Posted by admin on Aug 31, 2018 in |
In olden days, plants have been an ever dependent source of medicine. Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy have mentioned the use of plants in the treatment of various human diseases. Ficus benghalensis Linn. (Banyan tree) Moraceae is a plant that is widely distributed in India. The English name Banyan is given by the Britishers to this tree because under the tree Banias, i.e., the Hindu merchants used to assemble for business. To the Hindus, it is sacred and worshipped with special prayers on Vata Sawitri day. This plant is reported to possess many useful pharmacological activities also viz. anti-inflammatory, antihyperglycemic, antidiabetic, anti-arthritic, antihyperlipidemic, hypocholesterolemic, analgesic, antibacterial, antifungal, larvicidal, anti-diarrhoeal, antimutagenic, antioxidant, cytotoxic, hepatoprotective, antiallergic and immunostimulatory. The aim of the present review is an effort to give a detailed survey of the literature on its traditional uses, pharmacological activities, and other commercial...
Read More
Posted by admin on Jul 31, 2018 in |
Since from prehistoric times the practice of herbal medicine has existed as the primary form of medicine. India is one of leading bio-diversity center with the presence of over 50, 000 different plant species. Many plants are unexplored though they were used from ancient times in traditional system of medicine. At the same time, several plants activity was proven scientifically, and its resurgence as herbal medicines was started in the past few years. Many countries have included herbal products, in their national health programs and national health schemes, as an important alternative for the treatment of various diseases. In day to day life, people came across accidental wounding and management of wound is a complicated process. Wound healing is a complex and dynamic process of restoring damaged tissue that involves a series of independent and overlapping stages. Many plants have the potential to heal the wounds owing to a vast array of medicinal compounds they can synthesize. In most of the countries, a great number of plants are used...
Read More
Posted by admin on Jul 31, 2018 in |
The therapeutic potential of essential oil-bearing plants have been realized. Like herbal remedies, essential oils and their constituents cover a wide field of performance. These include antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. The field of aroma and smell is so attracting that Nobel Prize (2004) in physiology and Medicine was awarded for unlocking the secrets of smell. Thanks to Prof. Richard Alex of Columbia University, and Linda B. Buck, who unlocked the secrets of the olfactory system at the molecular level. These odor bearing substances pass through nasal passage are detected by particular neurons called olfactory cells present in the upper part of nasal epithelium which contains five (5) million neurons. Essential oils are chemically a mixture of organic compounds belonging to different chemical entities such as terpenes, phenols, aliphatic compounds, benzoyl compounds, and heterocyclic compounds. Terpenes are classified as mono, sesquiterpenes, and diterpenes based on isoprene units. Oxygenated terpenes are the chief odor transporters of the essential oils. They include the alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids,...
Read More
Posted by admin on Jun 30, 2018 in |
Helminthiasis is prevalent globally, but is more common in developing countries with poorer personal and environmental hygiene. In the human body gastrointestinal tract is the abode of many helminths, but some also live in tissue. They harm the host by depriving him of food, causing blood loss, injury to organs, intestinal or lymphatic obstruction. It is estimated that hundreds of millions of people harbor parasitic worms and one-third of the almost three billion people that live below the poverty line in developing regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Americas are infected with one or more helminth. This review gives an overview of symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevalence, and herbs used in...
Read More
Posted by admin on Jun 30, 2018 in |
Before the advances in synthetic chemistry and discovery of antimicrobials in the 19th early to 21st centuries, plants provided the major source of medicines. Traditional knowledge is more and more an established resource for modern medical science. Ayurveda is the most ancient health care system and is practiced widely in India, Sri Lanka and other countries. This article reviews some of the past success of the natural products approach and also explores some of the reasons why it has fallen out of favour among major pharmaceutical companies and challenge in drug discovery from natural products especially higher plants. In this review we consider the past, present and future value of employing information from plants used in traditional medical practice for the discovery of new bioactive...
Read More
