Ethnomedicinal practices of Kol tribes in Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Orissa, India

Similipal Biosphere Reserve (SBR) in Mayurbhanj district of Orissa is the most luxuriant forest and rich in medicinal plant resources. The forest area is dominated by a number of tribes such as Kol, Santal, Bhumij, Mankidias and Khadias who depends on the forest for their food to medicine. The present paper reports on ethnomedicinal uses of 32 potential medicinal plants belong to 24 families of medicinal plants used for ailment of various diseases like leucorrhoea, spermatorrhea, piles, sore throat, rheumatism, elephantiasis etc. by Kol tribe living in some villages situated in and around Similipal Biosphere Reserve.The botanical name, family name, vernacular name, parts used, method of preparation, usage, administration of the drugs are given

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Optimization and characterization of chromium(VI) reduction in saline condition by moderately halophilic Vigribacillus sp isolated from mangrove soil of Bhitarkanika, India

A Gram-positive moderately halophilic Cr(VI) tolerant bacterial strain H4, isolated from saline mangrove soil, was identified as Vigribacillus sp. by biochemical characterization and 16S rRNA analysis. In LB medium, the strain could tolerate up to 1000 mg L−1 Cr(VI) concentra-tion and reduced 90.2 and 99.2% of 100 mg L−1 Cr(VI) under optimized set of condition within 70 h in absence and presence of 6 wt.% NaCl, respectively. The fitting of time course reduction data to an exponential rate equation yielded the Cr(VI) reduction rate constants in the range (0.69–5.56) × 10−2 h−1. Analyses of total chromium and bacterial cell associated with reduced product by AAS, SEM/EDS, TEM/SAED, FT-IR and UV–vis–DRS indicated the formation of about 35% of insoluble Cr(III) either as Cr(OH)3 precipitate in nanometric size or immobilized on the bacterial cell surface while the remaining 65% of reduced chromium was present as soluble Cr(III) in the growth medium. Powder XRD analysis revealed the amorphous nature of the precipitated Cr(OH)3. The high Cr(VI) reducing ability of the strain under saline condition suggests the Vigribacillus sp. as a new and efficient strain capable of remediating highly saline Cr(VI) polluted industrial effluent

Antimicrobial Activity of Organic Solvent Extracts of Three Marine Macroalgae From Chilika Lake, Orissa, India

In vitro study of antibacterial activity of organic solvent extracts of three marine macroalgae viz., Chaetomorpha linum (Mell) Kuetzing, Enteromorpha compressa (L) Greville and Polysiphonia subtilissima Mont. showed specific activity in inhibiting the growth of three Gram-negative bacteria (Shigella flexneri, Vibrio cholerae and Escherichia coli) and two Gram positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus brevis). The results revealed that the chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts were active against most of the pathogens whereas methanol and ethanol extracts were active only against S. flexneri