Medicinal plants

Abstract: Indian medicinal plants / , Indian medicinal plants / , مرکز فناوری اطلاعات و اطلاع رسانی کشاورزی

Abstract: Cancer prevention and treatment using traditional Chinese medicines have attracted increasing interest. This study characterizes antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds of traditional Chinese medicinal plants associated with anticancer, comprising 112 species from 50 plant families. The improved ABTS(*+) method was used to systematically assess the total antioxidant capacity (Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity, TEAC) of the medicinal extracts. The TEAC values and total phenolic content for methanolic extracts of herbs ranged from 46.7 to 17,323 micromol Trolox equivalent/100 g dry weight (DW), and from 0.22 to 50.3 g of gallic acid equivalent/100 g DW, respectively. A positive, significant linear relationship between antioxidant activity and total phenolic content (all R(2) values>/=0.95) showed that phenolic compounds were the dominant antioxidant components in the tested medicinal herbs. Major types of phenolic compounds from most of the tested herbs were preliminarily identified and analyzed, and mainly included phenolic acids, flavonoids, tannins, coumarins, lignans, quinones, stilbenes, and curcuminoids. These medicinal herbs exhibited far stronger antioxidant activity and contained significantly higher levels of phenolics than common vegetables and fruits. Traditional Chinese medicinal plants associated with anticancer might be potential sources of potent natural antioxidants and beneficial chemopreventive agents.

Abstract: Alkaloids, tannins, saponins, steroid, terpenoid, flavonoids, phlobatannin and cardic glycoside distribution in ten medicinal plants belonging to different families were assessed and compared. The medicinal plants investigated were Cleome nutidosperma, Emilia coccinea, Euphorbia heterophylla, Physalis angulata, Richardia bransitensis, Scopania dulcis, Sida acuta, Spigelia anthelmia, Stachytarpheta cayennensis and Tridax procumbens. All the plants were found to contain alkaloids, tannins and flavonoids except for the absence of tannins in S. acuta and flavonoids in S. cayennsis respectively. The significance of the plants in traditional medicine and the importance of the distribution of these chemical constituents were discussed with respect to the role of these plants in ethnomedicine in Nigeria.

Abstract: Part 1: Introduction Plants in medicine: the origins of pharmacognosy The scope and practice of pharmacognosy Plant nomenclature and taxonomy Part 2: The plant and animal kingdoms as sources of drugs Biological and geographical sources of drugs A taxonomic approach to the study of medicinal plants and animal-derived drugs Pharmacological activities of natural products Synergy and other interactions in phytomedicines Traditional plant medicines as a source of new drugs Discovering new lead compounds in pharmaceutical research and development Part 3: Principles related to the commercial production, quality and standardization of natural products Commerce in crude drugs Production of crude drugs Plant growth regulators Plant cell and tissue culture biological conversions clonal propagation Phytochemical variation within a species Deterioration of stored drugs Quality control Part 4: Phytochemistry General methods associated with the phytochemical investigation of herbal products Basic metabolic pathways and the origin of secondary metabolites Part 5: Pharmacopoeial and related drugs of biological origin Introduction Hydrocarbons and derivatives Carbohydrates Phenols and phenolic glycosides Volatile oils and resins Saponins, cardioactive drugs and other steroids Miscellaneous isoprenoids Cyanogenetic glycosides, glucoinolate compounds and miscellaneous glycosides Alkaloids The search for naturally-derived anticancer agents Antiprotozoal natural products An overview of drugs with antihepatotoxic and oral hypoglycaemic activities Antibacterial and antiviral drugs Vitamins and hormones The plant nutraceuticals Colouring and flavouring agents Miscellaneous products Part 6: Plants in complementary and traditional systems of medicine Introduction Herbal medicine in Britain and Europe: regulation and practice Asian medicine Chinese herbs in the West Plants in African traditional medicine - some perspectives Part 7: Nonmedicinal toxic plants and pesticides Hallucinogenic, allergenic, teratogenic and other toxic plants Pesticides of natural origins Part 8: Morphological and microscopical examination of drugs Plant description, morphology and anatomy Cell differentiation and ergastic cell contents Techniques in microscopy Index

Abstract: Since ancient times, plants have been an exemplary source of medicine. Ayurveda and other Indian literature mention the use of plants in treatment of various human ailments. India has about 45 000 plant species and among them, several thousands have been claimed to possess medicinal properties. Research conducted in last few decades on plants mentioned in ancient literature or used traditionally for diabetes have shown anti-diabetic property. The present paper reviews 45 such plants and their products (active, natural principles and crude extracts) that have been mentioned/used in the Indian traditional system of medicine and have shown experimental or clinical anti-diabetic activity. Indian plants which are most effective and the most commonly studied in relation to diabetes and their complications are: Allium cepa, Allium sativum, Aloe vera, Cajanus cajan, Coccinia indica, Caesalpinia bonducella, Ficus bengalenesis, Gymnema sylvestre, Momordica charantia, Ocimum sanctum, Pterocarpus marsupium, Swertia chirayita, Syzigium cumini, Tinospora cordifolia and Trigonella foenum graecum. Among these we have evaluated M. charantia, Eugenia jambolana, Mucuna pruriens, T. cordifolia, T. foenum graecum, O. sanctum, P. marsupium, Murraya koeingii and Brassica juncea. All plants have shown varying degree of hypoglycemic and anti-hyperglycemic activity.