plant organs utilized and methods of preparation of remedies are provided. The information data on ethno-botanical plants were collected through the dialogue and arranging meeting with local knowledgeable people of the villages. The ethno-medicinal data was gathered from local women and the tribal men, ‘Vaidhyas’.

Solanum nigrum: A Wild Plant Effective against Breast Cancer and Prostate Cancer

Monika Kumari

Breast cancer in women and Prostate cancer in men are most common and ranking among top five cancers in India as well as in world. Their treatment is usually costlier and including chemically derived high cost drugs therapy. Furthermore, in most of the cases mastectomy and prostatectomy is done to save the patient which affect both physical and mental health of patient. From some researches it is found that S .nigrum phytochemicals present in its leaves and berries are effective against both breast cancer and prostate cancer. Moreover, it is a wild plant species can be easily available thus low cost anti cancerous medicines can be made from phytochemicals of S. nigrum, also being herbal; medicines made from it may have less chance of side effects. There is strong need of doing more research on this plant to provide people low cost, more effective, less side effects possessing anti cancerous medicines. In this review attempts have been made to give a brief account of importance, phytochemical constituents against cancer,researches have been done related to anticancer properties of Solanum nigrum, to bring attention towards this plant for more research.

Therapeutic Uses of Withania somnifera(Ashwagandha)

Monika Kumari

Withania somnifera is a commonly used herb in the Ayurvedic medicine. Many Studies showed that the ashwagandha possess adaptogenic,anti-stress, anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, neuroprotective,cardio-protective activities. More than 35 compounds extracted fromthe plant shows these pharmacological actions. From toxicity studies it also gets clear that it is safe to consume at low doses. This review was conducted with the objective of enlisting the diverse therapeutic benefits of Withania somnifera.Ashwaganda is having great potential to be used for many therapeutic benefits.But the drug is lacking clinical proof of the various activities, so it needs to be worked upon on the clinical side.

Screening of Protein Analysis by Using Leaf Extract of Some Selected Medicinal Plants Tulsi, Pudina, Dhaniya,Aloevera and Amla

Puja Singh, Rashmi Arnold, Arti Saxena, Sunil K. Pandey, Seema Tiwari and Rashmi Pandey

Medicinal plants, since times immemorial, have been used virtually in all cultures as a source of medicine. Medicinal plants play a key role in world health care systems. Since the last decade, the rise in the failure of chemotherapeutics and antibiotic resistance exhibited by pathogenic microbial infectious agents has led to the screening of several medicinal plants for their potential antimicrobial activity. In our study we have selected five domestic medicinal plants which are naturally highly available and are quite common: Tulsi (Ocimum tenuiflorum), Pudina (Mentha piperita),Dhaniya (Coriander sativum), Aloevera (Aloe barbadensis), Amla (Phyllanthus emblica)and we analyzed the protein isolation from leaf extract of selected medicinal plants.

Development of Chyawanprash Bar

Athawale GH, Akbari SH, Kulkarni KD, Joshi DC

Chyawanprash bar was made using aonla pulp and different herbal ingredients.This study was carried out to produce a good quality bar in terms of maximum ascorbic acid content present in the bar. The products were evaluated by physico- chemical and sensory properties by descriptive evaluation techniques. It was found evident that chyawanprash bar prepared using 0.5 % pectin concentration at 4 mm sheet thickness followed by drying at 60 °C produces good amount of ascorbic acid content in the bar.

Analysis of Salicylic acid content in Taramira(Eruca sativa) induced by Fusarium oxysporum

Neeti Sharma, B. D. Pant and Jyoti Srivastava

Eruca sativa L. (Mill.), family Brassicaceae, also known as taramira originated in Mediterranean region and widely distributed all over the World. It is an annual oilseed crop and it has various medicinal properties. Fusarium oxysporum is the major causative agent of root rot diseases in taramira, affects the crop, leading to plugging of vascular system, yellowing of leaves and ultimately drooping of plants causing huge loss to the economy. Induction of plant defense against pathogen attack is regulated by a complex network of different signals along with phenolic compounds. Salicylic acid (SA), a phenolic compound, plays an important role in induction of plant defense against a variety of biotic and abiotic stresses. The present study investigated the induced defense responses against F. oxysporum by the use of SA in taramira. The content of defense metabolite studied in this plant is found to be higher at 96 hrs during infection. Analysis of SA is done by using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). The results showed that SA level in all infected plants are higher than the control plants. The percentage increase in SA concentration in three cultivars (RTM-314, RTM-1212 and RTM-2002) is 56%, 68% and 44% respectively in comparison to control one. It can be concluded that the infection induced an up-regulation of plant defense mechanism, resulted in increased accumulation of antifungal SA along with increase in PAL which is known to inhibit fungal growth. This would be a fundamental step in controlling the spread of the infection within the host.

Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Semecarpus anacardium Nut Extract

Durgesh Sharma1 and Sunil Dutt Shukla*2

Semecarpus anacardium is a plant well known for its medicinal value in ayurvedic and siddha system of medicine. The Semecarpus anacardium is useful for various medicinal and pharmacological purposes in ayurvedic literature. The methanolic nut extract of Semecarpus anacardium was screened antioxidant and antibacterial property.