A Short Review on Gynocardia odorata R. Br

Gynocardia odorata R. Br (Achariaceae) is an important medicinal plant. It is indigenous to Indian subcontinent and grows extensively in the tropical forests of Western Ghats and Hilly regions of North Eastern India. The plant has long been used in the traditional system of medicine to treat various cutaneous and subcutaneous diseases. The chapter deals with the different scientific studies and reports available in different aspects of this plant in the areas like morpho-taxonomy, ethnobotany, phytochemistry, and pharmacognosy.

Phytochemical and Therapeutic Potential of Alstonia scholaris R. Br.- A Magical Traditional Plant

Alstonia scholaris R.Br. commonly known as devil tree is a potential medicinal plant belongs to the family Apocynaceae. Endemic to the geographical areas like India, China and Bangladesh. From the ancient times it is an important medicinal plant containing medicinal potential viabilities to treat number of health condition such as stomach ache, diarrhea, abdominal disorders etc. using various preparations like decoctions, powders etc. Its parts can be administered for the treatment of various diseases. The morphological, organoleptic and microscopic characteristics are also established. It is reported to be rich source of alkaloids. Also, it contains chemical constituents like irioids, coumarins, sugars, oils, phenolics etc. The phytochemical constituents contained in each part are described in the present review. The plant was investigated by the scientists, researchers while performing the experiments on animals they concluded that the plant have pharmacological properties such as antimicrobial, antidiarreal, antitussive, antiasthmatic, immunostimulatory, antidiabetic etc. which are discussed in the article.

An Insight into Phytochemical, Pharmacological, and Nutritional Properties of Arbutus unedo L. from Morocco

Arbutus unedo L. (Ericaceae) is an evergreen shrub widely distributed in the Mediterranean region, particularly through the Moroccan forests. It is an important medicinal plant of great scientific interest due to its nutritional, pharmacological, and chemical properties. The objective of this review is to provide insights into traditional medicinal uses and phytochemical and pharmacological properties of A. unedo from Morocco. In Morocco, the plant has been used as a traditional medicine to treat several pathological conditions. Many phytochemical compounds have been reported in the plant, of which vitamins, carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, tannins, and their derivatives are the most prevalent. Leaves and fruits of A. unedo contain the most significant number of phytochemicals among the species. Furthermore, researchers have demonstrated that A. unedo exhibited antioxidant, anticancer, antibacterial, antidiabetic, antiaggregant, and antihypertensive activities due to the presence of many biochemical compounds with health-promoting properties. According to different toxicity tests, the use of A. unedo is devoid of any significant side effects and/or toxicity. Despite its nutraceutical and health-promoting properties, Moroccan A. unedo remains underexploited mainly, and most of its traditional uses have not yet undergone scientific evidence-based research; therefore, improved knowledge about the potential value of the plant would allow understanding of its biological activity based on its phytochemical compounds that may contribute to the species preservation and valorization.

Eclipta prostrata (L.) L. (Asteraceae): Ethnomedicinal Uses, Chemical Constituents, and Biological Activities

Eclipta prostrata (L.) L. (Syn.: Eclipta alba (L.) Hassak, Family: Asteraceae) is an important medicinal plant in the tropical and subtropical regions. It is widely used in treating various diseases of skin, liver and stomach in India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and other countries. The main aim of this review was to collect and analyze the available information on traditional uses, phytoconstituents, and biological activities of E. prostrata. The scientific information was collected from the online bibliographic databases such as Scopus, MEDLINE/PubMed, Google Scholar, SciFinder, etc. and books and proceedings. The active phytochemicals were coumestan derivatives, phenolic acid derivatives, flavonoids, triterpenoid and steroid saponins, substituted thiophenes, etc. Various extracts and isolated compounds of E. prostrata showed a wide range of biological activities such as antimicrobial, anticancer, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective and hair growth promoting activities. Relatively a few studies have been performed to reveal the exact phytoconstituents responsible for their corresponding pharmacological activities. Future studies should focus on detailed mechanism based studies using animal models and clinical studies.

Zarawand Mudharaj (Aristolochia rotunda Linn.), an important medicinal plant used in Unani system of medicine: A review

Background: Zarawand Mudharaj (Aristolochia rotunda L.) belongs to family Aristolochiaceae. According to Unani scholars, it is a female plant of Aristolochia fontanesii Boiss. & Reut. (Syn. A. longa L.), usually found growing in Mediterranean regions, Central Asia and South Europe. Purpose of the review: The main aim of this review is to highlight various aspects of Zarawand Mudharaj such as temperament, botanical description, pharmacological properties, therapeutic uses etc, as mentioned in Unani literature that will ultimately guide researchers to design various studies for further exploration of this important medicinal plant. Materials and methods: The present review has been carried out through extensive literature survey of various classical Unani and botanical texts, and published papers available on different search engines. The botanical names and their synonyms were validated through ‘The Plant List’ (www.theplantlist.org). Results: In Unani medicine, the rhizome of Zarawand Mudharaj is used for the treatment of several ailments viz. stomach and liver diseases, jaundice, cough, septic wounds, splenomegaly, gout etc. Apart from its use as single drug, it has also been added in many compound preparations viz. Anqarooya-i-Kabir, Habb-i-Rewand, Majun Falasifa, Majun Dabeedul Ward etc. A study on physicochemical standardization of rhizome of Aristolochia rotunda L. has reported the presence of moisture content, total ash, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash, sulphated ash, alcohol and water-soluble extractive values within normal limits. The same study has also revealed that the hydro-alcoholic extract of rhizome of Aristolochia rotunda L. possesses significant hepatoprotective activity against CCl4 induced liver toxicity in albino Wistar rats. Several toxicity reports have pointed out that aristolochic acid containing herbal drugs including Aristolochia rotunda L. cause renal impairment and other serious adverse reactions. Conclusion: It is concluded that Aristolochia rotunda L. is widely used in Unani system of medicine. However, extensive studies on pharmacognosy, pharmacology, toxicology, phytochemistry and quality control of different parts of this potential medicinal plant have not been carried out so far. Therefore, such studies on modern scientific parameters may be conducted for further exploration so that the benefits may reach the masses. Keywords: Zarawand Mudharaj; Aristolochia rotunda L.; Unani medicine; Hepatoprotective; Aristolochic acid; Toxicity

Molecular Barcoding of Melissa Officinalis L. (Badranjboye) in Iran and Identification of Adulteration in Its Medicinal Services

Medication plants are an important source of disease treatment in many countries. Today, quality control of the products of medicinal plants is a major task. Customer health may be at risk due to fraud and misconduct in the sales associates ' sales centres. Melissa officinalis (Badranjboye) is an important medicinal plant in Iran used for several diseases. In Iran, the species of Dracocephalum, Hymencrater, Nepeta and Stachys are mistakenly sold under the name of badranjboye in the selling centers of medicinal plants that have different pharmaceuticals properties. To avoid this mistake, we will follow the following goals in this research: 1 - Check the cheating and identification of badranjboye in the Iran market of medicinal plants and 2 - Provision of molecular barcode for the medicinal species of Melissa officinalis. We compared the plant samples sold (leaf) and reference species with morphological properties, odor, and molecular sequences and performed various molecular analyzes, such as sequencing, genetic distance determination, and phylogenetic tree construction. The reports indicated that internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and psbA–trnH intergenic spacer (psbA–trnH) sequences are an efficient molecular marker to produce barcode gap and differentiating Melissa officinalis from other species.