Evaluation of Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin Benth.) cultivars for growth, yield and quality parameters

The present study was conducted to evaluate six different Patchouli cultivars for growth, yield and quality parameters with respect to patchouli alcohol. During the plant growth, significant differences were observed in plant height with respect to cultivars. Among all the cultivars, KSM 4 was found to be superior with maximum plant height (95.7 cm), more number of branches per plant (37.3), more number of leaves per plant (689) and broader leaf area (6509 cm2). The average fresh herbage yield (686 g/plant), oil content (2.8 %), oil yield (19.3 g) and patchouli alcohol content (34.09 %) of KSM 4 were also found to be remarkable when compared to other cultivars. The next best cultivar was found to be KSM 5 in terms of growth and yield parameters. From the present study, it is apparent that a significant chemical variation of essential oil existed among the Patchouli cultivars. This clearly indicates that the oil quantity and quality is not only influenced by environmental factors such as, soil, climate and distillation practices, but also depends on genotype of cultivar. Hence, we can recommend KSM 4 as the best cultivar for commercial cultivation under south Indian climatic condition

Botany, chemistry, and pharmaceutical significance of Sida cordifolia: a traditional medicinal plant

Sida cordifolia Linn. belonging to the family, Malvaceae has been widely employed in traditional medications in many parts of the world including India, Brazil, and other Asian and African countries. The plant is extensively used in the Ayurvedic medicine preparation. There are more than 200 plant species within the genus Sida, which are distributed predominantly in the tropical regions. The correct taxonomic identification is a major concern due to the fact that S. cordifolia looks morphologically similar with its related species. It possesses activity against various human ailments, including cancer, asthma, cough, diarrhea, malaria, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, obesity, ulcer, Parkinson’s disease, urinary infections, and many others. The medical importance of this plant is mainly correlated to the occurrence of diverse biologically active phytochemical compounds such as alkaloids, flavonoids, and steroids. The major compounds include β-phenylamines, 2-carboxylated tryptamines, quinazoline, quinoline, indole, ephedrine, vasicinone, 5-3-isoprenyl flavone, 5,7-dihydroxy-3-isoprenyl flavone, and 6-(isoprenyl)- 3-methoxy- 8-C-β-D-glucosyl-kaempferol 3-O-β-D-glucosyl[1–4]-α-D-glucoside. The literature survey reveals that most of the pharmacological investigations on S. cordifolia are limited to crude plant extracts and few isolated pure compounds. Therefore, there is a need to evaluate many other unexplored bioactive phytoconstituents with evidences so as to justify the traditional usages of S. cordifolia. Furthermore, detailed studies on the action of mechanisms of these isolated compounds supported by clinical research are necessary for validating their application in contemporary medicines. The aim of the present chapter is to provide a detailed information on the ethnobotanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological aspects of S. cordifolia

Ornament induced complications in snake bites: Revisiting the “Do it RIGHT” approach

Limb adorning ornaments (LAO) can exacerbate the local effects of envenoming in case of venomous snake bite. Cultural presuppositions do inhibit victims from removing symbolically/ritually important jewelry even under circumstances that might increase the dangers of envenoming-induced gangrene formation. The recommendation to remove the LAO is usually skipped in guidelines and if at all included the very real hazard is uncommonly documented. We observed 14 cases of snake bite with LAO on the bitten limb with minimal to severe local complications. The possible reasons were discussed with recommendations of proper and timely methods of removal of these ornaments. We suggest inclusion of this concept of 'Remove' in the recommended first aid methods of the guidelines/protocols

Leptadenia reticulata (Retz.) Wight & Arn. (Jivanti): botanical, agronomical, phytochemical, pharmacological, and biotechnological aspects

Leptadenia reticulata (Retz.) Wight & Arn. (Apocynaceae), is a traditional medicinal plant species widely used to treat various ailments such as tuberculosis, hematopoiesis, emaciation, cough, dyspnea, fever, burning sensation, night blindness, cancer, and dysentery. In Ayurveda, it is known for its revitalizing, rejuvenating, and lactogenic properties. This plant is one of the major ingredients in many commercial herbal formulations, including Speman, Envirocare, Calshakti, Antisept, and Chyawanprash. The therapeutic potential of this herb is because of the presence of diverse bioactive compounds such as α-amyrin, β-amyrin, ferulic acid, luteolin, diosmetin, rutin, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, hentricontanol, a triterpene alcohol simiarenol, apigenin, reticulin, deniculatin, and leptaculatin. However, most biological studies on L. reticulata are restricted to crude extracts, and many biologically active compounds are yet to be identified in order to base the traditional uses of L. reticulata on evidence-based data. At present, L. reticulata is a threatened endangered plant because of overexploitation, unscientific harvesting, and habitat loss. The increased demand from pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and veterinary industries has prompted its large-scale propagation. However, its commercial cultivation is hampered because of the non-availability of genuine planting material and the lack of knowledge about its agronomical practices. In this regard, micropropagation techniques will be useful to obtain true-to-type L. reticulata planting materials from an elite germplasm to meet the current demand. Adopting other biotechnological approaches such as synthetic seed technology, cryopreservation, cell culture, and genetic transformation can help conservation as well as increased metabolite production from L. reticulata. The present review summarizes scientific information on the botanical, agronomical, phytochemical, pharmacological, and biotechnological aspects of L. reticulata. This comprehensive information will certainly allow better utilization of this industrially important herb towards the discovery of lead drug molecules

Synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles using fruit extract of Momordica cymbalaria and assessment of their in vitro antimicrobial, antioxidant and cytotoxicity activities

Plant mediated synthesis of nanoparticles has been considered as green route and a reliable technique for the synthesis of nanoparticles due to its eco-friendly approach. In this study, we report a simple and eco-friendly approach for the synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using methanolic Momordica cymbalaria fruit extract as reducing agent. The fruit extract of M. cymbalaria exposed to AgNO3 solution showed the change in color from green to light yellow at room temperature within 1 h of incubation confirms the synthesis of AgNPs. UV–vis spectra analysis revealed that the synthesized AgNPs had a sharp surface plasmon resonance at around 450 nm, while, the X-ray Diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed distinctive peaks indices to the crystalline planes of the face centered cubic silver. The Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis results confirmed the presence of spherical shaped AgNPs by a huge disparity in the particle size distribution with an average size of 15.5 nm. The synthesized AgNPs showed strong antibacterial activity against all the tested multidrug resistant human pathogenic bacterial strains and also exhibited highest free radical scavenging activity (74.2%) compared to fruit extract (60.4%). Moreover, both fruit extract and the synthesized AgNPs showed the cytotoxicity towards Rat L6 skeletal muscle cell line at different concentrations, but the highest inhibition percentage was recorded for AgNPs at concentration of 100 μg/ml

Evaluation of Antimicrobial Potential of a Gel loaded with Silver Nanoparticles of Argemone mexicana for Topical Application

Argemone mexicana is widely known for its antibacterial potential in the traditional system of medicine. With this background, the present study was designed to formulate a gel incorporated with nanoparticles synthesized from Argemon mexixana for topical application. Green synthesis of nanoparticles was carried out from the whole plant extract and latex of A. mexicana. The biosynthesized nanoparticles were characterized by SEM-EDAX, HR-TEM, SAED, XRD before it was incorporated into the gel. The biosynthesized nanoparticles were found to be stable, uniform, spherical, and ranged from 9.21nm to 14.03nm in size. The SAED pattern reveals the presence of a varying degree of crystallinity of nanoparticles. The physicochemical parameters of the gel such as pH, homogeneity, grittiness, viscosity, spreadability, and extrudability were characterized. Both the formulation showed the nanoparticles are well dispersed in the gel with pH (6.90, 6.92), viscosity (1542 scps, 1583 scps), spreadability (5.7 cm/sec, 5.90.1 cm/sec), and extrudability of 86% and 89% respectively. The gel loaded with nanoparticles exhibited strong antimicrobial potential against Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus as compared to the crude form of the plant extract and latex. Among the two formulations, the highest zone of inhibition (22mm, 16mm, 13mm) was observed by the gel incorporated with methanol extract nanoparticles. Our result demonstrates the nanoparticulate gel of A. mexicana can be effectively used as topical gel for gram positive and negative bacterial infection