Posted by admin on Sep 1, 2014 in |
Dementia is a progressive neurological disease of the brain. It demolishes the vital brain cells, causing trouble with memory, thinking, and behavior, brutal enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies, and social life. Recognized factors in dementia include acetylcholine deficiency, free radicals, and inflammation of the brain tissue. Since, the drugs and natural remedies have been prescribed to enhance the memory and protect the memory functioning in dementia people. The traditional herbal medicine, numerous plants have been used to treat age-related cognitive disorders. The use of herbs to treat ailments would later form a large part of Ayurveda. In the first millennium BCE, there emerges in post-Vedic India the traditional medicine system known as Ayurveda, meaning the “complete knowledge for long life”. According to the compendium of Charaka, the Charakasamhita health and disease are not predetermined and life may be prolonged by human effort. The compendium of Suśruta, they defines the purpose of medicine to cure the diseases of the sick, protect the healthy, and to prolong life. Most remarkable...
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Posted by admin on Sep 1, 2014 in |
In this review, the current knowledge on the phytochemistry and pharmacology of Piper betle (betel), Piper sarmentosum (wild pepper) and Piper caninum (wild betel) is updated with some description of their botany and uses. Leaves of P. betle contain polyphenols, alkaloids, and essential oils, and display broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, substantial quorum sensing inhibition and tyrosinase enhancement activity. They also possess anti-malarial, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, hypoglycaemic, neuro-protective and hepatoprotective properties. Leaves of P. sarmentosum contain phenylpropanoids, phenylpropanoyl amides, dihydroxyflavone, and essential oils. Wild pepper displays a wide array of pharmacological properties including antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-amoebic, anti-dengue, anti-tuberculosis, cytotoxic, antiplasmodial, neuromuscular-blocking, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycaemic, anti-atherosclerosis and anti-osteoporosis activities. Leaves of P. caninum contain phenolic compounds, alkaloids, and essential oils. Pharma-cological properties of wild betel include antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, DNA-damaging, DNA strand-scission, and anticancer activities. All three Piper species reviewed possess pharmacological properties, which confer their traditional and contemporary uses as food and herbal...
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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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