Crocus Sativus

Crocus sativus L. (Iridaceae); Siddha name: Kungumapu The dried stigma and tops of styles are used in treating asthma and cough. Also it is used in multiple ailments such as seminal debility, leucorrhoea, diarrhea and rheumatism . The herb has sedative, antispasmodic expectorant (in dry cough, whooping cough, and bronchitis), stomachic, diaphoretic and antitussive effect.

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Graveolens

Apium graveolens L. (Umbelliferae)

Siddha name: Celery-keerai The seeds and leaves of Apium graveolens are used in the treatment of asthma and bronchitis as well as liver and spleen diseases. Seeds are also used in the treatment of chronic skin disorders including psoriasis. One of its compound apigenin (flavonoid) has been proven to possess vasodilatory action in thoracic aorta of rat.The another compound apiin (flavonoid) showed significant inhibitory activity on nitric oxide production in-vitro and reduces inducible nitric oxide synthase expression in-vivo. The seeds and leaf extracts have been shown to reduce the drug induced toxicity  in rats. Its root has been reported for some side effects such as allergy and irritation.

Nutritional Supplements

1. Carbohydrates
2. Sugars
3. Fiber
4. Fat
5. Protein
6. Water
7. Vitamin A
8. Vitamin B1
9. Vitamin B2
10. Vitamin B6
11. Vitamin C
12. Vitamin K
13. Folate
14. Calcium
15. Manganese
16. Magnesium
17. Phosphorus
18. Potassium
19. Iron
20. Sodium
21. Etc.

 INTRODUCTION: Medicinal  plants  are  used  in traditional  medicine  to  treat  many diseases.  Observations  of  scientific studies on medicinal plants are used to cure various diseases including:
01. Cancer,
02.infectious   diseases,
03.diabetes 
04.atherosclerosis.

However,    the indiscriminate  use  of  these  herbs  can have side effects. Therefore; a scientific research  is  needed  to  determine  the pharmacological  properties  of  various plants.  Celery  (Apium graveolens)  is  a medicinal  plant  in  traditional  medicine with  numerous  health  benefits.  This article    presents    morphological characteristics,  vegetation  compounds and  evaluation  of  the  therapeutic properties  of  this  valuable  medicinal plant. 

5.Celery involves in the prevention of cardiovascular disease,

6 lowering blood glucose  in  diabetic  mice,

7 lowering blood  pressure  and  strengthening  the Heart.

8 Experimental  studies  report antifungal.

9   and   anti-inflammatory effects of celery.

10 Celery   has   an   anticoagulant activity.

11 Its root leads to an increase of calcium and decrease of potassium in the     heart tissue.

12 Essential oil of celery has antibacterial  effects.  This  plant  has cooperation   in   the   molecular mechanisms  and  cellular  targets  that have a significant effect on the treatment of  human  cancers.

13  Celery  root  and leaves have the property of eliminating OH and DPPH radicals. It also reduces the  severity  of  liposomal  peroxidation that represents renewal and conservation activities  of  it.

14  Its  seed  can  separate non-  completion  base  pairs  from  each other.

15 In animal studies, it was shown that  perillyl  alcohol  in  celery  causes regression  of  tumors  of  the  pancreas, liver,  and  breast.

16  Celery  has  a protective  effect  on the  gastric  mucosa and  it  is  anti-  gastric  ulcer,

 17 also a diuretic  plant.

18  with  antioxidant properties.It  is  also  used  to  treat stomach pain.

19 This plant increases the secretion of breast milk.It also reduces aundice.

20  It  has  protective  effects  on the testicles and the moderator effects on the sex hormones (LH and FSH) against some of the toxic drugs such as sodium Valproate.

21 Its leaf water and roots have effect on biochemical parameters such as restored  glutathione,  the  activity  of catalase,  xanthine  oxidase, glutathione peroxidase  and  intensity  of  lipid peroxidation  in  home ogenized  liver  and hemolyzed  blood  and  when  used  in combination with dox
orubicin provides a protective  effect  against  it.

22  However, due  to  the  increasing  value  and  the special  place  of  the  plant  in  the  new pharmaceutical industry,  it is  necessary to recognize the potential in the field of manufacturing  and  processing.  This article    presents    morphological characteristics,  vegetation  compounds and  evaluation  of  the  therapeutic properties  of  this  valuable  medicinal plant to conduct clinical trials and available  pharmaceutical  solutions  to scientists.

23. Celery  (from  the  Umbelliferae family) is called in different names in different  language:  Persian:  Karafs, Spanish: Apio, German: Sellerie, Arabic: Alkarafs. Celery is a biennial plant with a height of 100 cm, a strong aroma and fleshy solid stem. It is from umbelliferae family.  Its  leaves  are  5  to  50  mm, triangular, diamond or a spear in shape, and  their  edges  are  saw-teeth  or  lobe. Each umbrella has 4 to 12 branches. The fruit of this plant is in oval shape with the  wideness  of  1.5  to  2  mm.  It  is wingless, brown, and with black lines.


24. Celeryis native to Europe; the range of cultivation and consumption of celery is very extensive and it is found in most developing  countries,  including  African
countries such as Algeria, Abyssinia, the Caucasus,  Iran,  India  and  the  United States in the wild.

25 Celery has its origin from a wild and swampland plant which is widely distributed in Europe and Asia. India  produces  40,000  tons  of  celery annually and exports 29,250 tons. Celery requires  comparati ely  high  humidity, but  does  not  need  high  temperature. Therefore its best product comes in cool weather and temperate regions. In Iran the  best  the  weather  condition  for  the production of celery is that of the coastal Caspian.  Celery  is  a  shade-oriented vegetable  and  high  light  intensity decreased  its  quality  and  growth.  This plant is currently cultivated in provinces such  as  central  regions  of  Khuzestan, Tehran, North East Iran, Semnan, Sistan and Baluchistan, and Zabo.
 
 

Table 1: A. graveolens components,

  GC/MS 

  -----------------------------------------------------

          Celery components              Percent

          -----------------------------------------------------

         

                              D-Limonene                              57.7

                                  Myrcene                               18.7

                                4-Terpineol                               8.6

                                β –Selinene                               8.1

                                             β -pinen                       2.4

                                    β - caryophyllene                  0.5

                                             Carnone                      0.3

      Tr                     ans-Limonene Oxide                  0.3

                                      α - Terpinolene                   0.3

                                            α-selinen                       0.2

                       Trans-3-

                   butylidenephthalide                                  0.1                    

                                 α - Muuroloene                          0.1 

                                   Cis-Limonene Oxide               0.1

                                               Linalool                      0.1

                                               α- pinen                      0.1

                                         Trans-ocimene                  0.1 

                                 -------------------------------------------------------------

 

  

Health benefits

1. Oxidative stress:
 
in the investigation of flavonoid extracts from celery and its effect on oxidative stress induced by dichlorvos (DIC) in male Wistar rats found that the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) in the DIC-treated group declined significantly when compared with the flavonoid extracts group and the DIC + flavonoid extracts group, respectively. With regard to GPx activity and MDA content, significant increase were showed in the DIC-treated group in comparison to those in the flavonoid extracts group and the DIC + flavonoid extracts group, respectively. The observations presented lead us to conclude the harmful effects of DIC during the exposure and the protective role of flavonoids in minimizing these effects, according to “Influence of flavonoid extracts from celery on oxidative stress induced by dichlorvos in rats.

2. Antiradical activity
 
examined the antiradical activity and chemical composition of essential oils of some plants grown in Mosul, Iraq, including celery seed oil found that the dominant constituent of celery seed oil was limonene (76.63%). Diallyl disulphide was identified as the major component in garlic oil (36.51%). Antiradical activity was higher in garlic oil (76.63%) and lower in myrtle oil (39.23%). The results may suggest that some essential oils from Iraq possess compounds with antiradical activity, and these oils can be used as natural antioxidants in food applications, according to “Essential oil composition and antiradical activity of the oil of Iraq plants.
3. Hepatoprotective effect
 
In the assessment of Celery, chicory leaves, and barley grains and theirs hepatoprotective effect in rats found that fhe histopathological lesions seen in the livers of hypercholesterolemic rats were ameliorated by feeding this plant mixture. This study recommends that dietary intake of plant mixture of celery; chicory, and barley at 15% (5% of each) concentration can be beneficial to patients suffering from hypercholesterolemia and liver diseases, according to “Hepatoprotective effect of feeding celery leaves mixed with chicory leaves and barley grains to hypercholesterolemic rats.

4. Immunoreactivity: 
 
In the observation of the impact of thermal and high pressure (HP) processing on the immunoreactivity of the allergens Mal d 1, Mal d 3 and Api g 1 in apple and celeriac tissue, respectively, found that the combination of pressure and temperature significantly reduced its immunoreactivity. Pectin was found to protect Mal d 3 from thermal denaturation in solution and is a possible candidate for the protective effect of the fruit, according to “High-pressure treatment reduces the immunoreactivity of the major allergens in apple and celeriac.

5. Antihyperlipidemic property:
 
In the evaluation of the antihyperlipidemic property of aqueous celery extract in rats found that an ethereal extract of the aqueous extract of celery by thin layer chromatography (TLC) with two different solvent systems showed that the extract did not contain 3-n-butylphthalide (BuPh), a unique compound in celery that has previously been reported to have lipid-lowering action, according to “Effects of aqueous celery (Apium graveolens) extract on lipid parameters of rats fed a high fat diet.

Health benefits according to concentration:
1. Vitamin K

Vitamin K not only plays an important role in protecting our skin from aging, it is also needed for the proper clotting of blood, thus decreasing the risk of excessive bleeding, in a study of “Delayed vitamin K deficiency as a cause of bleeding: still a concern in the 21st century!” by Kasatkar P, Shetty S, Ghosh K., posted in PubMed, researchers found that Laboratory tests confirmed acquired bleeding diathesis due to vitamin K deficiency, which was corrected after adequate vitamin K supplementation. VKDB is not an uncommon phenomenon and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a child with bleeding diathesis.

2. Folate
 
In the investigation of the prevalence and multifactorial etiology of anemia among Indian human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected children and its effect on anemia, found that Anemia, particularly iron deficiency anemia and anemia of inflammation, is highly prevalent among children with HIV infection. Micronutrient supplements (iron and, folate) combined with ART(antiretroviral therapy) improved anemia in HIV-infected children, according to “The prevalence and etiology of anemia among HIV-infected children in India.

3. Vitamin A

As famous in improving eye sight, vitamin A also plays an important role in enhancing immune system fighting against the forming of free radicals that cause tissue, muscle and cellular damage and infection, according to the study of “Vitamin A, immunity, and infection” by Semba RD., posted in PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21775644), researchers found that vitamin A and its metabolites are immune enhancers that have been shown to potentiate antibody responses to T cell-dependent antigens, increase lymphocyte proliferation responses to antigens and mitogens, inhibit apoptosis, and restore the integrity and function of mucosal surfaces. Vitamin A and related retinoids may have potential applications in therapy for some infectious diseases.
4. Potassium
 
Beside is a important minerals for lymphatic function in regulating the body fluids, it is also essential in preventing the forming of kidney stone, according to the study of “Empiric use of potassium citrate reduces kidney-stone incidence with the ketogenic diet.

5. Molybdenum
 
Molybdenum cofactor is vital for human enzymes, including xanthine oxidase, sulfite oxidase, and aldehyde oxidase, Deficiency may cause

a. Prenatal brain disruption, according to the study of “Prenatal brain disruption in molybdenum cofactor deficiency” 

b. Uniparental isodisomy with microcephaly and developmental delay, according to the study of “Maternal uniparental isodisomy is responsible for serious molybdenum cofactor deficiency” 

6. Dietary fiber
Daily intake of right amount of fibers can prvent and treat

a. Diabetes, as Increased consumption of vegetables, whole grains, and soluble and insoluble fiber is associated with improved glucose metabolism in both diabetic and nondiabetic individuals. Improvements in insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis were more evident in participants following a plant-based diet compared with other commonly used diets, according to the study of “Efficacy of high-fiber diets in the management of type 2 diabetes mellitus” 

b. Cholesterol and cardivascular diseases, as the soluble fiber content of legumes and vegetables has also been shown to decrease LDL-C. Current investigations continue to explore this area in depth and examine potential synergies between dietary fiber and other phytochemicals that may lower cholesterol, according to the study of “Effects of soluble dietary fiber on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and coronary heart disease risk” 

C. Other health benefits
 
1. Phthalide
Phthalide, a unique compound of celery helps to relax and smooth muscles in the vessel walls that dilates and allows blood to flow more easily, by reducing the production of stress hormones called catecholamines that lessens the risk of hypertension, according to the article of “A Health Benefit of Celery isit`s ability to lower blood pressure“(1)

2. Weight loss
Celery contains high amount fiber which makes the stomach feeling fullness, thus reducing the urge of food craving, according to the study of “Whole-grain ready-to-eat oat cereal, as part of a dietary program for weight loss, reduces low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in adults with overweight and obesity more than a dietary program including low-fiber control foods”

3. Menstrual disorder
Celery contains apiol which has been used, as essential oil to treat menstrual disorders cause of amenorrhea or absence of menstruation. Apiol is toxic in high doses, causing both liver and kidney damage, according to the article of “Apiol” by Wikipedia,(3)

4. Immune function
High amount of vitamin C in celery helps to increase the immune function infighting against the forming of free radicals, and irregular cell growth causes of tumor and cancer, according to the study of “Vitamin C and cancer: what can we conclude–1,609 patients and 33 years later?” 

5. Oxidative stress
High amount of flavonoid in celery helps to reduce the risk of oxidative stress as a result of its antioxidant activity, according to the study of “Influence of flavonoid extracts from celery on oxidative stress induced by dichlorvos in rats” 

6. Osteoporosis and arterial calcification
Celery contains high amount of vitamin K which may be effective for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis and arterial calcification, according to the study of “Vitamin K in the treatment and prevention of osteoporosis and arterial calcification” 

Side effects
 
1. It may cause allergic effect for some people
2. Since it is a powerful vegetable in lowering high blood pressure, people with   low blood pressure should consult with their doctor before eating high amount of celery, according to traditional Chinese medicine.
3. No other side effect is known.

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Skin Disease

Skin Disease

Skin disease doesn’t just affect the skin. It can have a huge impact on a person’s day-to-day life, crush self-confidence, restrict their movement, lead to depression and even ruin relationships. At its most severe, it can even kill. It’s an issue that needs to be dealt with, so let’s take skin disease seriously.

Symptoms

     1.Red patches of skin covered with silvery scale

     2.Small scaling spots (commonly seen in children)

     3.Dry, cracked skin that may bleed

     4.Itching, burning or sorenes

     5.Thickened, pitted or ridged nails

     6.Swollen and stiff joints 

Types of Skin Disease:

     1.Eczema

     2.Psoriasis

     3. Acne

     4.Rosacea

 

 

 

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Adhatoda

Adhatoda vasica Nees (Acanthaceae);

Siddha name: Adathodai The leaf extract of Adhatoda vasica is used in Siddha medicine to cure bronchial asthma, eosinophilia and cough. In some areas the traditional healers use the leaves of this plant orally along with the flowers of Hibiscus rosa-sinensis to treat asthma. The relief of bronchial obstruction by its leaf extracts may be attributed even if partially, to the presence of alkaloids. The plant also consists of antiinflammatory, antiulcer, hepatoprotective  and antitussive properties.

NTRODUCTION
Adhatoda vasica Nees. belongs to the medicinal family Acanthaceae; is an evergreen shrub, distributed from the Punjab in the North and Bengal and Assam in the South-East to the Ceylon, Malaya and Singapore in the South (Rahman et  al.,  2004). It  is  well  known  in Ayurveda by  its  Sanskrit  name  Vasaka  and  commonly  known  as Adusa.  First  botanically  described  as
Justicia  adhatoda by  Linnaeus  (Species  Plantarum,  1753),  redefined  as Adhatoda vasicaby Nees (1831) the name by which it is generally known today.

The leaves of Adusa have been in use in Indian systems of medicine for last more than 2000 years. The plant is appreciated  for  containing  bronchodilator  alkaloids,  mainly  vasicine.  All  parts  of  the  plant  are  used  in  herbal medicine  and  particularly  the  leaves  are  endorsed  with  insecticidal  and  parasiticidal  properties.  The  root  is valuable in strangury, leucorrhoea, bronchitis, asthma, bilious vomiting, sore eyes, fever and gonorrhoea. It is a valuable antiseptic, antiperiodic and anathematic (Kirtikar and Basu, 1994).

The  shrub is the source of the drug-vasaka, well known in the indigenous systems of medicine for its beneficial effects, predominantly in bronchitis. The leaves, flowers, fruits and roots are extensively used for treating cold, cough, whooping  cough  and  chronic  bronchitis  and  asthma  as  sedative  expectorant, antispasmodic  and  as anthelmintic (Siddiqui and Husain, 1994).Adhatoda  vasicais  an  Ayurvedic  medicinal  plant  which  is  a  home  remedy  for  several  diseases  and  human requirements.  It  is  mentioned  in  Vedas  as  an  herbal  remedy  for  treating  cold,  cough,  whooping  cough  and chronic bronchitis and asthma, as sedative expectorant, antispasmodic and anthelmintic. It is a licensed drug and is  mentioned  in  the  India  Pharmacopoeia  (Pharmacopoeia  of  India,  1966).  The  drug  is  employed  in  different forms such as fresh juice, decoction, infusion and powder; also given as alcoholic extract and liquid extract or syrup. The leaf juice is confirmed to cure diarrhoea, dysentery and glandular tumor. The powder is reported to be used as poultice on rheumatic joints as counter-irritant on inflammatory swelling, on fresh wounds, urticaria and in neuralgia (Wealth of India, 1985).

In  2007  survey  cum  study  on  Demand  and  Supply  of  Medicinal  plants  in  India  by  National Medicinal  Plants Board, New Delhithrough Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions (FRLHT), Bangalore listed Adathoda vasica Nees. under top 36 Medicinal Plant Species in High Trade & consumed in volumes exceeding 100 MT per year. It is also listed under Majormedicinal plant species exported from India (Handa, 1992). The demand  of  this  important  plant  is  mostly  met from  the  natural  habitat.  This  plant  show  low  seed  germination and conventional propagation through cutting is slow (Wealth of  India, 1985). This leads to rapid depletion of plant material due to over exploitation.

 SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
-----------------------------------------
 Kinkdom        Planta
---------------------------------------------------------
 Division          Angiosperms
 Class              Eudicots
 Order             Lamiales
 Family            Acanthaceae
 Genus             Justicia
 Species           J.adhatoda

 --------------------------------------- 

Plant description:

Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  belongs  to  the  medicinal  family  Acanthaceae.  It  is  an  evergreen  shrub  of  1-3  feet  in height  with  many  long  opposite branches.  Leaves  are  large  and  lance-shaped.  Stem  herbaceous  above  and woody  below.  Leaves  opposite  and  exstipulate.  Flower spikes  or  panicles,  small  irregular  zygomorphic, bisexual,  and  hypogynous.  K4-5,  C5,imbricate,  A,  didynamous,  epipetalous,  G (2),  two  celled.  Style  simple, stigma two of unequal size (Shinwari and Shah, 1995).  It has capsular four seeded fruits. The flowers are either white or purple in colour. Its trade name Vasaka is based on Sanskrit name. (Kumar et al., 2010).Inflorescencesin axillary spicate cymes, densely flowered; peduncles short; bracts broadly ovate, foliaceous. The  leaves,  flowers,  fruit  and  roots  are  extensively  used  for  treating  cold  cough,  whooping  cough,  chronic bronchitis and asthma, as sedative, expectorant and antispasmodic (Pandita, 1983).

History:
Adhatoda vasica commonly called as Vasaka or  Arusha.  It is  an important medicinal plant found in  India and utilized in rural areas for several ailments. It has been in use for over 2000 years (Chopra, 1982; Singh, 2008). The plant has been recommended by Ayurvedic physicians for the management of various types of respiratory disorders.  The  leaf  extract  has  been  used  for  the  treatment  of  bronchitis  and  asthma  for  many  centuries.  It relieves cough and breathlessness (Chihara, 1997).

Origin and distribution:
Adhatoda  vasica Nees.is  native  to  India.  It  is  distributed  all  over  the  plains  of  India  &  in  lower  Himalayan ranges, ascending to a height of 1,300 m. It is a small evergreen, sub-herbaceous bush which grows universally in open plains, especially in the lower Himalayas up to 1300 meters above sea level (Global Herbal Supplies.Spread  from  the  Punjab  in  the  North,  and  Bengal  and  Assam  in  the  South-East  to  the  Ceylon,  Malaysia  and Singapore in the South. It is one of the very important medicinal plants in this area (Rahman et a., 2004).

Phytochemical studies of Adhatoda vasica Nees:
Chemical  compounds  found  in  leaves  and  roots  of Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  also  includes  essential  oils,  fats, resins,  sugar,  gum,  amino  acids,  proteins  and  vitamin‘C`etc.  (Dymock,  1972). The  main  constituents  of Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  are  pyrroquinazoline  alkaloids  viz.   Vasicine  and Vasicinone(Chihara,  1997).Vasicine, at  low  concentrations,  induced relaxation  of  the  tracheal  muscle.  Athigh  concentrations,  vasicine  offered significant  protection  against  histamine  induced  bronchospasm  in  guinea  pigs.  Vasicinone,  the  auto  oxidation product  of  vasicine(Brain  and  Thapa,  1983;  Chowdhuri  and  Hirani,  1987)has  been  reported  to  cause bronchodi latory effects both in vitro and in vivo. Of the two alkaloids, vasicinone was found to be more potent than vasicine, with potential antiasthmatic activity comparable to that of disodium cromoglycate (Atal, 1980).Vasicine is a major bioactive pyrroquinazoline alkaloid of vasaka which is present in the concentration of 1.3%. In  minor  alkaloids  there  are  adhatonine,  vasicinol  and  vasicinolone.  Four  quinazoline  alkaloids:  vasicoline, adhatodine,  casicolinone  and  anisotine  have  been  obtained  from  the  leaves  and  vasicinone  and  vasicol  have been secluded from inflorescence. Sitosterol, β-glucoside-galactose and deoxyvasicine have been isolated from the roots of the plant (Jain et al., 1980). 2’-4-dihydroxychalcone-4-glucoside has also been recognized in the flowers (Bhartiya and Gupta, 1982).Itis also studied that leaves also yielded a quinazoline alkaloid identified as 1, 2, 3, 9-tetrahydro-5-methoxypyrrolo [2, 1-b] quinazoline-3-ol. 

Flowers  of Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  Mainly contain  kaempferol  and  quercetin  (Rawat et  al.,1994). A  new triterpenoid,  3-hydroxy-D-friedoolean-5-ene,  along  with  the  known  compounds,  epitaraxerol  and  peganidine have been isolated from the aerial parts of Adhatoda vasica Nees. (Atta-Ur-Rahman et al., 1997).
For  the  quantitation  of  vasicine,  spectrophotometreic  (Srivastava et  al.,  1999),  titrimetric  (Singh et  al.,  2000), and  HPTLC  (Singh et  al.,  2000)methods are  available,  but  they  lack  precision  and  accuracy  because  of  low sensitivity  and  due  to  interference  by  other  compounds. The  analytical  method  HPLC  method  has  been developed  for  quantitation  of  vasicine  and  vasicinone  in A.  vasica plant  extract  that  is  suitable  for  the  rapid screening purpose of different genetical and agronomical field experiments (Srivastava et al., 2001).Different  methods  were  used  for  extraction  of  juice  from Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  But  the  traditional  method (TLC densitometric method) was found to give the best quality juice with highest amount of total alkaloids and vasicine content (Soni et al., 2008).

A new method of capillary electrophoresis was developed (Avula et al., 2008) for the quantitative determination of vasicine and vasicinone from Adhatoda vasica Nees. The method was validated in terms of reproducibility, linearity, accuracy and applied for the quantitative determination of vasicine and vasicinone in Adhatoda vasica Nees.  Plant  samples/extracts.  (Sunita  and  Dhananjay,  2010)  performed  the  Aluminium  chloride  colorimetric method for quantitative determination of flavonoid (flavonols) contents in different Adhatoda vasica extracts.A crude plant drug derived from Adhatoda vasica is highly valuable in clearing phlegm and lung problems, was infested  with  seasonal  pests.  Infested  leaves  showed  high  ash  value  out  of  which  sulphated  ash  content  was almost  80  %  and  more.  This  possibly  interfered  with  the  curative  value  of  the  green  drug  leading  to  allergy (Emimal,  2010).  Application  of  organic  manures  viz.  cowdung,  Farm  Yard  Manure  (FYM),  compost  and vermicompost affected the total phenol and total flavonoid content in A. vasica leaves (Upadhyaya et al., 2010).The plant shows wide seasonal variation in vasicine content in its leaves. It exhibited higher levels of vasicine twice in a year i.e. 3.0% in March and 1.4% in September. Interestingly, it coincided with the flowering of the plant.  In March, it was  full bloom condition and  in September, it  was partial flowering.  During the vegetative stage, the plant contained very low concentration of vasicine.

Insecticidal properties: Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  is  an  insecticidal  plant  (Martin  Rathi et  al.,  2008),  leaf  extract  has  shown  anti-feedant activity against Spodoptera littoralis.

Antipyretic Activity:     JU-RU-01,  a  poly  herbal  formulation  was  prepared  that  contains Adhatoda  vasica Nees. Andrographis paniculata Nees.  and
Moringa  oliefera Lam.  The  formulation  (JU-RU-01)  was  verified  for  its  anti  pyretic activity in animal models. It was concluded that the antipyretic activity of JU-RU-01 is due the combined effect of  the  active  constituents  of  these  important  medicinal  plants  (Chandraet  al., 2010).A.  vasicaleaf  (Vasaka), known  as Vasain  Ayurveda,  is  an  important  drug  prescribed  for  malarial  fever,  fever  caused  by pitta and kapha, chronic fever.

HIV-Protease inhibitor activity:  The  crude  extracts  of Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  exhibited  powerful  inhibitory  activity  of  enzyme  Pepsin  thus  according to the study it might be a effective inhibitor of HIV-Protease which belongs to same aspartate family of enzyme and sharing same signature group at the active site. 

Activity against gastrointestinal nematodes:  The  ethanolic  extract  of Adhatoda  vasica Nees. has  been  found effective  in  inhibiting  egg  hatching  and  larval development of gastrointestinal nematodes.  It was thus suggested that Adhatoda vasica extracts may be useful in the control of gastrointestinal nematodes of sheep.

Mild steel corrosion inhibitor activity:  Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  acted  as  good  inhibitor  for  mild  steel  corrosion  in  1N  HC1,  1N  H2SO4 and  1N  H4PO4 acid solutions.

Hepatoprotective activity: Biologically   active   phytoconstituents   such   as   Alkaloids-Quinazoline,   Flavonoids,   Tannins,   Vasicinone, Essential  oil  which  are  present  in  the  various  extracts  of Adhatoda  vasica plant    are  accountable  for  the significant hepatoprotective activity.

Anti-ulcer activity:  Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  in  addition  to  its  classically  established  pharmacological  activities,  also  has  immense potential as an anti-
ulcer agent of great therapeutic relevance.

Antioxidant and anti-clastogenic activity:  Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  also  shows  the  antioxidant  and  anti-clastogenic  efficacy  against  cadmium  chloride (CdCl2)-induced  renal  oxidative  stress  and  genotoxicity  in  Swiss  albino  mice  supports  its  anti-mutagenic efficacy.

Anti tuberculer activity:  It  was  found  that  bromhexine  and  ambroxol,  the  semi-synthetic  derivatives  of  vasicine,  from  the  Indian  shrub Adhatoda vasica Nees. have activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in vitro.The herb is known to contain one of the most potent anti T.B. drug.

Anti-cancer and radio-protector activity:   Methanolic  extracts  of Adhatoda  vasica with  both  low  and  high  drug  doses  have  shown  its  potentiality  as  a radio-protector  against  the  therapeutically  induced  mutations  which  can  prove  to  be  a  contributor  in  cancer management in future. Such indigenous Indian, herbal, cost effective, poor man friendly drug will definitely be a potential  adjuvant  to  cancer  treatments  like  radiotherapy  and  chemotherapy  since  Amifostine  a  well  known radioprotector  given  to  the  patients  at  the  time  of  cancer  therapy  is  expensive  and  has  its  own  side  effects.

Antimutagenic activity: Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  shows  protective  effect  against  radiation-induced  damage  at  cellular,  biochemical  and
chromosomal levels in Swiss albino mice.

Oxytocic/abortifacient activity:  Studies  have  been  carried  out  which  indicated  that  vasicine,  the  alkaloid  of Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  holds
promise  for  its  use  as  an  Oxytocic/abortifacient  in  therapeutics.  After  treating  patients  with  vasicine  various hematological  and  biochemical  investigations  and  kidney  and  liver  function  tests  were  carried  out  before, during and after vasicine treatment. It was found that uterus became firm and contracted after vasicine treatment which indicated its effectiveness as an Oxytocic.

Anti-inflammatory activity:  Anti-inflammatory activity of methanolic extracts of Adhatoda vasica Nees. were evaluated by using modified hens egg chorioallantoic membrane.

Anti-feedant activity:  Adhatoda  vasica Nees.  extracts  have  also  shown  anti-feedant  activity  against Spodoptera  litura(Fab.) larvae.

Activity against bacterial leaf blight disease in rice:   Adhatoda  vasica Nees.    has  been recommended  to  use  in  order  to  control  seed  borne  bacteria, X anthomonas oryzae pv. Oryzae (Xoo) and development of disease, therefore, we can say that Adhatoda vasica leaf extract is environmentally  safe in the management of seed-borne bacterial leaf blight disease in  rice.

Genetic variability:  Huge variability has been found among the genotypes of Adhatoda vasica Nees. in plant height, number of sub-branches  per  plant,  number  of  spikes  per  plant,  number  of  leaves  per  plant  and  the  leaf  area.  The  genotypes compared  using  SDS-PAGE  showing  differences  also  in  the  protein  components.  This  genetic  variability  will have important role to breed better varieties of the plant for commercial cultivation and economic benefit of the farmer’s community with small land holdings.

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Euphorbiacease(Kuppaimeni)

Acalypha indica L. (Euphorbiaceae);
Siddha name: Kuppaimeni
 
The Leaves, roots, stalk and flowers of Acalypha indica are used in Siddha Medicine for its medicinal properties. The leaf powder cures respiratory diseases. Its other actions include cathartic, anthelmintic, expectorant, emetic, anodyne,hypnotic, antimicrobial and wound healing properties.Recently, the ethanolic leaf extract of this plant has been shown a potent snake venom neutralizing property in the experimental animals which indicates its detoxification effect. There is no specific study on its toxicological aspect; however, one clinical report indicated its hemolytic effect in glucose-6- phosphate dehydrogenase deficient individuals.

Kuppaimeni leaves or Indian Acalypha Indicia(Biological term) is a wild plant which carries various health saving medicinal properties. Kuppaimeni benefits are well indentified in Tamil medicine. The shoot of these plants is edible and leaves of the plant are cooked and consumed as vegetable. Try kuppaimeni recipes like dosa, poriyal, soup, rasam, etc. The leaves of this plant are used in the treatment of many health problems especially respiratory diseases. Here are some kuppaimeni plant uses. You can buy kuppaimeni powder in ayurvedic medical centres.

1) The leaves of kuppaimeni plant are considered as one of the best medicines for asthma and bronchitis. The mucous saturated in the bronchial tubes can be easily removed with the help of these leaves. The extracts of leaves are used to treat bronchitis and asthma. Patients are advised to consume the decoction of acalypha leaves twice a day or as per the requirement.

2) The extracts of kuppaimeni leaves are also useful in treating the condition of blockage in urination. It can support the easy flow of urine and thus cures the problem.

3) The patients of pneumonia are also treated with the juice extracted from acalypha leaves.

4) The patients suffering from constipation can take advantage of these leaves. Common salt is mixed with the juice of acalypha leaves. This mixture works as a regular laxative and treats the condition.

5)  Kuppaimeni leaves are used to treat many skin diseases and scabies. Kuppaimeni for eczema is highly effective. Extract the juice from the leaves and use it for external application. Apply the juice on scabies to heal it quickly.

6) Mix small amount of white lime or calcium chloride in kuppaimeni leaves extract. This mixture can be used to externally to cure many types of skin diseases.

7) Many children suffer from the problem of worms in stomach, because of which many other health problems can occur. To cure this health problem, dry leaves of kuppaimeni plant are used. Make a powder of dry leaves and give for children to support the process of removal of worms. You can also use the extracts of leaves mixed with garlic juice to fight against the problem.

8) The decoction of these leaves can be a very good treatment for the reasons of vomiting in kids. It can help to control the attack of vomiting.

9) Few drops of kuppaimeni leaves react can be useful to cure ear pain effectively.

10) The crushed leaves are beneficial to reduce the pain of non-poisonous snake bite. It can also relieve the pain of centipede bite quickly.

11) The extracts of these leaves are useful in the treatment of ulcers.
Fresh leaves juice is used for arthritis. Mix oil and salt in leaves juice and apply in on affected area to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

12) Make a powder of dry leaves of a calypha and use it for the treatment of bedsores and other types of infections and wounds.

13) Crush the leaves of the plant and apply it on burns to reduce irritation and burning sensation.

14) The extracts of kuppaimeni keerai are used to treat serious eye infections. Apply the powder of turmeric and kuppaimeni for face to get glowing and fair skin. 

15) Use Kuppaimeni for hair removal, unwanted facial hairs can be removed by this application.

16) You can use the juice of kuppaimeni for cold kuppaimeni powders of leaves are known as the best expectorant. The treatment of kuppaimeni leaves for cough is very effective in children. The juice of these leaves can treat chronic cough effectively.

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Diagnosis and treatment of various diseases

Efficacy of Siddha Medicine  in diagnosis and  treatment of various diseases:-

The diagnosis of diseases in Siddha Medicine is based on  the examination of eight entities (envagi thaervu)  such as pulse, eyes, voice, touch, appearance,  tongue, face and urine. Among these, urine  examination is the major diagnostic method and it  is a specialty of Siddha medicine. The color of the urine,  smell, density, quantity and froth are noted in  almost all systems of diagnosis. But in Siddha medicine, in  addition to these, the surface tension and the  pattern of oil spreading on the surface of the  urine gives valuable information in diagnosing the  diseases . Apart from urine examination,  pulse (nadi) examination is another important  step, which is used for diagnosis and prognosis  of diseases.

        This is the most prominent  diagnostic procedure in Siddha medicine than in  Ayurveda and it has been suggested that  Ayurveda pulse diagnosis not common before the  late thirteenth-century was then followed by  Siddha medicine. The pulse examination is  done for females in left hand and for males in  right hand. The diagnosis also involves the  study of person as a whole as well as his  disease. The Siddha Medicine emphasizes that medical  treatment is oriented not merely to disease but  also take into account the patients’ environment,  the meteorological consideration, age, sex, race,  habits, mental frame, habitat, diet, appetite,  physical condition, physiological constitution etc.  This means the treatment is individualistic,  reducing the chance of misdiagnosis or wrong  treatments. In this regard, it seems that Siddha Medicine had  already an insight of individualized medicine  through  phenotypic  and  behavioral  characterization of individuals which now modern  research is trying to achieve through  pharmacogenomics  and  pharmacogenetics.

         According to Siddha Medicine, the physiological function in  the human system is mediated by three  substances (tridosham) i) wind (vatham) ii) bile  (pitham), iii) phlegm (kapam). If these three  substances function normally in the ratio 4: 2: 1  respectively, normal health is maintained. The  change in this ratio will lead to various diseases. Drugs of Siddha Medicine are used separately or in  combination for maintaining this normal ratio. The  combined drugs are classified into two  categories: enemy (satru) and friend (mitru). The  modern equivalent terms are compatible  (potentiating the action of one drug by another)  and incompatible (one drug antagonizes another  and reduces the therapeutic action). It is  believed that the Siddha Medicine is capable of treating all  types of diseases. For example, it is effective in  treating skin diseases, arthritis. Siddha  medical practitioners have also reported that this  system is effective in reducing the highly  debilitating conditions in HIV/AIDS and even  found to cure HIV positive and sexually  transmitted diseases (STD). Other diseases  such as cancer and diabetes (literally known as  putrunoi and neerazhivu noi in SSM) can also be  treated with Siddha drugs. This has been  demonstrated scientifically also.   

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Siddha medicine

Siddha   medicine 

 “Siddha”,  which originated from Tamil Nadu, a south-east state of India and practiced mostly in and around areas of its  origin.  Siddha medicine has  been  in  existence  and  is scientists of Tamil Nadu who explored and explained the reality of nature and its relationship to man by their yogic awareness and experimental findings. They postulated the concept of spiritualism for self-improvement, and the practices initiated by them came to be known as the "Siddha System”. It is believed that Siddhi was obtained by 18 highly experienced and intuitive Siddhars ,who were believed to cure innumerable diseases.

Agasthiyar, one among the 18 Siddhars is believed to have contributed more in the development of Siddha, whose life period is approximately between fifth to sixth centuries. He is considered as the ‘’Hippocrates of Siddha medicine and also one of the greatest philosophers of India. Some of his works are still in standard books of medicine and surgery, which are in the daily use among the Siddha medical practitioners. The siddha is mainly concerned with the development of drugs, which have high potency and long life for their use in future. It also aims to activate the generation of cells and to maintain the longevity.

Siddha system is based on 96 principles (thathuvams) which are broadly classified under the following categories: 5 elements (pancha bhutam), 5 sense organs (pori), 5 functions of sense organs (pulan), 5 motor organs (kanmenthiriyam), 5 perception of senses with the help of five sense organs (gnanenthriyam), 4 intellectual faculties (karanam), 1 wisdom of self realization (arivu), 10 channels of life force responsible for the dynamics of prana (naadi), 10 vital nerve forces which is responsible for all kinds of movements (vayu), 5 visceral cavities (asayam), 5 five states of the human body or sheath (kosam), 6 stations of soul (aatharam), 3 regions (mandalam), 3 impurities of the soul (malam), 3 humours (tridosham/ tridosha siddhantam), 3 physical bindings (eadanai), 3 cosmic qualities (gunam), 2 acts (vinai), 8 passions (ragam), 5 states of consciousness (avasthai).

The common specific features of these two systems are: tridosha siddhantam;wind (vatham), bile (pittam) and phlegm (siletuman), pancha bhuta theory; space (aakasam), air(vayu) ,fire (thee) , water (neer) ,earth (munn), three gunas; subtle (sattva), activity (rajas), gross (tamas), and six kinds of tastes (arusuvai).

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