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Medicinal plants

About: Medicinal plants is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 3816 publications have been published within this topic receiving 108681 citations. The topic is also known as: medicinal herbs & medicinal plants.


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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Yields of extracts and their antiplasmodial activity varied with season in some plant species, showing that some East African medicinal plants can serve as a source of lead compounds for the development of new drugs against the chloroquinesensitive and chloroquine-resistant strains of P. falciparum.
Abstract: Four traditional medicinal plants of east and central Africa, Emilia discifolia (Oliv.) C. Jeffrey, Senecio stuhlmannii, Indigofera emarginella A. Rich. and Aspilia africana (Pers) C.D. Adams, were screened for in vitro antimalarial activity using the nitro-tetrazolium blue-based parasite lactate dehydrogenase assay. The plant parts were collected in two batches: one in the wet season and the other in the dry season. The ethyl acetate extract of A. africana had the highest antiplasmodial activity against both the chloroquine-sensitive D10 [inhibitory concentration (IC)50 = 9.3; 7.7–10.9 μg ml−1] and the chloroquine-resistant K1 (IC50 = 11.5; 8.7–14.3 μg ml−1) strains of P. falciparum. There was a positive correlation between the antiplasmodial activity of the extracts against the D10 and K1 strains of P. falciparum (Pearsons’ coefficient, r = 0.9691, P =0.05). Yields of extracts and their antiplasmodial activity varied with season in some plant species. This study shows that some East African medicinal plants can serve as a source of lead compounds for the development of new drugs against the chloroquine-sensitive and chloroquine-resistant strains of P. falciparum. The need for optimization of the conditions of harvest to maximize yields is also highlighted.

51 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The folk knowledge of medicinal plants species of Koh-e-Safaid Range was unexplored and abies pindrow, Artemisia scoparia, Nannorrhops ritchiana, Salvia reflexa, and Vincetoxicum cardiostephanum have been reported previously for their medicinal importance.
Abstract: The residents of remote areas mostly depend on folk knowledge of medicinal plants to cure different ailments. The present study was carried out to document and analyze traditional use regarding the medicinal plants among communities residing in Koh-e-Safaid Range northern Pakistani-Afghan border. A purposive sampling method was used for the selection of informants, and information regarding the ethnomedicinal use of plants was collected through semi-structured interviews. The collected data was analyzed through quantitative indices viz. relative frequency citation, use value, and family use value. The conservation status of medicinal plants was enumerated with the help of International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List Categories and Criteria (2001). Plant samples were deposited at the Herbarium of Botany Department, University of Peshawar for future reference. One hundred eight informants including 72 male and 36 female were interviewed. The informants provided information about 92 plants species used in the treatment of 53 ailments. The informant reported maximum number of species used for the treatment of diabetes (16 species), followed by carminatives (12 species), laxatives (11 species), antiseptics (11 species), for cough (10 species), to treat hepatitis (9 species), for curing diarrhea (7 species), and to cure ulcers (7 species), etc. Decoction (37 species, i.e., 40%) was the common method of recipe preparation. Most familiar medicinal plants were Withania coagulans, Caralluma tuberculata, and Artemisia absinthium with relative frequency (0.96), (0.90), and (0.86), respectively. The relative importance of Withania coagulans was highest (1.63) followed by Artemisia absinthium (1.34), Caralluma tuberculata (1.20), Cassia fistula (1.10), Thymus linearis (1.06), etc. This study allows identification of novel uses of plants. Abies pindrow, Artemisia scoparia, Nannorrhops ritchiana, Salvia reflexa, and Vincetoxicum cardiostephanum have not been reported previously for their medicinal importance. The study also highlights many medicinal plants used to treat chronic metabolic conditions in patients with diabetes. The folk knowledge of medicinal plants species of Koh-e-Safaid Range was unexplored. We, for the first time, conducted this quantitative study in the area to document medicinal plants uses, to preserve traditional knowledge, and also to motivate the local residents against the vanishing wealth of traditional knowledge of medicinal flora. The vast use of medicinal plants reported shows the significance of traditional herbal preparations among tribal people of the area for their health care. Knowledge about the medicinal use of plants is rapidly disappearing in the area as a new generation is unwilling to take interest in medicinal plant use, and the knowledgeable persons keep their knowledge a secret. Thus, the indigenous use of plants needs conservational strategies and further investigation for better utilization of natural resources.

51 citations

Book ChapterDOI
29 Mar 2017
TL;DR: This book chapter is planned to document the enzyme inhibitory potential of natural compounds, medicinal plant extract, and its isolated compounds.
Abstract: Enzyme inhibitory agents are attractive because of their application in treating different ailments. The absence of enzymes produce a number of diseases. Medicinal plants are a rich source of producing secondary metabolites which showed broad-spectrum enzyme inhibitory potential. The position of enzyme inhibitors as new drugs is vast since these compounds have been used for the treatment of various physiological disorders. Bioactive secondary metabolites can deliver excellent pharmacophore patterns for drugs related to numerous illnesses. This book chapter is planned to document the enzyme inhibitory potential of natural compounds, medicinal plant extract, and its isolated compounds.

51 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening of six plants used in ethnomedicine in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria was carried out to identify and quantify the bioactive compounds present in these highly medicinal plants.
Abstract: Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening of six plants used in ethnomedicine in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria was carried out to identify and quantify the bioactive compounds present in these highly medicinal plants. The plants studied were Phyllanthus amarus Schum and Thonn, Euphorbia heterophylla Linn., Senna occidentalis L., Piper nigrum L., Ageratum conyzoides L. and Gongronema latifolium Benth. Ethanolic and aqueous extracts of leaves of the plant species were screened for the presence of alkaloid, anthraquinone, coumarin, flavonoid, phenol, quinone, saponin, tannin, sugar and glycoside and quantitative study was also carried out using Standard method. Qualitative study indicated the presence of all the phytochemicals in the ethanolic extracts of P. amarus and E. heterophylla, and absence of anthraquinone in S. occidentalis, P. nigrum, A. conyzoides and G. latifolium. Also, absence of coumarin in S. occidentalis, and phenol in G. latifolium. The aqueous extract indicated the presence of all the phytochemicals in A. conyzoides and presence of alkaloid, tannin, sugar and glycoside in other plant species studied. Quantitative analysis showed variable amounts of pharmacologically important secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, tannins, flavonoid, saponins and phenol in all the plants investigated. The different phytochemicals are shown to perform different biological activities in humans and animals. These compounds can be harnessed for industrial and pharmaceutical utilization.

51 citations


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Performance
Metrics
No. of papers in the topic in previous years
YearPapers
2023617
20221,438
2021239
2020262
2019227
2018252