• CELLMED
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.7.1-7.7
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• 2013

Brassica juncea is a polyphenols enriched edible plant, with diverse medicinal uses of different parts of which have been mentioned in the Ayurveda. The effects of 10 daily oral doses (100, 200, and 400 mg/kg/day) of a methanolic Brassica juncea leaf extract in rat models of anxiety using nondiabetic and alloxan-diabetic rats were quantified. In all the three behavioural tests used, i.e. elevated plus maze, open field, and social interaction tests, anxiolytic-like activity of the extract was observed in the diabetic animals only. Quantitatively, the efficacy of the highest tested dose of the extract in these tests was always less than those observed after its lower ones. These observations provide further experimental evidences for the conviction that Brassica vegetables could as well be useful for combating diabetes associated mental health problems.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.207-216
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• 2009

Bauhinia variegata Linn (Mountain Ebony) is a medium-sized, deciduous tree, found throughout India, ascending to an altitude of 1,300 m in the Himalayas. The plant is widely used by the tribals throughout India and popular in various indigenous systems of medicine like Ayurveda, Unani and Homoeopathy. Following the various traditional claims on utility of this plant in curing number of diseases, considerable efforts have been made by researchers to verify its utility through pharmacological screenings. The notable biological activities reported are anthelmintic, antiulcer, antitumour, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antigoitrogenic, hepatoprotective and haemagglutination. Industrially, the plant is widely used for the manufacture of wood wool board, production of tannin, oil, gum and fibre. The plant is also utilized for afforestation to conserve the nature. In this article, a comprehensive account of the cultivation, microscopy, phytochemical investigation, traditional and biologically evaluated medicinal uses of B variegata is presented.

• Advances in Traditional Medicine
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.157-160
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• 2006

Chandanasav is an Ayurvedic preparation slightly reduced the gastrointestinal motility at the 15 min time interval. It increased the latent period of castor oil induced diarrhoea, slightly decreased number of stool count and lowered the purging index values. Chandanasav significantly reduced the onset and increased the duration of pentobarbital induced sleeping time. No significant analgesic effect was observed from the hot plate study Thus it may have mild constipating and central nervous system depressant activity without any effect on peripheral nervous system.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2735-2739
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• 2016

Curcumin, is a polyphenol from Curcuma longa (turmeric plant), is a polyphenol that belongs to the ginger family which has long been used in Ayurveda medicines to treat various diseases such as asthma, anorexia, coughing, hepatic diseases, diabetes, heart diseases, wound healing and Alzheimer's. Various studies have shown that curcumin has anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, hepatoprotective, thrombosuppressive, cardio protective, anti-arthritic, chemo preventive and anti-carcinogenic activities. It may suppress both initiation and progression stages of cancer. Anticancer activity of curcumin is due to negative regulation of inflammatory cytokines, transcription factors, protein kinases, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and oncogenes. This review focuses on the different targets of curcumin to treat cancer.

• CELLMED
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.4.1-4.13
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• 2022

The present communication attempts to evaluate the physicochemical and preliminary phytochemical studies on the fruit of Terminalia chebula Retz. Combretaceae family. Haritaki is one of the most celebrated herbs in the Indian traditional medicine system, Ayurveda. Terminalia chebula is known to exhibit different properties like anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-protozoal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, hepato and renal protective activities, and in the management of metabolic syndrome. As there is no detailed standardisation work reported on fruit, the physicochemical parameters, preliminary phytochemical constants, heavy metals, analysis are carried out. The phytochemical screening indicated the presence Tannin, Alkaloid, Phenol, Carbohydrate, Steroids, Protein and Resin compounds in CO₂ extract of Haritaki. The present investigation will helpful in assessing the quality and purity of a crude drug. Thus, the study provides facts that CO₂ extract of Haritaki contains medicinally important bioactive phytochemical compounds which justifies the use of plant species as conventional medicine for treatment of many diseases.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.365-369
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• 2014

Cedrus deodara (Pinaceae) has been used traditionally in Ayurveda for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. 3,4-bis(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)furan-2,5-dione (BDFD) was isolated from heart wood of Cedrus deodara and was shown to have antiepileptic and anxiolytic activity. Thus, the present study was aimed to explore its anti-depressant effect and to correlate the effect with serotonin and nor adrenaline levels of brain. Albino mice were used as experimental animal. Animals were divided in to three groups; vehicle control, imipramine (30 mg/kg i.p.), BDFD (100 mg/kg i.p.). Tail suspension test (TST) and forced swim test (FST) was performed to evaluate antidepressant effect of BDFD. BDFD (100 mg/kg, i.p.) showed a significant decrease in immobility time when subjected to FST whereas immobility time was not significantly altered in TST. BDFD treatment increased serotonin and noradrenaline levels in the brain which is indicative of BDFD having possible atypical antidepressant action.

• CELLMED
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.15.1-15.5
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• 2018

Helminthiasis is one of the most common worm diseases which causes a range of adverse health problems in humans. Ayurveda is one of the most prominent and ancient systems of traditional medicines in India. Most Ayurvedic drugs used against intestinal helminths have been developed by traditional wisdom and therefore lack a proper validation through controlled studies. The aim of the present study was to scientifically validate the in vitro efficacy of three common Indian Ayurvedic anthelmintic drugs, viz. Krimimudgar Ras, Kriminol and Vidangasava in relation to the synthetic broad-spectrum anthelmintic drugs, praziquantel and albendazole. The in vitro testing of Ayurvedic anthelmintics was done against an intestinal cestode, Raillietina sp. and a nematode, Syphacia obvelata, employing 10 mg/ml, 30 mg/ml and 50 mg/ml concentrations of each medicine. The anthelmintic efficacy was judged on the basis of paralysis and mortality time of worms after exposing to these Ayurvedic drugs. Of the three tested Ayurvedic medicines, Krimimudgar ras (KR) showed the most prominent efficacy, against both the cestode and nematode parasites. At 50 mg/ml concentration, KR caused mortality of cestodes in $7.53{\pm}0.15hr$, and of nematodes in $7.61{\pm}0.19hr$. Vidangasava was found to be comparatively less effective against the tested helminth parasites. The results of this study indicate that Ayurvedic formulations do possess significant anthelmintic effects, however, an evidence-based research is required to validate all currently used Ayurvedic anthelmintics, using proper controlled studies.

• CELLMED
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.2.1-2.16
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• 2011

Diverse medicinal uses of different types of products obtainable from Brassica juncea have been known for centuries. Most such traditionally known uses of the plant have been centered on its seeds and oils obtainable from them. During more recent decades diverse bio-active molecules and their therapeutically interesting pharmacological properties of its green edible leaves have also been described, and they are now often considered to be effective substitutes for other so called "healthy" Brassica vegetables. However, little concentrated effort has yet been made to obtain a pharmacologically better defined phytopharmaceutical from this easily cultivable plant of commercial interest in many underdeveloped and developing countries. The main aim of this overview is to point out some possibilities for designing and developing such products from the plant for combating the rapidly spreading obesity epidemic in the developed countries and some other countries. Efforts to achieve such goals could as well be an economically more feasible, and culturally more acceptable, starting point for better understanding the potential health benefits of other vegetarian foods.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.83-89
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• 2002

Butea monosperma Kuntze, commonly known as 'Palash', is employed in various indigenous systems of medicine against several diseases and almost every part of the plant has diversified medicinal properties. The seeds are used as anthelmintic, aperient, digesti and to treat piles, skin diseases and abdominal troubles. They also have the property of reducing 'Kapha' and 'Vata' (in Ayurveda). In the present paper a detailed pharmacognostical evaluation of seeds has been undertaken. The study includes macro- and micro-scopical details, fluorescence powder study and HPTLC fingerprinting. The seed is characterized by finely ridged seed coat and palisade-like malpighian cells, discontinuous transparent linea lucida in upper half of malpighian layer and simple & oblong hilum. The study also concludes that the seed samples procured from different places have similar morphological and physico-chemical characteristics. These observations are also supported by similar TLC profiles. The estimation of heavy metals (to detect permissible toxic limits), and fatty acid composition have been carried out. An attempt has also been made to see the ecological and edaphic variations, if any.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.9-13
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• 2007

Hexane extract of Porteresia coarctata (Roxb.) exhibits a toxic effect on the tissues of Spodoptera litura (F) while fed at the dose of 1000 and 2000 ppm thoroughly mixing with castor leaves (Ricinus communis L) after dissolving in DMSO at late fourth instar whereas only DMSO treated castor leaves were fed to control group. The larvae were put to rear at $28^{\circ}C{\pm}1^{\circ}C$, $76{\pm}4%$ R.H. under 12 L + 12 D photoperiodic regime. In test group insects substantial reduction of protein and DNA content was marked in fat body and midgut tissues compared to DMSO treated control group. The significant biochemical alterations in the midgut tissues and fat body of test group insects indicate the insecticidal property of the said plant extract that could be tested in facilitating the phenomenal stride in Integrated Pest Management.