Urtica dioica (Stinging Nettle): A Pharmacologically Important Medicinal Plant Species of Himalayan Region

Urtica dioica (Stinging nettle) belonging to the family Urticaceae is a medicinal plantfound in the Himalayas region from Kashmir to Kumaon region (Uttarakhand.). In Himalayan region, this plant is used for the daily purpose as food as well as to serve animals. It contains various phytochemicals like phenolic acid, coumarins, flavanols, bioflavonoids, Flavan-3-ols etc which is used to cure many diseases like arthritis, constipation, Pulmonary, Liver, Intestine, Kidney, Diabetes, Fungal infections, anti-inflammatory, internal injury and wounds. It also has hepatoprotective activity, anti‑hyperlipidemic activity, diuretic activity, antimicrobial activity, anticancer activity. Researchers have reported about 30 species with 47 genera and 1,300 species worldwide used to treat different diseases. Medicinal plants have proved to be the “backbone” of traditional medical system which signifies that developing countries depend upon medicinal plants for therapeutic use.

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Urtica dioica (Stinging Nettle) – Properties, Uses and Applications

Journal of Pharmaceutical Research International ◽

10.9734/jpri/2021/v33i53a33647 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 154-159

Author(s):

Anjali, Sushma ◽

Reena Sharma

Keyword(s):

Fungal Infections ◽

Database Search ◽

Urtica Dioica ◽

Pharmacological Properties ◽

Electronic Database ◽

Stinging Nettle ◽

Wide Range ◽

The World ◽

Electronic Database Search ◽

Pharmacological Potential

Utricaceae is a family of herbs and shrubs that can be found in a variety of habitats around the world. A lot of research has been carried out till date targeted for close understanding of this medicinal plant. The botanical distribution, Ethnomedicinal applications, Traditional uses as well as Pharmacological properties of the Urtica genus, are discussed in this study. The composition such as flavonoids and array of phenolic compounds which includes alcohols, Diocanol, Diol glucosides, Terpenes diols, and sugars as well are an inclusion in the genus Urtica. A wide range of research reports have been published representing its biological and pharmacological potential against cancer, tumors, bacterial, viral or fungal infections significantly. The information about the Urtica genus has been extracted using electronic database search such as Google Scholar and Pubmed as well as a library search for peer-reviewed journal publications.

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Calotropis procera (Arka): A Tribal Herb of Utmost Significance

International Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology ◽

10.31033/ijrasb.8.3.8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Isha Kumari ◽

Gitika Chaudhary

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Review Article ◽

Calotropis Procera ◽

Pharmacological Properties ◽

The Family ◽

Anti Oxidant ◽

Phytochemical Constituents ◽

The Rich ◽

The Tropics ◽

Important Medicinal Plant

Nature has gifted humans a vast variety of medicinal plants, which are the rich source of bioactive compounds. Calotropis procera is an important medicinal plant that belongs to the family asclepiadaceae. It is commonly known as madar and milkweed plant in english and arka in hindi. It is mostly found in the tropics of asia and africa. Calotropis procera is a highly valued plant in the folk medication system. Each part of the plant is richly endowed with diverse nature of phytochemical constituents like alkaloids, proteins, vitamins, carbohydrates, saponins, terpenes, and flavonoids, etc. These phytochemicals are significantly associated with various therapeutic and pharmacological properties such as anti-microbial, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, antifertility, anti-diarrheal, and spasmolytic. In this review article, the therapeutic and pharmacological value of this important plant has been summarized along with its utilization in the folklore and ayurvedic medicinal system.

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Ranking Tool Created for Medicinal Plants at Risk of Being Overharvested in the Wild

Ethnobiology Letters ◽

10.14237/ebl.5.2014.169 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 5 ◽

pp. 77-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Lisa Marie Castle ◽

Susan Leopold ◽

Rachel Craft ◽

Kelly Kindscher

Keyword(s):

At Risk ◽

Life History ◽

Medicinal Plants ◽

Urtica Dioica ◽

Panax Quinquefolius ◽

Conservation Priorities ◽

Stinging Nettle ◽

Echinacea Angustifolia ◽

In The Wild ◽

Explicit Criteria

We developed an adaptable, transparent tool that can be used to quantify and compare vulnerability to overharvest for wild collected medicinal plants. Subsequently, we are creating a list of the most threatened medicinal plants in temperate North America. The new tool scores species according to their life history, the effects of harvest, their abundance and range, habitat, and demand. The resulting rankings, based on explicit criteria rather than expert opinion, will make it easier to discuss areas of vulnerability and set conservation priorities. Here we present scores for 40 species assessed using the At-Risk Tool and discuss the traits that led to different scores for six example species: echinacea (Echinacea angustifolia DC. Asteraceae), peyote (Lophophora williamsii (Lem. ex Salm-Dyck) J.M. Coult. Cactaceae), sandalwood (Santalum spp. L. Santalaceae), stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L. Urticaceae), American ginseng (Panax quinquefolius L. Araliaceae) and mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum L. Berberidaceae).

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Antimicrobial Effects of the Stinging Nettle (Urtica Dioica L.).

Analecta Technica Szegedinensia ◽

10.14232/analecta.2017.2.10-15 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 11 (2) ◽

pp. 10-15

Author(s):

Kornélia Kőszegi ◽

Erika Bekassy-Molnar ◽

Joseph Michael Kocsis ◽

Gyula Vatai

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Scientific Literature ◽

Folk Medicine ◽

Antimicrobial Activities ◽

Urtica Dioica ◽

Tea Consumption ◽

Stinging Nettle ◽

Synthetic Drugs ◽

Scientific Experiments ◽

Positive Effect

Nowadays increasing attention is being paid to herbs, one of the reasons is to avoid the undesirable side effects of synthetic drugs. This is the reason why the analysis of the antimicrobial activities of medicinal plants are increasingly in the focus of scientific experiments as well. One of the best-known medicinal plants is nettle. Among the nettle species in Hungary, Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) can be found in the country and is most commonly utilised for medical purposes, with a focus on its leaves and roots. Nettle tea consumption is widespread in folk medicine for treating diabetes, allergies, abdominal pain, benign prostatic hyperplasia, rheumatoid arthritis and treatment of infections. This study gives a widespread summary of the reseach results about the antimicrobal impact of Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica L.) in the scientific literature. The papers documented a positive effect of nettle for more than 30 Gram positive and Gram negative bacterias, yeasts and fungis.

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Microscopical and Preliminary Physicochemical Studies of Two Important Endangered Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants Kutki and Trayamana to establish their Identity

Journal of Drug Research in Ayurvedic Sciences ◽

10.5005/jp-journals-10059-0003 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 18-22 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Kartar S Dhiman ◽

Devesh Tewari ◽

Anupam K Mangal ◽

Chinmay Rath ◽

Sreya Dutta

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Bronchial Asthma ◽

Physicochemical Analysis ◽

Himalayan Region ◽

Perennial Herb ◽

Picrorhiza Kurroa ◽

High Demand ◽

Gentiana Kurroo ◽

The Family ◽

Physicochemical Studies

ABSTRACT Kutki is an important Ayurvedic drug native to the Himalayan region, and its official source is Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth., belonging to the family Scrophulariaceae. The plant is a small, hairy perennial herb with creeping and woody rhizome and used in various Ayurvedic medicines. It is useful as a laxative, liver-stimulant, galactogouge, and appetite-stimulant and is beneficial in bronchial asthma. Due to its high demand, the plant is often adulterated/substituted with the roots of Trayamana (Gentiana kurroo Royle), as one of the source of the Kutki. The present study has focused to establish the identity of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth through microscopical investigations and comparison of the genuine drug with its substitute Gentiana kurroo Royle. Powder of the rhizomes of Picrorhiza kurroa Royle ex Benth. and roots of Gentiana kurroo Royle were subjected to microscopic characterization and physicochemical analysis, which would not only serve in the identification of both the drugs, but also contribute toward establishing pharmacopoeial standards. How to cite this article Mangal AK, Rath C, Tewari D, Dutta S, Srikanth N, Dhiman KS. Microscopical and Preliminary Physicochemical Studies of Two Important Endangered Ayurvedic Medicinal Plants Kutki and Trayamana to establish their Identity. J Drug Res Ayurvedic Sci 2017;2(1):18-22.

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Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Genus Bombax

The Natural Products Journal ◽

10.2174/2210315508666180831095836 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 184-196

Author(s):

Deepshikha Rathore ◽

Geetanjali ◽

Ram Singh

Keyword(s):

Medicinal Plants ◽

Health Care Needs ◽

Human Beings ◽

Care Needs ◽

Pharmacological Activities ◽

Therapeutic Applications ◽

Chemical Structures ◽

Supportive Role ◽

The Family ◽

History Of

Background: The history of traditional systems of medicine goes parallel with the history of human beings. Even today people have faith in traditional systems of medicine based on medicinal plants to meet primary health care needs. Hence, the scientific evaluation and documentation of extracts and active ingredients of medicinal plants always play a supportive role in their medicinal applications. Objective: This review aims to present the phytochemicals isolated from the genus Bombax and their pharmacological applications. Methods: The literature from research and review papers was analyzed and the information was compiled to present the pharmacological applications of various secondary metabolites from genus Bombax. Results: The genus Bombax belongs to the family Malvaceae and known for its therapeutic applications. The crude, semi-purified and purified extracts of different parts of this plant have shown potential therapeutic applications. A total of 96 articles including research and review papers were referred for the compilation of isolated phytochemicals and their chemical structures. Conclusion: We systematically summarized 176 isolated compounds from the genus Bombax. The findings show that this plant shows potential towards pharmacological activities. The activities were found more from extracts than the single isolated compounds.

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