Use of medicinal plants in traditional health care practices: A case study in Talwandi Sabo, Bathinda District, Punjab (India)

A comprehensive study was conducted to document the available medicinal plants and their traditional applications among the local people from July 2018 to June 2019 in Talwandi Sabo town of Bathinda District of Punjab. Purposive sampling method was used to select traditional medicinal practitioners of the study area. A semi-structured questionnaire was prepared and personal interviews were conducted to gather firsthand information about ethno-medicinal plants. Analysis of data revealed the use of 88 medicinal plant species belonging to 77 genera and 42 families for the treatment of about 60 ailments. The highest number of plants were used for gastrointestinal problems, skin problems followed by respiratory diseases, skeletomuscular diseases and dental problems. Traditional healers are still playing a great role in the primary health care system of Talwandi Sabo. Some practitioners were ensuring the 100% results of their formulations against many serious diseases. Further, the scientific validation of these formulations should be done for getting new alternative medicines against these diseases

The Use of Traditional Plant Remedies in Hoshiarpur District of Punjab, India

The present investigation was carried out in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab to understand the use of medicinal plant species for various curative purposes. The study was undertaken through semi structured questionnaire. About 110 plant species belonging to 97 genera and 51 families were documented. Altogether 40 types of ailments have been taken care of by using these plant species. Leaves were the most useful part as compared to other plant parts for the treatment of various ailments. This is followed by fruits and seeds. Most of the remedies were prepared as mixtures of plants/plant parts to cure diseases like diarrhoea, cough & cold, vomiting etc. Informants were randomly selected irrespective of their sex between the ages of 30-95years. During investigation, it has been observed that the trend of traditional plant remedies is declining gradually

Meiotic Studies in Some Medicinal Angiosperms from Doaba Region of Punjab, India

The chromosome number and their behavior in 15 medicinal plant species collected from Doaba region of Punjab, India have been studied. The species have shown chromosome numbers like Basella rubra L. (n=22), Coccinia cordifolia Cogn. (n=12), Delphinium ajacis L. (n=8), Lens culinaris Medic. (n=7), Melilotus alba Desr. (n= 8), Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Viv. (n=10), Nymphoides cristata (Roxb.) Kuntze (n=9), Papaver rhoeas L. (n=7), Raphanus sativus L. (n=9), Sesamum indicum L (n=13), Tinospora cordifolia (Wild.) Hook.f.et Thoms. (n=13), Triticum aestivum L. (n=21), Vitex negundo L. (n=17), Xanthium strumarium L. (n=18) and Zea mays L. (n=10). Most of the species are diploid with normal course of meiosis. But meiotic abnormalities in the form of univalents, stickiness and presence of supernumerary B-chromosomes have also been observed in some species. All the species have some medicinal value. The chromosome counts in these species are in conformity with the earlier reports, but behavioral changes have been observed in some species. This shows the genetic stability and resistance of these species to various biotic and abiotic stresses

The Use of Traditional Plant Remedies in Hoshiarpur District of Punjab, India

The present investigation was carried out in Hoshiarpur district of Punjab to understand the use of medicinal plant species for various curative purposes. The study was undertaken through semi structured questionnaire. About 110 plant species belonging to 97 genera and 51 families were documented. Altogether 40 types of ailments have been taken care of by using these plant species. Leaves were the most useful part as compared to other plant parts for the treatment of various ailments. This is followed by fruits and seeds. Most of the remedies were prepared as mixtures of plants/plant parts to cure diseases like diarrhoea, cough & cold, vomiting etc. Informants were randomly selected irrespective of their sex between the ages of 30-95years. During investigation, it has been observed that the trend of traditional plant remedies is declining gradually

Acceptor Behaviour of 2-Chloroethoxytitanium(IV) Trichloride & Bis (2-chloroethoxy) titanium (IV) Dichloride Towards Some Nitrogen Donors

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Numerical optimization of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) treatment parameters and its effect on postharvest quality characteristics of tomatoes

The present study aimed at the numerical optimization of process variables to analyze the effect of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) treatment on postharvest quality characteristics of tomatoes. Box Behnken design was used to optimize the process variables, including concentration (40, 60, and 80 ppm), pH (4, 5, and 6), and dipping time (2, 4, and 6 min), and their effect on responses, i.e., weight loss (%), redness (a*), and microbial load (log cfu/ml). The optimized values of HOCl treatment process variables were found to be concentration (80 ppm), pH (4), and dipping time (6 min), and the corresponding responses were 11.69% (weight loss), 21.09 (redness), and 4.79 log cfu/ml (microbial load). The effects of different treatments, i.e., HOCl treatment (optimum values), ClO2 treatment (concentration 60 ppm, dipping time 15 min), and control (tap water), on weight loss (%), firmness (N), TSS (%), redness (a*), and microbial load (log cfu/ml) were compared for 10 days of storage (ambient conditions). Results revealed that decay rates for HOCl-treated tomatoes were significantly lower (54.86%) in comparison to ClO2 treatment (79.16%) and control samples (97.22%) at the end of the storage period, indicating the effectiveness of HOCl treatment. However, the microbial load in the HOCl-treated samples was significantly lower (7.61 ± 0.01 log cfu/ml), followed by ClO2 (8.39 ± 0.04 log cfu/ml) in comparison to control samples (10.14 ± 0.02 log cfu/ml) during the storage period. It could be concluded that HOCl could be used as a disinfectant for enhancing the shelf life of tomatoes and ensuring microbial safety