Amruthapala (Decalepis arayalpathra (J. Joseph and V. Chandras.) Venter): A Comprehensive Review on Diversity, Therapeutic Uses, and Valorization of Bioactive Constituents

Background: Decalepis arayalpathra (J. Joseph and V. Chandras.) Venter is used primarily for nutrition besides its therapeutic values. Traditional preparations/formulations from its tuber are used as a vitalizer and blood purifier drink. The folklore medicinal uses cover inflammation, cough, wound healing, antipyretic, and digestive system management. A comprehensive review of the current understanding of the plant is required due to emerging concerns over its safety and efficacy. Objective: The systematic collection of the authentic information from different sources with the critical discussion is summarised in order to address various issues related to botanical identity, therapeutic medicine, nutritional usage, phytochemical, and pharmacological potentials of the D. arayalpathra. Current use of traditional systems of medicine can be used to expand future research opportunities. Materials and Methods: Available scripted information was collected manually, from peered review research papers and international databases viz. Science Direct, Google Scholar, SciFinder, Scopus, etc. The unpublished resources which were not available in database were collected through the classical books of ‘Ayurveda’ and ‘Siddha’ published in regional languages. The information from books, Ph.D. and MSc dissertations, conference papers and government reports were also collected. We thoroughly screened the scripted information of classical books, titles, abstracts, reports, and full-texts of the journals to establish the reliability of the content. Results: Tuber bearing vanilla like signature flavor is due to the presence of 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (HMB). Among five other species, Decalepis arayalpathra (DA) has come under the ‘critically endangered’ category, due to over-exploitation for traditional, therapeutic and cool drink use. The experimental studies proved that it possesses gastro-protective, anti-tumor, and antiinflammatory activities. Some efforts were also made to develop better therapeutics by logical modifications in 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzaldehyde, which is a major secondary metabolite of D. arayalpathra. ‘Amruthapala’ offers the enormous opportunity to develop herbal drink with health benefits like gastro-protective, anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory actions. Results: The plant has the potential to generate the investigational new lead (IND) based on its major secondary metabolite i.e. 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxy-benzaldehyde. The present mini-review summarizes the current knowledge on Decalepis arayalpathra, covering its phytochemical diversity, biological potentials, strategies for its conservation, and intellectual property rights (IPR) status. Chemical Compounds: 2-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 69600), α-amyrin acetate (Pubchem CID: 293754), Magnificol (Pubchem CID: 44575983), β-sitosterol (Pubchem CID: 222284), 3-hydroxy-p-anisaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 12127), Naringenin (Pubchem CID: 932), Kaempferol (Pubchem CID: 5280863), Aromadendrin (Pubchem CID: 122850), 3-methoxy-1,2-cyclopentanedione (Pubchem CID: 61209), p-anisaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 31244), Menthyl acetate (Pubchem CID: 27867), Benzaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 240), p-cymene (Pubchem CID: 7463), Salicylaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 6998), 10-epi-γ-eudesmol (Pubchem CID: 6430754), α -amyrin (Pubchem CID: 225688), 3-hydroxy-4-methoxy benzaldehyde (Pubchem CID: 12127).

Traditional/Folk practices of Kerala Case studies- Part V: Healing art of tribal communities of Kerala

In this case study, authors reveal very valuable Traditional Knowledge (TK) related to an important, critically endangered medicinal plant species locally known as ‘Amrithapala’, botanically identified as Decalepis arayalpathra (J.Joseph & V.Chandras.) Venter, disclosed by Smt. Lekshmikutty, women tribal healer belonging to Kani tribal community in Kerala. Kani tribe is inhabited in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts of Kerala. Smt. Lekshmikutty, has been awarded ‘Padma Shri’ this year (2018) for her outstanding contribution in the field of ethnomedical knowledge, tribal healing techniques and other contributions made by her in the conservation of biodiversity. Kani tribes are of mixed racial origin, having features of dravidian, veddoid and negrito. They are the custodians of rich TK related to biodiversity, especially on medicinal and food plants. TK related to cultural expressions presented by Kani tribal community is worth scientific scrutiny. In this communication, the authors highlight the ethnic legend of Kani tribe ritualistic music performed by them known as ‘Chattupattu’, the historical perspective of Agasthyarkoodam the southernmost peak of Western Ghats and the story of ‘Amrithapala’ . Apart from this, summary of scientific investigations so far carried out by various authors are also described.

CALLUS INDUCTION, PHYTOCHEMICAL STUDIES AND ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY OF DECALEPIS ARAYALPATHRA (JOSEPH AND CHANDRAS) VENTER

Objective: The aim of the present study was designed for the induction of callus from leaf explants of Decalepis arayalpathra (D. arayalpathra) and to analyse their phytochemical constituents and antibacterial activity.Methods: The explants were cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with different concentration of 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2, 4-D) and later subcultured to the combination of 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA). The phytochemical constituents were analysed in the different solvent extracts using standard methods. Antibacterial activity of the different solvent extracts was carried out using agar well diffusion method against reference standards. Results: Callus induction was observed on MS medium supplemented with different concentration and combination of auxins and cytokinins. Maximum callus induction was noticed on media supplemented with 2, 4-D (2 mg/l) and BAP (1 mg/l)+NAA (0.5 mg/l) respectively. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, tannins, steroids and terpenoids, glycosides, coumarins and quinone etc. All the solvent extracts showed varying degree of antibacterial activities against the bacterial strains (Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas fluorescence and Staphylococcus aureus). The maximum antibacterial activity of leaf was observed in aqueous (Klebsiella pneumoniae, 19.00±1.00) and methanolic extract (Klebsiella pneumoniae, 18.33±1.15). Whereas petroleum ether extract of the callus showed maximum inhibition (Bacillus subtilis, 17.00±1.00) compare to other extracts.Conclusion: The study revealed the presence of secondary metabolites in the leaf and callus extracts of D. arayalpathra. The methanolic extracts possess higher antibacterial activity compared to other solvent extracts. However, further studies have to be carried out for the isolation and identification of antimicrobial compounds against pathogens.