Biological effects of essential oils - A review

A status review on the medicinal properties of essential oils

Chemical and biological characteristics of Cuminum cyminum and Rosmarinus officinalis essential oils

Anethum graveolens Linn., Foeniculum vulgare Mill. and Trachyspermum ammi L. are widely used traditional medicinal plants to treat various ailments. To provide a scientific basis to traditional uses of these plants, their aqueous and organic seed extracts, as well as isolated phytoconstituents were evaluated for their antibacterial potential. Antibacterial activity of aqueous and organic seed extracts was assessed using agar diffusion assay, minimum inhibitory concentration and viable cell count studies; and their antibacterial effect was compared with some standard antibiotics. The presence of major phytoconstituents was detected qualitatively and quantitatively. The isolated phytoconstituents were subjected to disc diffusion assay to ascertain their antibacterial effect. Hot water and acetone seed extracts showed considerably good antibacterial activity against all the bacteria except Klebsiella pneumoniae and one strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Minimum inhibitory concentration for aqueous and acetone seed extracts ranged from 20–80 mg/ml and 5–15 mg/ml respectively. Viable cell count studies revealed the bactericidal nature of the seed extracts. Statistical analysis proved the better/equal efficacy of some of these seed extracts as compared to standard antibiotics. Phytochemical analysis showed the presence of 2.80 – 4.23% alkaloids, 8.58 – 15.06% flavonoids, 19.71 – 27.77% tannins, 0.55–0.70% saponins and cardiac glycosides. Antibacterial efficacy shown by these plants provides a scientific basis and thus, validates their traditional uses as homemade remedies. Isolation and purification of different phytochemicals may further yield significant antibacterial agents.

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Antibacterial and phytochemical screening of Anethum graveolens, Foeniculum vulgare and Trachyspermum ammi

Wound healing and antimicrobial effect of active secondary metabolites in chitosan-based wound dressings: A review

The essential oils extracted from the seeds of seven spices, Anethum graveolens, Carum capticum, Coriandrum sativum, Cuminum cyminum, Foeniculum vulgare, Pimpinella anisum and Seseli indicum have been studied for antibacterial activity against eight pathogenic bacteria, causing infections in the human body. It has been found that the oil of C. capticum is very effective against all tested bacteria. The oil of C. cyminum and A. graveolens also gave similar results. These oils are equally or more effective when compared with standard antibiotics, at a very low concentration.

Studies on essential oils: Part 10; Antibacterial activity of volatile oils of some spices

A note on antibacterial activity of volatile oils of some aromatic plants

Studies on essential oils : part ii : antibacterial investigations of volatile oils of some higher plants

The present investigation was undertaken with the objective to carry out combining ability and heterosis for 13fruit yield and its attributing traits in 14 parents and their 24 crosses in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench)at vegetable research farm, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana during spring-summer season2019–20 and rainy (kharif) season 2020–21. Four crosses, viz. HB-20-3-4 × Hisar Naveen (HN), Hisar Mutant (HM)-1× Hisar Unnat (HU), HBMS-1 × Hisar Unnat (HU) and HB-76-2-4 × Hisar Naveen (HN) showed highly significantpositive economic heterosis for yield and its contributing traits.Parents HB-20-3-4 and HM-1 were found to be thebest general combiner for most of the economic traits. While, cross HB-60-1 × HN followed by HBMS-1 × HU, HB-20-3-4 × HN, HM-1 × HU and HB-96-2 × HU demonstrated strong SCA effects for yield and its attributes. The ratio of general combining ability (σ2GCA) and specific combining ability variances (σ2SCA) was less than one for all the quantitative traits indicating the non-additive gene effects predominated in determining the expression of allthese characters and demonstrates variability in genotypes, which provide ample scope for improvement of yield and its contributing traits in okra. Line HB-60-1 when crossed with Hisar Naveen, and HBMS-1 with Hisar Unnat gavesuperior hybrids as compared to other crosses. Hence, these parents can be exploited for further genetic improvement programmes and isolation of desirable segregants in okra.

/pdf/exploitation-of-combining-ability-and-heterosis-potential-3odt84a4.pdf

U. K. Singh

Papers

Studies on essential oils: Part 10; Antibacterial activity of volatile oils of some spices

A note on antibacterial activity of volatile oils of some aromatic plants

Studies on essential oils : part ii : antibacterial investigations of volatile oils of some higher plants

Exploitation of combining ability and heterosis potential for improvement in okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) genotypes