Numerous bioactive compounds and phytochemicals have been reported to be present Annona muricata (Soursop). Some of these chemical compounds have been linked to the ethnomedicinal properties of the ...plant and its antioxidant properties. The aim of this study was to assess the proximate composition, phytochemical constituents and in vitro antioxidant properties of A. muricata using standard biochemical procedures. The defatted Annona muricata crude methanolic extracts of the different parts of the plant were used for the estimation of proximate composition and phytochemical screening. The crude methanolic extracts of the different parts of the plant were also fractionated using solvent–solvent partitioning. Petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, methanol, and methanol‐water (90:10) were the solvents used for the fractionation. The different fractions obtained were then used to perform in vitro antioxidant analyses including, 1, 1‐diphenyl‐2‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging ability, ferric reducing properties, and hydroxyl radical scavenging ability. The leaf methanolic extract had a higher lipid content, whereas its chloroform fraction demonstrated a better ability to quench DPPH free radical. The root‐bark methanol‐water, leaf methanol, fruit pulp chloroform, and leaf petroleum ether fractions demonstrated potent ferric reducing properties. The leaf and stem‐bark petroleum ether fractions demonstrated better hydroxyl‐free radical scavenging abilities. The leaf and fruit pulp of Annona muricata have a very potent antioxidant ability compared to the other parts of the plant. This can be associated with the rich phytochemicals and other phytoconstituents like phenols, flavonoids, alkaloids, and essential lipids, etc. Significant correlations were observed between the antioxidant status and phytochemicals present. These results thus suggest that some of the reported ethnomedicinal properties of this plant could be due to its antioxidant potentials.
This study discovered and established the antioxidant potentials of Annona muricata (fruit pulp, leaf, stem‐bark, and root‐bark) which could be the possible basis of bioactivity and underlying mechanism of its reported ethnomedicinal values. Information about the comparative profile of the various parts of the plant regarding antioxidant properties and also correlation data between the antioxidant status and phytochemical content is limited. Thus the data and findings from this research will provide base‐line information for researchers who have reported possible links of antioxidant properties of the plant with antineoplastic, wound healing, antihyperlipidemic, antiplasmodial, antileishmanial, etc. This will also open up further insights into other health benefits of the plant.
Sri Lanka has a great diversity of snake species. In this relation, over 40,000 cases of snakebite accidents are reported annually from different agro-ecological regions of the country. Since more ...than 95% of victims rely on traditional treatments, there is an urgent necessity to improve the system. Traditional knowledge on snakebite treatments has been passed on from generation to generation within families. Unfortunately, there has been a limited update of information on pertinent issues related to this subject. In the present study we conducted a comprehensive survey on the types of medicinal plant materials, including the specific plant parts that are available for this purpose. In addition, various treatment types, frequency index, heavily used and rare materials, family wise distribution, challenges faced by traditional practitioners and future prospects were also explored.
The present survey covered two provinces with a high population of traditional practitioners for snakebites treatment in Sri Lanka.Information was gathered from a total of seventy-four (74) traditional practitioners from the Sabaragamuwa and Western provinces. A questionnaire was prepared and pre-tested by 10–15 respondents prior to the survey. Actual data were gathered through face-to-face interviews. Collected data were tabulated and analyzed.
A total of 341 different plant species belonging to 99 families were documented. The highest number of plants was reported from the family Fabaceae (32 species). This was followed by Malvaceae (16 species), Asteraceae (15 species), Rutaceae (13 species Apocyanaceae (14 species), Lamiaceae (11 species), Poaceae, Euphorbaceae and Phyllanthaceae (10 species per each) respectively. Different parts of the plant such as leaves (53.67%), barks (26.10%), entire plant (14.08%), roots (10.26%), bulbs (8.80%), seeds (7.62%), fruits (6.45%), buds (5.87%), flowers (3.23%) stems (2.93%) and latex (2.05%) were used for the preparation of nine different types of formulae. These formulae include oral administration (172 plant species), external bandaging (167 plant species), oiling for external application (34 plant species), steaming (33 plant species), creaming for wounds (6 plant species), nasal treatments (40 plant species), head treatments (23 plant species), treatment for eyes (4 plant species) and washing of wounds (9 plant species). Moreover, plants used for the different snake types, constraints faced by traditional practitioners, and their constructive suggestions were also discussed.
A pioneering attempt was made to exploit local knowledge on snakebite treatments for the conservation of valued medicinal plants and to promote primary health care needs in Sabaragamuwa and Western provinces in Sri Lanka. The documented plants together with the traditional knowledge could be effectively utilized for the isolation and characterization of antivenom for different snake species.
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Sacred groves are generally considered as socio-culturally preserved patches of plants primarily managed by tribal groups. Such groves are usually believed to be as the abodes of gods, goddesses, ...spirits or supernatural artefacts. Generally, they are predominantly worshipped, managed and protected by the tribal groups with religious zeal. Such groves mainly serve as the benchmarks of less disturbed vegetation. Taboos and social prohibitions shield the sacred groves from the destruction caused by human activity. Several relicts, endemic and endangered species have been reported from sacred groves. Depending on such assumption, this paper highlights the conservation and cultural values of the Santal community surrounding the sacred groves of Binpur II block under Jhargram District in West Bengal. The study shows that, in addition to the conservation of 191 species of angiosperms, these groves have certain direct and indirect socio-economic impacts. Therefore, there is an urgent need not only preserve the sacred forest but also revive and reinvent some traditional form of plant conservation.
Melastoma malabathricum L. (Melastomataceae) is one of the 22 species found in the Southeast Asian region, including Malaysia. Considered as native to tropical and temperate Asia and the Pacific ...Islands, this commonly found small shrub has gained herbal status in the Malay folklore belief as well as the Indian, Chinese, and Indonesian folk medicines. Ethnopharmacologically, the leaves, shoots, barks, seeds, and roots of M. malabathricum have been used to treat diarrhoea, dysentery, hemorrhoids, cuts and wounds, toothache, and stomachache. Scientific findings also revealed the wide pharmacological actions of various parts of M. malabthricum, such as antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, antidiarrheal, cytotoxic, and antioxidant activities. Various types of phytochemical constituents have also been isolated and identifed from different parts of M. malabathricum. Thus, the aim of the present review is to present comprehensive information on ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemical constituents, and pharmacological activities of M. malabathricum.
Vahl. species, belonging to the Burseraceae family, are widely used in traditional medicine in tropical regions to treat a range of ailments including malaria, wounds, tonsillitis, and ringworms. ...This review discusses the distribution, ethnobotanical uses, phytochemistry, and bioactivities of
species. The intent is to spur future research into isolating and identifying key active principles, secondary metabolites, and crude extracts, and evaluating their pharmacological and toxicological effects, as well as the mechanism of actions to understand their medicinal benefits. A systematic review of scientific electronic databases from 1963 to 2022 including Scifinder, Scopus, Pubmed, Springer Link, ResearchGate, Ethnobotany Research and Applications, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect was conducted with a focus on
(G.Don) H.J. Lam and
(Blume) H.J. Lam. Pharmacological data revealed that
isolates contain secondary metabolites and other phytochemical groups belonging to the terpenoids class with anti-microbial, anticancer, antidiabetic, antiinflammatory and hepatoprotective activities, highlighting its pharmacological potential in the therapy or management of diverse cancers, cardiovascular, and neurological diseases. Thus, phytochemicals and standardized extracts from
could offer safer and cost-effective chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic health benefits/regimen, or as alternative therapeutic remedy for several human diseases. Nevertheless, the therapeutic potential of most of the plants in the genus have not been exhaustively explored with regard to phytochemistry and pharmacology, but mostly complementary approaches lacking rigorous, scientific research-based knowledge. Therefore, the therapeutic potentials of the
genus remain largely untapped, and comprehensive research is necessary to fully harness their medicinal properties.
Ponciri Fructus is a crude drug obtained from the dried immature fruits of
(L). Raf. (Syn.
L.). This study aims to compile and analyze the ethnomedicinal uses, bioactive constituents, and ...pharmacological activities of Ponciri Fructus. Various online bibliographic databases namely, SciFinder, PubMed, Google Scholar, and Web of Science were used for collecting information on traditional uses, biological activities, and bioactive constituents. Concerning ethnomedicinal uses, Ponciri Fructus is extensively used in traditional Korean, Chinese, and Kampo medicines to mitigate allergic reactions, inflammation, edema, digestive complications, respiratory problems, spleen-related problems, liver complications, neuronal pain, hyperlipidemia, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular problems, hernia, sinusitis, and insomnia. Several studies have shown that Ponciri Fructus is a major source of diverse classes of bioactive compounds namely flavonoids, terpenoids, coumarins, phytosterols, and alkaloids. Several in vivo and in vitro pharmacological activity evaluations such as antidiabetic, anti-obesity, anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, antimelanogenic, gastroprotective, anticancer, and neuroprotective effects have been conducted from Ponciri Fructus. However, scientific investigations focusing on bioassay-guided isolation and identification of specific bioactive constituents are limited. Therefore, an in-depth scientific investigation of Ponciri Fructus focusing on bioassay-guided isolation, mechanism based pharmacological studies, pharmacokinetic studies, and evaluation of possible toxicities is necessary in the future.
Medicinal plants are the integral part of the variety of cultures in Ethiopia and have been used over many centuries. Hence, the aim of this study is to document the medicinal plants in the natural ...vegetation and home gardens in Wonago Woreda, Gedeo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPR).
Thirty healers were selected to collect data on management of medicinal plants using semi-structured interview, group discussion, and field observation. The distribution of plant species in the study areas was surveyed, and preference ranking, direct matrix ranking, priority ranking of factors and Informant consensus factor (ICF) were calculated.
The informants categorized the vegetation into five community types based on plant density and associated landform: 'Raqqa', 'Hakka cadanaba', 'Mancchha', 'Bullukko', and 'Wodae gido'. 155 plant species were collected from the natural vegetation and 65 plant species from the home gardens ('Gattae Oduma'). Seventy-two plant species were documented as having medicinal value: Sixty-five (71%) from natural vegetation and 27 (29%) from home gardens. Forty-five (62%) were used for humans, 15(21%) for livestock and 13(18%) for treating both human and livestock ailments: 35 (43.2%) were Shrubs, 28(34.5%) herbs, 17 (20.9%) trees and 1(1.2%) climbers. The root (35.8%) was the most commonly used plant part. The category: malaria, fever and headache had the highest 0.82 ICF. Agricultural expansion (24.4%) in the area was found to be the main threat for medicinal plants followed by fire wood collection (18.8%). Peoples' culture and spiritual beliefs somehow helped in the conservation of medicinal plants.
Traditional healers still depend largely on naturally growing plant species and the important medicinal plants are under threat. The documented medicinal plants can serve as a basis for further studies on the regions medicinal plants knowledge and for future phytochemical and pharmacological studies.
Baccharoides anthelmintica (L.) Moench is a popular medicinal plant with a long history of use in several traditional remedies to cure a variety of diseases including; its effect on the central ...nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, metabolism, kidneys, gynecology, skin diseases, and general health. The present review aims to provide the latest, organized information on toxicological, pharmacological, phytochemical, and ethnomedicinal applications of Baccharoides anthelmintica. For this; several well‐known searchable websites (search engines) like; Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus‐Elsevier, Taylor & Francis, Springer, and DOAJ, were used to empirically investigate the knowledge of this useful medicinal plant. Based on previous studies, the pharmacological action of B. anthelmintica is due to various secondary metabolites including alkaloids, terpenoids, lignans, steroids, and other phytoconstituents. Hence, the present study recorded 225 phytochemicals obtained from different parts of the plant, where the steroids and derivatives (48), terpenes and sesquiterpenes (46), flavonoids and derivatives (41), fatty acids and derivatives (40), phenolic acids (12), triterpenes (11), chalcones (06), diterpenes (01) and miscellaneous (20) were reported. The present review also covered the pharmacological importance, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic action, liver disease, anticancer potential, anti‐HIV, antiosteoporotic action, antitoxic action, skin disorder, wound healing and immunomodulatory activity, systemic infection, and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases etc. The review concluded that B. anthelmintica has several pharmacological activities, which were due to the presence of secondary metabolites present in it, and thus indicates the importance of medicinal value of this plant. Hence, B. anthelmintica may be a good source for developing a lead molecule in the process of new drug discovery and development. More study is required to determine the pharmacokinetics, mechanism of action, long‐term toxicology testing, safe dosage, and possible interactions with other herbs/drugs.
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