Phytochemicals

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is widely used as drug to promote health and fight disease from ancient time. In countries like India and other Asian countries, saffron is used very frequently in various alternative systems of medicine including Unani System of Medicine, Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine, as it is considered  bitter, acrid, fragrant, stimulant, tonic, stomachic, aphrodisiac, anodyne, antispasmodic, emmenagogue, diuretic, laxative, galactogogue and is useful in bronchitis, pharyngopathy, cephalgia, vomiting, fever, melancholia, hepatomegaly etc. Because of its wide range of medical uses in traditional systems of medicine, the saffron has under gone extensive phytochemical and biochemical studies and some of the studies have shown that number of constituents including Crocin, Crocetin, Safranal are present, out of which crocetin is mainly responsible for pharmacological actions. This paper is an attempt to review the saffron on the basis of Unani System of Medicine and to discuss its recent phytochemical and pharmacological studies.

The present work deals with the use of folklore medicine by tribal and non-tribal communities of Nalgonda district, Telangana state, India for controlling diabetes, a chronic disease. Here it is focused on the use of plant species as folklore medicine to cure diabetes by the ethnic groups. Preliminary phytochemical analysis was carried out with different extracts like distill water, petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol of folk medicine samples and their constituent plant parts from Nalgonda district. The folk medicine and the individual plant parts present in the sample showed the presence of similar kind of phytochemicals with various screening tests for the control of diabetes.

Leaves of Xylosma longifolium, Hyptis suaveolens and Oreocnide integrifolia collected from the Imphal East District, Manipur were analysed for phytochemical constituents. Leave extracts were prepared with methanol by Soxhlet apparatus. Alkaloid, phenol, flavonoid, tannin, terpenoid, steroid, saponin and glycosides were detected in the three samples. Glycosides was absent in Xylosma longifolium and terpinoid in Oreocnide integrifolia. Steroid and saponin were also not found in Hyptis suaveolens. Total phenol, flavonoid and tannin contents were determined by Folin-Ciocalteu, Aluminium chloride and Folin-Denis method respectively. The total phenol contents in terms of gallic acid equivalent were 57.38±2.563 mg/g, 65.00±0.475 mg/g and 50.87±0.035  mg/g of dry wt;  total flavonoid contents in terms of quercetin equivalent were 36.70±0.676  mg/g,  49.24±0.521 mg/g and  32.78±1.753mg/g of dry wt.  and total tannin contents in terms of tannic acid equivalent  were  31.08±1.300 mg/g, 41.14±0.850 mg/g and 30.95±0.759 mg/g of dry wt. in the methanolicS leave extract of X.longifolium,  O.integrifolia and H.suaveolens  respectively .The order of total phenol , flavonoid and tennin contents of the samples were Oriocnide integrefolia> Xylosma longifolium >Hyptis suaveolens. It shows that Oriocnide integrefolia has the highest medicinal value than the two studied plants.  The present study evidence that these plants are of therapeutic potential as a good number of bioactive chemical compounds have been confirmed.

Butea monosperma and Butea superba belonging to the family, Fabaceae are most exploited medicinal plants by different tribal groups of Jharkhand. They are commonly found in the hills and jungles of Jharkhand and are used against arthritis, osteoarthritis, diarrhoea, dysentery, snakebite, male sexual debilities, sunstroke, leucorrhoea, anthelmintic and filariasis. Ethanolic exacts of the barks and flowers of both the plants did not exhibit significant antibacterial and antifungal activities. Phytochemical analyses revealed a total of 14 bioactive compounds from the barks and flowers of B. monosperma and B. superba.  Successful management of several diseases among the ethnic groups of Jharkhand, is indicative of presence of curative drugs without toxicity and side effects, and it could further the isolation and purification of active compounds contained in them.

The present paper deals with the phytochemical screening and Inorganic elemental analysis of the plant materials. Curcuma leucorhiza belongs to the family zinziberacea and has been used in folklore medicine to treat various ailments. . The rhizomes of curcuma leucorhiza are used for the treatment of enlarged liver spleen and stomach ulcer. The decoction of its rhizomes is used in the treatment of diabetes and cancer in local traditional medicines .The biological activities of curcuma leucorhiza include antioxidant activity, antibacterial activity and antifungal activity. The  rhizome parts of curcuma leucorhiza was slice,dried,grind into powder and then extracted with acetone, chloroform, methanol and ethanol solvents giving 9.06,12.90,7.30 and 13.20% yield respectively.  Phytochemical studies of the extracts showed the presence of terpenoids, alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, glycosides, carbohydrates, phenolic, tannins, phytosterols, anthocyanin, proteins and amino acids etc. Quantitative determination of alkaloid was done by Harborne (1973) method. Inorganic elements are determined by a Graphite Furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. Rhizome of curcuma leucorhiza contains minerals such as Fe, Zn, Cu, Mo, Cr, Mn and were found to be 0.971, 0.414, 1.70, 0.013, 5.091 and 0.015 ppb respectively  The results obtained shows that the extracts contain bioactive compounds and also trace element present in the plant extracts were within the permissible limits. The study will provide referential information for the treatment of various diseases.

Traditional medicines have been recently recognized as a precise and knowledge for new source of anticancer drugs and new chemotherapy adjuvant to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy and to ameliorate the side effects of cancer chemotherapies however their healing mechanisms are still largely unknown. The current available methods of treatment like chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery can induce certain side effects, so there is urge for alternate or adjuvant therapies has arisen. The natural compounds present in plants were known to inhibit or kills carcinogenic cells. In the race for the designing of new anti-cancer drugs development the phytochemical investigation of herbs has contribute new ideas in some extent. Apoptosis is the programmed cell death in which the cells activate an intracellular death program and kill themselves in a controlled way. The phytochemicals that have the anticancer property by inducing apoptosis are safe, abundantly available from dietary sources and the drugs have good immunomodulatory properties.  This attempt has been made to review plant and plant products used in the prevention and treatment of cancer by inducing apoptosis.

Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. (Family -Nymphaeaceae) commonly known as Indian lotus. Also known as the sacred lotus has been used in the indigenous system of medicine. Phytochemical constituents, free radical scavenging activity and total antioxidant activity of various extracts of Nelumbo nucifera flowers were carried out in the study. Phytochemicals were extracted from Nelumbo nucifera flowers using various solvents such as aqueous, benzene, chloroform, ethanol, ethyl acetate and methanol and petroleum ether. Screening of phytochemicals showed positive results for the presence of flavanoids, alkaloids, phenols, glycosides, carbohydrates and tannins. Phytochemicals were best extracted in methanol. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was measured in terms of reducing power and 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity. The methanolic extract was found to possess comparatively higher antioxidant properties. So, the present data suggests that methanolic extract of lotus flower constitute significant amounts of phytochemical compounds and are good source of antioxidants.

It’s well established that oxygen is essential for survival and energy generation in all-living organisms and ~5% of its inhaled part is converted into free radicals (either ROS or RNS) as a by-product of aerobic metabolism. Free radicals are also generated on exposure to sun light, X-rays, O3, tobacco smoke, automobile exhaust, environmental pollutants, and several other physiological processes. These reactive species damage NAs, proteins, lipids, carbohydrate. that consequently affects the immune functions causing degenerative ailments. The initiation steps of oxygen induced oxidation require removal of H-atom which gets accelerated by the presence of certain metals such as Fe and Cu leading to formation of singlet oxygen. In a normal cell there is an appropriate balance between pro-oxidant and antioxidants. Increase in level of pro-oxidant as compared in antioxidant creates oxidative stress. Epidemiological studies provide convincing evidence that a diet rich in antioxidants is associated with a lower incidence of degenerative diseases. Fruits, vegetables and beverages( fruit juices, black-lemon-T, coffee, cocoa, beer & wine) are the potent sources of dietary polyphenols. People relying upon consuming traditional diets rich in soy and tea rarely bear breast, uterus and prostate cancer. Recent advances in biochemistry and molecular biology techniques providing tools for studying the antioxidant enzymes and for elucidating the mechanisms of the actions of antioxidants has been delineated in this manuscript. Keywords: Aloe Vera, Anti-oxidants, Curry plant, Phytochemicals, Cancerous maladies: Beer, Ginger, Pepper, Coconut, Tea, Tomato