Posted by admin on Sep 2, 2015 in |
The Kasni, Cichorium intybus of family Asteraceae Class Magnoliopsida, which is also known as Chicory, is well known traditional herb included in many systems of medicine like Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha system of medicine. The genus Cichorium has six species with majorly distributed in Europe and Asia. It is cultivated in countries such as the UK, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Germany, South Africa, USA, and India. Kasni is a small aromatic biennial erect perennial herb around 1 m. in height with a fleshy taproot up to 75 cm in length and mainly it contains alkaloids, inulin, sesquiterpene lactones, coumarins, vitamins, chlorophyll pigments, unsaturated sterols, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, carbohydrates, glycosides, fats, gums, and minerals. Fresh chicory typically contains 68% inulin, 14% sucrose, 5% cellulose, 6% protein, 4% ash, and 3% other compounds, while dried chicory contains approximately 98% inulin and 2% other compounds. Kasni is used as antidiabetic, liver tonic, cardiotonic, diuretic, stomachic, cholagogue, depurative, and emmenagogue, etc. The present article reviews the historical, phytochemical, pharmacological, therapeutic and toxicological aspects of...
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Posted by admin on Aug 1, 2014 in |
The World Health Organization survey indicated that about 70-80% of the world’s populations rely on non-conventional medicine, mainly of herbal sources, in their primary healthcare. Among them parasitic plants are well known, 20 different species are belonging to the genus Dendrophthoe falcate (Loranthaceae) found all over the world, seven of which are found in India. The hemiparasite, Dendrophthoe falcata (L.f.) is one of the seven species present in India. It is used in the treatment of ulcer, asthma, pulmonary TB, wound healing, menstrual disorder, also used as an aphrodisiac. The water extract of Dendropthoe falcata showed satisfactory antimicrobial activity against gram-positive strains Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis and gram-negative strains Escherichia coli; while methanolic extract of Dendropthoe falcata shows satisfactory antioxidant...
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Posted by admin on Aug 1, 2014 in |
Spirulina platensis is a blue-green alga that widely used as a food supplement over worldwide. Two models were used to study the effects of Spirulina platensis on nociception which was induced by acetic acid (Writhing test), formalin (Paw licking test). Spirulina platensis was administered in the dose range of 200 and 400 mg/kg orally 1 h before pain induction. Spirulina platensis contains β-carotene and biliproteins (phycocyanin and biliphycocyanin). Oral administration of Spirulina platensis revealed dose-dependent antinociceptive effect in all the models for antinociception, and it blocked both the neurogenic and inflammatory pain, and the nociceptive activity was comparable with the reference drug. The results indicate that 400 mg/kg dose of Spirulina platensis showed significant antinociceptive activity. The activity can be related with the significant biliprotein such as phycocyanin and biliphycocyanin that have potent antioxidant...
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Posted by admin on Aug 1, 2014 in |
In the present study we screened four medicinal plants for the α-amylase inhibitory activity of each extracts phytochemicals, and it was determined based on the colorimetric assay using acarbose as a reference compound. The aqueous and ethanol extracts of the medicinal plants viz. Enicostemma littorale, Achyranthes aspera, Abutilon indicium, and Tridax procumbens were shown moderate α-amylase inhibitory activity against a reference, an account of that Achyranthes aspera shows potent activity towards remaining. Not only leaves but also the whole plant is used for comparative in-vitro study of inhibition of α- amylase...
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Posted by admin on Aug 1, 2014 in |
As life expectancy increases, malfunction or loss of tissue caused by injury or disease leads to reduced quality of life in many patients at significant socioeconomic cost. Bone disorders are of significant concern due to the increase in the median age of our population. Traditionally, bone grafts have been used to restore damaged bone. Even though major progress has been made in the field of bone tissue engineering, present therapies, such as bone grafts still have limitations. Current research on biodegradable polymers is emerging, combining these structures with osteogenic cells, as an alternative to autologous bone grafts. Different types of biodegradable materials have been proposed for the preparation of three-dimensional porous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. Among them, natural polymers are one of the most attractive options, mainly due to their similarities with the extracellular matrix, chemical versatility, good biological performance, and inherent cellular interactions. Also, synthetic biomaterials are now being used as bone graft substitutes. These biomaterials were initially selected for structural restoration based on their biomechanical properties....
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