Medicinal plants of India with anti-diabetic potential.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to review the literature regarding Withania somnifera (ashwagandha, WS) a commonly used herb in Ayurvedic medicine. Specifically, the literature was reviewed for articles pertaining to chemical properties, therapeutic benefits, and toxicity. DESIGN: This review is in a narrative format and consists of all publications relevant to ashwagandha that were identified by the authors through a systematic search of major computerized medical databases; no statistical pooling of results or evaluation of the quality of the studies was performed due to the widely different methods employed by each study. RESULTS: Studies indicate ashwagandha possesses anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antistress, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, hemopoetic, and rejuvenating properties. It also appears to exert a positive influence on the endocrine, cardiopulmonary, and central nervous systems. The mechanisms of action for these properties are not fully understood. Toxicity studies reveal that ashwagandha appears to be a safe compound. CONCLUSION: Preliminary studies have found various constituents of ashwagandha exhibit a variety of therapeutic effects with little or no associated toxicity. These results are very encouraging and indicate this herb should be studied more extensively to confirm these results and reveal other potential therapeutic effects. Clinical trials using ashwagandha for a variety of conditions should also be conducted. (Altern Med Rev 2000;5(4) 334-346)

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Scientific basis for the therapeutic use of Withania somnifera (ashwagandha): a review.

Leads from Indian medicinal plants with hypoglycemic potentials

Plants from all over the world such as Eleutherococcus senticosus, Panax ginseng, Raponticum carthamoides, Rhodiola rosea, Withania somnifera and Ocimum sanctum have been extensively evaluated for their adaptogenic potential. However, none of them has been successfully introduced as an adaptogen in the clinic. This paper discusses some of the problems in evaluation of adaptogens which have precluded their inclusion as clinically useful drugs. We further discuss our results with six rasayana plants from Ayurveda, which were studied for their adaptogenic potential. The whole, aqueous, standardized extracts of selected plants (Tinospora cordifolia, Asparagus racemosus, Emblica officinalis, Withania somnifera, Piper longum and Terminalia chebula) were administered orally to experimental animals, in a dose extrapolated from the human dose, following which they were exposed to a variety of biological, physical and chemical stressors. These plants were found to offer protection against these stressors, as judged by using markers of stress responses and objective parameters for stress manifestations. Using a model of cisplatin induced alterations in gastrointestinal motility, the ability of these plants to exert a normalizing effect, irrespective of direction of pathological change was tested. All the plants reversed the effects of cisplatin on gastric emptying, while Tinospora cordifolia and Asparagus racemosus also normalized cisplatin induced intestinal hypermotility. Tinospora cordifolia was also tested for its ability to modulate the changes occurring in the phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages after exposure of rats to either carbon tetrachloride or horse serum. It was found to normalize the phagocytic function irrespective to the direction of change, complying to the definition of an adaptogen. All the plant drugs were found to be safe in both acute and subacute toxicity studies. Studies on the mechanisms of action of the plants revealed that they all produced immunostimulation. The protection offered by Tinospora cordifolia against stress induced gastric mucosal damage was lost if macrophage activity was blocked. Emblica officinalis strengthened the defence mechanisms against free radical damage induced during stress. The effect of Emblica officinalis appeared to depend on the ability of target tissues to synthesize prostaglandins. Recent data obtained with Tinospora cordifolia suggest that it may induce genotypic adaptation, further opening the arena for more research and experimentation.

Adaptogenic properties of six rasayana herbs used in Ayurvedic medicine.

A review of natural products and plants as potential antidiabetic drugs.

Withania somnifera, herbal rejuvenative tonic widely used by Ayurvedic physicians in India, was tested for its adaptogenic properties. Pretreatment with this drug increased the swimming endurance in mice. It prevented gastric ulcers induced chemically or by stress in rats. Milk-induced leucocytosis was also prevented in mice. The drug prevented increase in adrenal weight and decrease in ascorbic acid and Cortisol content of adrenals during stress. It appears to induce a state of non-specifically increased resistance (SNIR) during stress.

Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha), a Rejuvenating Herbal Drug Which Enhances Survival During Stress (an Adaptogen)

TERMINALIA ARJUNA (Hindi name Arjuna, Family Combretacae) has been used in the treatment of cardiovascular disorders by Ayurvedic physicians. However, its properties have not been scientifically evaluated so far. Therefore, the present study was carried out to examine the underlying mechanism of the cardiovascular effects of aqueous solution of TERMINALIA ARJUNA extract. Intravenous (I. V.) administration of the extract was found to induce dose dependent decrease in blood pressure (B. P.) and heart rate (H. R.). These extracts also inhibited carotid occlusion response, without affecting the pressor responses, induced by intravenous injection of norepinephrine and by electrical stimulation of preganglionic fibres of the abdominal splanchnic nerve. Hypotension and bradycardia were also observed following the injection of the extract into the lateral cerebral ventricle and vertebral artery. The results of the present study show that the hypotensive and bradycardiac effects of T. ARJUNA are mainly of central origin.

Mechanism of Cardiovascular Action of Terminalia arjuna

Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal was evaluated for its tumor-preventing activity against urethane-induced lung adenomas in adult male albino mice. Administration of urethane in a dose of 125 mg/kg given subcutaneously biweekly for 7 months induced lung adenomas in 100% of animals. Urethane was also found to cause significant decrease in body weight, increase in mortality, leucopaenia and decrease in lymphocyte percentage as compared to untreated controls. Simultaneous oral administration of W. somnifera given in a dose of 200 mg/kg daily along with urethane protected the animals from the tumor-inducing effect of urethane. It also prevented the decrease in body weight and increase in mortality caused by urethane. The haematological changes were found to be completely reversed as evidenced by significant increases in total leucocyte count and lymphocyte percentage. These haematological changes were also observed in the animals treated with W. somnifera alone. It appears that W. somnifera may be prevent...

Prevention of Urethane - Induced Lung Adenomas by Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal in Albino Mice

A study on the anti-diabetic activity of Coccinia indica in dogs.

1. The analgesic activity of alcoholic extract of whole plant of cissus quadrangularis family vitaceae), was studied in mice by Haffner's Clip and Eddy's hot plate methods.

2. The extract effective by both oral and i.p. routes significantly (P < 0.001) increased the reaction time by both methods.

3. The duration of analgesic activity was from 2 to 4 h and optimum effect was observed at l/20th -1/10th of LD50 dose. The extract compared well with acetylsalicylic acid.

R. P. Kohli

Papers

Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha), a Rejuvenating Herbal Drug Which Enhances Survival During Stress (an Adaptogen)

Mechanism of Cardiovascular Action of Terminalia arjuna

Prevention of Urethane - Induced Lung Adenomas by Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal in Albino Mice

A study on the anti-diabetic activity of Coccinia indica in dogs.

An experimental study of analgesic activity of Cissus quadrangularis