Advancement in Medicinal Plant Research

72-76

Authors: Edwin N. Oguegbulu and Jude Okumiahor

Activated charcoal is variously referred to as charcoal, carbon, Norit and medicoal. It is generally derived from many carbonaceous vegetable materials and in this study from Nigerian wooden plants as well as farm wastes. The uses include, detoxification, decontamination and in flatulence. The aim of this research is to explore cheaper and more effective activated charcoal alternatives than those that are currently commercially available. Corn cobs and the wooden parts of Mangifera indica and Azandirachta indica as raw materials were carbonized in a muffler furnace at 600 to 700°C for 30 min. The carbonized residue so obtained were pulverized, sieved and activated in an oven at 120°C for 2 h. The adsorption profile of the test charcoal samples was evaluated using acetic acid adsorption method and Freundlich isotherm model to determine adsorption constants, (K) and (n). It was observed that M. indica (K – 0.076), showed the highest adsorption capacity while at the same time was statistically significant, followed by A. Indica (K - 0.026) whereas corn cobs (K – 0.013) and standard (K – 0.013) ranked equally with the lowest specific adsorption property. Activated charcoal with excellent performance as well as cost-effective for use in pharmaceutical medicine can be sourced from local plants and farm wastes. Keywords: Locally sourced, cost-effectiveness, excellent, activated charcoal, alternative, pharmaceutical medicine.

49-55

Authors: Usama El-Sayed Mostafa and Louay Labban

Zizyphus jujuba is a thorny Rhamnaceous plant that is widely distributed in Europe and South-Eastern Asia. It is used in traditional medicine for its therapeutic properties. The aim of this study was to find out the possible anti-obesity and hypolipidemic activity of different doses (5, 15 and 30 g/day) of Z. jujuba powder and to evaluate its effect on liver function. A group of 83 persons (41 men and 42 women) aged 20 to 57 years (32 ± 13) participated in this study. They were divided into three groups according to their body mass index (BMI). Z. jujuba powder was prepared and a specific questionnaire was given to the participants. Blood specimens were collected and several tests were performed to determine lipid profile and serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). A group of anthropometric measurements were taken as well. This procedure was repeated after three months. The results indicated a significant reduction in total cholesterols (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), BMI, fat percentage and body weight after administration of doses (5, 15 and 30 g/day) of Z. jujuba powder in all groups. Triglycerides (TG) were reduced significantly after consumption 30 g/day of Z. jujuba powder. A slight increase in high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was observed. Z. jujuba impact on weight status was significant after consumption of 30 g/day of Z. jujuba powder, while the impact of other doses were not. It can be concluded that different doses of Z. jujuba powder possess hypolipidemic and anti-obesity properties, and did not show any negative impact on liver function as measured by ALT and AST. Keywords: Z. Jujuba, anthropometric measurement, lipid profile, obesity, diabetes.

66-71

Authors: Awurum A. N. and Uchegbu P. C.

The development of the wet rot disease of Amaranthus cruentus L. caused by Choanephora cucurbitarum (Berk. and Rav.) Thax. in response to treatment of the crop with leaf extracts of Dennettia tripetala (Baker f.), Spondias mombin, Bryophyllum pinnatum (Lam.) Oken, and methods of inoculation of the organism, were evaluated in the greenhouse of the Department of Plant Health Management of Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike. The experiment was a 3 × 5 factorial in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) replicated five times. The treatment comprised three methods of inoculation: un-inoculated seeds, inoculated seeds and inoculated plants at six weeks after planting and fungicide products. The fungicides were Benomyl (a synthetic fungicide, plant extracts) and untreated control using sterile water. The results indicated that the highest infection rate of the disease was obtained in the first six weeks of inoculation of the organism, with plants in the control pots having the highest disease severity (9.8). Among the plant extracts used, extracts of D. tripetala gave the best control with a severity of 5.8. Plants in pots where the seeds where inoculated with Choanephora cucurbitarum and those in pots of un-inoculated seeds had less damage, performed better and produced higher dry matter yield than plants in pots where the seedlings were inoculated with the pathogen. There was a significant (P < 0.05) difference in the growth and yield of plants treated with Benomyl and plant extracts, compared with those of the control. Keywords: Phytochemicals, Amaranthus cruentus, Choanephora cucurbitarum, severity score, incidence, disease.

36-38

Authors: Ghazala Shaheen, Khan Usmanghani, M. Akram and Shafia Arshad

Screening of ethnobotanical plants is a pre-requisite to evaluate their therapeutic potential, and it can lead to the isolation of new bioactive compounds. The crude extracts of four medicinal important plants (Vaccinium macrocarpon, Tribulus terrestris, Chichorium intybus and Fumaria indica) were tested against gram-negative (Shigella sonnei, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Salmonella) and gram-positive (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus) using the agar disc diffusion method. Our results demonstrate that the ethanol extract of V. macrocarpon displayed antimicrobial activity against S. aureus (+), B. subtilis (+), E. coli (-), P. aureginosa (-). T. terrestris was highly active against S. aureus (+), B. subtilis (+) and P. aeriginosa. C. intybus was highly active against P. aureginosa (-), B. subtilis (+). F. indica was highly active against B. subtilis (+). The ethanolic extract of V. macrocarpon, T. terrestris, C. intybus and F. indica are suitable candidates for the development of novel antibacterial compounds. Keywords: Antibacterial activity, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Tribulus terrestris, Chichorium intybus, Fumaria indica.

45-48

Authors: Fagbohun Temitope Richard, Adekeye Temitope Joshua and Akinbosola Jibayo Philips

In this study, we investigated the effects of P. guajava on organisms responsible for skin disorders, specifically the fungi :Microsporum gypseum and Trichophyton mentagrophytes, and bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis. The leaves and bark of the P. guajava plant was harvested from Obasa farm Ijero, Ekiti-State, Nigeria, during the beginning of rainy season in March, 2009. Aqueous solutions were obtained by grinding the leaves and the bark. Mueller-Hinton agar was used to grow the bacteria S. aureus and S. epidermidis. Sabouraud Dextrose broth was used to grow the fungi Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Microsporum gypseum. Analysis of the antibacterial action of the extracts of guava leaves and bark was carried out at different concentrations, by comparing the mean diameter of the inhibition haloes as a variable. Values were represented as mean± S.E. An ANOVA Tukey’s test was performed to determine the mean difference between the control and the two treatments (S1 and S2). In comparing the tetracycline positive control to both solutions, tetracycline had a significantly (p <0.05) stronger inhibition effect than both solutions. This could be due to the fact that tetracycline is a pure chemical while the P. guajava solutions were crude extracts. Both P. guajava solutions were effective against inhibiting the growth of bacteria S. aureus and S. epidermidis, and fungi M. gypseum and T. mentagrophytes. This supports the reported use of P. guajava in many countries as a traditional herbal medicine. Keywords: Psidium guajava, Microsporum gypseum, Trichophyton mentagrophytes, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, tetracycline.

1-7

Authors: Safia Janjua, Maliha Shahid and Fakhir-i-Abbas

The extracts of peels of edible root of Raphanus sativus L. var niger were analyzed for phytochemicals and in vitro antibacterial activity. The proximate analysis and phytochemical analysis revealed that peels of R. sativus L. var niger had most of the important phytoconstituents like tannins, saponins, flavonoids, phlobatannins, anthraquinones, carbohydrates, reducing sugars, steroids, phytosterol, alkaloids, amino acids, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides and chalcones; indicating its potential for medicinal use. Agar well diffusion assay was employed to test the antibacterial activity of extracts, prepared by using different solvents, against gram positive Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 12598, Bacillus subtilis-QAU and Micrococcus luteus ATCC 10240 and gram negative bacteria Escherichia coli-ATCC 8739, Salmonella typhi-ATCC 14079, Klebsiella pneumonia-QAU, Pseudomonas aeruginosa ATCC 7700, Bordetella bronchiseptica ATCC 4617 and Enterobacter aerogenes-QAU. Effectiveness of the extracts (CAE, CEE, CME, CEAE and CPEE) against different bacterial strains was measured in terms of zone of inhibition in millimeters. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values determined were compared with the positive control (Gentamycin) used. The present study is supportive evidence that peels of R. sativus, generally wasted, have important medicinal constituents. Keywords: Raphanus sativus L. var niger, antibacterial activity, minimum inhibitory concentration, minimum bactericidal concentration.

17-23

Authors: Vishwambhar Prasad Sati

ABSTRACT This article examines the potentials of cultivating medicinal plants and its contribution to livelihood enhancement in the Indian Central Himalayan Region. Here, medicinal plants have been growing traditionally and have been used through local health care system for the centuries. Until now, the production from the traditionally grown medicinal plants is considerably low. Meanwhile, the agro-ecological conditions in this region are very conducive for growing large-scale medicinal plants. Recently, the Government started cultivating medicinal plants in the mid-altitudes and the highlands through establishing poly-houses and providing them to the native farmers of the region. As a result of this, the farmers of the mid-altitudes and the highlands villages followed Government initiatives quite enthusiastically. However, lack of transportation facilities and unavailability of market still remains a major hurdle for the producers of medicinal plants. They do not get the actual returns from the products timely and adequately. Therefore, the pace of cultivating medicinal plants is slow. As medicinal plants require about two years to grow and turn into a complete product, it needs smooth market functioning and other infrastructural facilities, in spatial and temporal perspectives. This study was based upon the collection of primary data, which were gathered through participatory observation method and interview of the farmers and extension workers, involved in the cultivation of medicinal plants, after rapid field visit. Keywords: Conservation, medicinal plants, livelihood, agro-climate, Indian Central Himalayan Region.

29-35

Authors: Haemendra Upadhyay, Amit Kumar, M. K. Gupta, Arvind Sharma and Anu Rahal

The plant Sonchus asper has been used for the cure of skin ailments and many other disease conditions. Thus, the study was planned to compare the anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities of aqueous and methanolic extract of S. asper against bacterial pathogens viz. Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cerus and Klebsiella pneumoniae and fungal pathogens Candida albicans and Aspergillus flavus. The findings of study indicated that the plant possesses antibacterial activity; however, it showed more inhibitory results against the Gram positive bacteria in comparison to Gram negative bacteria. Methanolic extract of S. asper showed activity against E. coli whereas S. aureus and B. cerus were inhibited by both methanolic and aqueous extracts. Bacterial isolate of K. pneumoniae and both the fungal species were resistant to both methanolic and aqueous extracts of S. asper as no zone of inhibition was observed during the experiments. The extracts of S. asper showed best activity against S. aureus, the most common pathogen of skin ailments particularly boil and wounds, thus findings of the study justified the traditional use of this plant; however, clinical validation of efficacy is and animal toxicity studies are also required to ascertain the adverse effects, if any. Keywords: Validation, Sonchus asper, medicinal values, skin ailments.