Benefits of Cow Dung - A Human Ignored Gift

Cow is considered as mother and even as god. It is one of the largest domesticated mammals. The meaning of the word <em>panchagavya</em> in Sanskrit is "five cow-derivatives" consisting of three direct constituents like cow urine, dung, milk and the two derived products are curd and ghee. Cow dung and urine are the excretory products. Cow dung is an undigested residue of consumed food material of cow combined with faeces and urine, lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses being the major composition. Cow dung is an indigestible plant material from the intestine of cow released on to the ground. Generally, faeces, either from an animal or human is not a desired topic of conversation. Cow dung is worth discussing. It's a useful material and helps us in a variety of ways. Cow urine has been used as an antimicrobial not only for rituals but also therapeutically. But cow dung has been mostly used as a firework and/or biofertilizer in the form of cow patties. Researchers have ignored the therapeutical benefits of cow dung which is evident from the smaller number of pharmaceutical products in market amidst of its miraculous benefits. This review discusses about the existing traditional therapeutics and the respective medicinal property of cow dung and tries to change the mindset of the scientific community to carry out the further research in the future.

A National Web Conference on Integrated Siddha Approach in Clinical Practice and Research on COVID-19 Pandemic (ISACC)- Tirupati, December 2020

Siddha Clinical Research Unit (SCRU) Tirupati, working under the Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS), Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India, conducted a National Web conference titled “Integrated Siddha Approach in Clinical Practice and Research on COVID-19 Pandemic (ISACC)” on 23^rd Dec 2020, as a part of the fourth Pre-Siddha Day observance. Totally, 256 participants from Siddha colleges and various institutes of CCRS attended the Web conference and 9 eminent Speakers share their knowledge at the conference. The Technical session was separated by three panels, (i)Siddha Standalone and Integrative Clinical trials on COVID-19, (ii)Siddha Preventive and Prophylactic Measures on COVID-19, (iii)Experiences in Siddha Integrative Clinical Practice on COVID-19. The take home message of the conference insisted upon the three facts - the need for more clinical trials , need for increased experience sharing platforms for Siddha medical system and finally that Siddha standalone as well as integration for COVID-19 management gave significant outcome in both preventive and promotive healthcare. Central Council for Research in Siddha (CCRS), Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India and Directorate of Indian Medicine and Homeopathy (DIM&amp;H), Government of Tamil Nadu, contributed a lot in Research and services in COVID-19 pandemic.

Preliminary Analysis of the Antidiabetic Activity of Indonesian Polyherbal Formulation

This study aims to prepare polyherbal formulations and also analyze the antidiabetic potentials of the prepared polyherbal in animals. The ethanol extracts of the leaves of <em>Smallanthus sonchifolius</em>, <em>Stevia rebaudiana, Syzygium polyanthum</em>, and <em>Camellia sinensis</em> were used in this study. The extracts of the aforementioned plants were prepared in the ratio of 2:1:1:1. The formulation was tested for antidiabetic activity <em>in vitro</em> through the inhibition of alpha-glucosidase and <em>in vivo</em> using alloxan-induced diabetes in mice. The polyherbal has an inhibitory effect with the IC₅₀ value of 26.23 μg/mL compared to acarbose (control) was 17.02 μg/mL. The diabetic animals were observed to show an obvious decline in glucose level when compared with control (P&lt; 0.001) after treatment.

Taxonomical, Phytochemical, Traditional Explanation, Nutritional Values, and Biological Activities of Certain Edible Medicinal Plants of Tripura, India

Edible plants are used as valuable sources of food and medicine to prevent nutritional imbalance, illness, and maintenance of human health. This review covers botanical descriptions, phytochemicals studies, traditional comprehensions, dietary values, and biological activities of ten vegetable plants and eight fruit plants of Tripura, India. The book “The Flora of Tripura State” helps to choose the plant species of Tripura, India and PubMed, NCBI, Google scholar databases have been used to describe the plant species briefly. Literature reveals that all the selected edible plants contain bio-active constituents (alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, glycosides, etc.) and give dynamic biological activities. All the plants have a high nutritional value. This review believes it will provide significant advances in the prevention of malnutrition and chronic diseases.

Probable Mode of Action of Sita kasmaryadi Herbal Decoction in Placental Compliance – A Review

The occurrence of IUGR (Intra uterine growth retardation) is estimated to be approximately 5% in the population and it is considered as the third leading cause for perinatal mortality in India. Despite plentiful management options, none is effectively proved in improving placental circulation and foetal weight gain. Indian medicine practices a herbal decoction with <em>Glycyrrhiza glabra</em> Linn., <em>Gmelina arborea Roxb</em>. ex. <em>Smith</em> and sugar. The pharmacological potentials of this decoction was attempted to explore here in this review based on available researches. Thorough internet search was performed to derive the data. Recent researches on detailed chemical composition and its possible pharmacological action also had been detailed. It is an effective formulation in improving placental and umbilical cord circulation, aids in improving foetoplacental circulation to a greater extent with negligible side effects.

A Case Report on Grade II Oligodendroglioma by Ayurvedic Intervention

(1) Rationale for this case report: The current treatment modality for oligodendroglioma is surgical intervention and radiation treatment. This case report shows the effective management with Ayurvedic treatment of a case diagnosed as Grade II oligodendroglioma which was posted for resection and chemotherapy. The MRI results after treatment clearly suggest the significant reduction of the Grade II oligodendroglioma. (2) Presenting concerns: A 26-year young lady who was diagnosed with the Grade II oligodendroglioma was admitted in the hospital. She was posted for the excision, resection, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The features were suggestive of Grade II oligodendroglioma has been diagnostic by MRI. (3) Interventions: Panchakarma procedures including the snehana, svedana, virechana, nasya and kayaseka was started along with internal medications and surgery was deferred because the patient responded positively. (4) Outcomes: The outcome of this case study reveals that there was significant reduction of the Grade II oligodendroglioma. (5) Main lesson(s) from this case report: Non-surgical intervention of Grade II oligodendroglioma demonstrating the reduction. Multiple clinical trials should be conducted to establish this treatment as general treatment for the oligodendroglioma.

Assessment of Anti-Cancerous Effect of Green, Roasted and Decaffeinated Coffee on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Line (In Vitro Study)

Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most prevailing malignancies of the head and neck area. So far, treatment methods are associated with harmful effects which drive attention towards natural compounds such as coffee. The current study attempted to test the anti-cancerous effect of green coffee, medium roasted coffee and decaffeinated coffee in OSCC cell lines and correlate the obtained results with their total phenolic content. We prepared coffee extracts using soxhlet apparatus. Then, we purchased and sub-cultured OSCC-25 cell into four study groups. We subjected three of those groups to coffee extracts separately. We left the remaining group without any treatment as a control group. We assessed cell cytotoxic effect of each extract by MTT viability assay. Additionally, we evaluated the apoptotic effect of each extract on OSCC-25 cell lines using flowcytometric analysis. Finally, we measured the total phenolic content in each coffee extract. The results revealed that coffee extracts induced varying degrees of cell cytotoxicity and apoptosis. Green coffee showed the highest cytotoxic and apoptotic effect followed by medium roasted coffee, then decaffeinated coffee. The total percentage of necrotic cells were higher in the coffee extracts groups, compared to the control group with a higher value in favor of green coffee followed by medium roasted coffee. Upon chemical analysis, the results showed that green coffee extract contained the highest concentration of phenolic compounds followed by medium roasted coffee then decaffeinated coffee extracts. We concluded that green coffee was the most potent anti-cancer extract. It seems plausible that coffee, and particularly green coffee could be for treating of OSCC.

Effects of Aqueous Extract of Tulsi and Cardamom on Elderly Depressive Subjects - A Preliminary Clinical Study

An aqueous extract of <em>Ocimum sanctum</em> (Tulsi) and <em>Elettaria cardamomum</em> (Cardamom) was administered to elderly subjects suffering from depression living in selected old age home. Geriatric Depression Assessment Scale was used to assess the level of depression; based on the scale, 40 subjects were selected for the study. The subjects were divided into two groups of twenty each. Experimental group received aqueous extracts of<em> Ocimum sanctum</em> and <em>cardamom</em> for eight weeks, similarly, control group received aqueous extract of <em>green tea leaves.</em> Post assessment was done after eight weeks of treatment in both the control and experimental groups. Aqueous extracts of <em>Ocimum sanctum</em> and <em>cardamom</em> were found to have a significant anti depressive effect on experimental group after 8 weeks, while control group did not show any significant change. Preliminary data of the study showed a significant antidepressive activity of <em>Ocimum sanctum</em> and <em>cardamom</em> extracts.

In Vitro Anti-cancer, Anti-hypertensive and Antihyperglycaemic effect of Hypoxis colchicifolia

Economic challenges associated with non-communicable diseases and the sociocultural outlook of many patients especially in Africa has increased the dependence on traditional herbal medicines for these diseases. <em>Hypoxis colchicifolia</em> is a traditional medicinal plant used in Southern Africa against an array of ailments. This study evaluated the <em>in vitro</em> antidiabetic (α-amyalse and α-glucosidase), antihypertensive (angiotensin-converting enzyme) and anticancer potential of <em>H. colchicifolia</em> corm as well as leaf (acetone, methanol and aqueous) extracts. Results showed that extracts have a moderate anti-diabetic and anti-hypertensive potential, with great anti-cancer potential. The acetone extract of both fresh and dried corms produced significant α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition with ACE inhibited predominantly by the dried corms methanolic extract (IC₅₀ 368.2 μg/mL). Methanolic extract of dried leaves showed the least cytotoxicity against the noncancerous cell line HEK-293 while exhibiting the highest inhibition of MCF-7 cells (IC₅₀ 3.24 μg/mL). All extracts exhibited a greater inhibitory potential in A549 cells than the positive control camptothecin (IC₅₀ 304.2μg/mL). This study reveals that <em>H. colchicifolia</em> has therapeutic potential as an anti-diabetic and anticancer agent; however, further in vivo studies need to be conducted.

Preparation and Exploration of Physical Properties of Calcium based Indian Origin Ayurvedic Medicine-Shankh Bhasma (Marine Drug) as Nanomaterials for its Applications

The objective of the present research is to explore the Physical properties of a marine origin of Indian Ayurvedic medicine (Shankh Bhasma) as nanomaterials for its applications.<em> Shankh Bhasma</em> has been prepared by using the method as mentioned in Ayurvedic text which includes aloe-vera and buttermilk as ingredient. The preparation method was ecofriendly and hazardous chemicals are not used or emitted during preparation. The bhasma are characterized by the modern scientific techniques. X-ray diffraction measurement and Scanning electron microsccopy analysis showed that<em> Bhasma</em> exists as agglomerated nano crystalline materials. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurement reveals the bond stretching during the incineration process and found peaks of carboxylic group, calcium carbonate and calcium hydroxide. The photoluminescence measurement shows a broad spectrum in UV region and one prominent emission peak in the visible region at 405nm. The prepared shankh bhasma was examined on E. coli and found to have no effect. In present research, physical property measurement of shankh bhasma using state of the art techniques of 21st century not only support a foundation for the development of low cost ayurvedic natural marine based materials as nanomedicne but also used in other sectors of science and technology.