Phytopharmacology of Chloroxylon swietenia: a review

The nature has provided a complete store house of remedies to use for all ailments for mankind. The knowledge on drugs has accumulated over thousands of years as a result of mans inquisitive nature. Phytomedicines or natural prescriptions, have assumed a basic part in World wellbeing for a large number of years. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), "natural medications incorporate herbs, home grown materials, home grown arrangements and completed home grown items, that contain as dynamic fixings parts of plants, or other plant materials, or blends. Chloroxylon swietenia DC. (Family: Rutaceae) is an important traditional medicinal plant used in the treatment of various ailments like fungal infection of skin, rheumatism, common cold, cough, ophthalmic infection and cataract, wounds and as an astringent. It is a tropical aromatic tree of dry deciduous forests popularly known as East Indian Satin Wood. The findings of this study will facilitate pharmacognostic standardization of the plant material and aid in the preparation of an herbal monograph for the species. Further studies on this plant must be carried out to explore some other important, necessary and unknown benefits. As the plant has multifunctional properties, this review is worthwhile and therefore it presents comprehensive analysed information on the phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of the botanical. Keywords: Chloroxylon swietenia, phytomedicines, pharmacological aspects, anti-feedant, anti-bacterial activity, IUCN, vulnerable species

Pharmacognostical standardization, formulation and evaluation of tablets incorporated with stem bark of Butea monosperma for anti cancer activity

The plant Butea monosperma (Palas) popularly known as 'dhak' or 'palas' and commonly known as ‘Flame of forest’ belongs to family Fabaceae. This herb is indigenous to India. The plant is traditionally reported to possess astringent, bitter, alterative, aphrodisiac, anthelmintic, antibacterial and anti-asthmatic, anthelmintic, anti-conceptive, anti-convulsive, anti-diabetic, anti-diarrhoeal, anti-estrogenic, anti-fertility, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-stress, chemopreventive, hepatoprotective. The present research investigation was envisaged on pharmacognostical standardization, formulation and evaluation of tablets incorporated with methanolic extract of stem bark Butea monosperma for anti cancer activity. Conventional release tablets of methanolic extract of Butea monosperma stem bark (MEBMSB) were formulated using Microcrystalline Cellulose as a filler and PVP-k30 as a binder by direct compression method. Finally from this research investigation it can be concluded that methanolic extract of Butea monosperma stem bark has moderate anti-cancer activity when compare to standards and be suggested as a better substitute for the synthetic anti cancer drugs. Keywords: Butea monosperma, anti cancer activity, MTT assay, EAC cells, DAC cells, HepG2 cell lines

Nutritional value, micronutrient and antioxidant capacity of some green leafy vegetables commonly used by southern coastal people of Bangladesh.

Southern coastal people of Bangladesh are highly vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition due to coastal flooding, deforestation and increased soil salinity. A number of green leafy vegetables are found in the southern coastal belt being traditionally eaten as daily basis by local people. But they are unaware of nutritional and medicinal use of these vegetables. To contribute to their wider utilization, five common vegetables namely Hibiscus sabdariffa, Trianthema portulacastrum, Diplazium esculentum, Heliotropium indicum L. and Hygrophila auriculata were selected for analysis of nutritional proximate, micronutrients and antioxidant potential. Nutritional properties were analyzed in terms of moisture, pH, protein, lipid, ash, fibre, minerals and carbohydrate. Total flavonoid, tannin and antioxidant capacity were evaluated using established protocols. The results demonstrated that collected plants are rich in carbohydrate, fibre, proteins, moisture and ash content but low in lipid content. The mineral elements were high with remarkable amount of Na (19.9-21.5 mg/gm), K (7.9-13.5 mg/gm) and P (1.0-1.8 mg/gm). All the samples were found to have considerable amount of flavonoid (90.6-144.5 mg QE/gm) and tannin content (26.8-57.2 mg GAE/gm). The IC50 value of DPPH and superoxide radical scavenging was the lowest for H. indicum (37.1 and 83.4 μg/ml, respectively) whereas T. portulacastrum possessed high reducing power (IC50 53.7 μg/ml). Among the five investigated species, T. portulacastrum and H. indicum were found to have good nutritional and antioxidant properties, thus can be promoted as a significant source of nutritional and antioxidant food supplements