In western herbal medicine valerian has been used as a carminative and digestive aid. It has been used as an anti-spasmodic along with papaverine, belladonna, in spastic conditions of the smooth muscle as in spastic colitis. It is popularly prescribed for its sedative effects. Large quantities of valerian are used in perfumery. Indian valerian species…
Valerian contains about 0.2–2.8% volatile oil principally constituted of bornyl acetate and bornyl isovalerate. Other significant constituents of the oil are β-caryophyllene, bornyl formate, eugenyl isovalerate, isoeugenyl isovalerate, eugenol, cyclopentane sesquiterpenes—valeranone, valerenal, valerenic acid, and acetoxyvalerenic acid. Volatile oil composition is variable in different sub species of valerian. For example, V. edulis and V. wallichii lack valerenic acid. Japanese…
V. officinalis is a tall, hardy perennial herb with an underground portion made up of a vertical rhizome bearing numerous rootlets and stolons. Stem is hollow, cylindrical, and channeled of about 2 m in height. It is branched in the terminal region bearing opposite exstipulate, pinnatisect, cauline leaves with clasping petioles. Inflorescence is a raceme of cymes…
V. alternifolia, V. excelsa, Poir, V. sylvestris Grosch, V. edulis, V. flaurei Briquet (Japanese valerian). About 200 species of valerian are known of which only a few are used medicinally. Valerian officinalis includes an extremely polymorphous group of polyploid subspecies having closely similar morphological characteristics. Natural populations of various species and subspecies (V. officinalis ssp. collina, ssp. sambucifolia etc) are found distributed throughout temperate and sub…
Alcoholic extract of the leaves is reported to be anti-inflammatory, anti-pyretic, anti-spasmodic, hypoglycemic, immunostimulant, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal in experimental animals. It has shown significant anti-stress effect in several in vitro and in vivo assays. Animals that received the aqueous extracts in general showed a greater resistance. The seed-fixed oil is analgesic and aqueous extract reportedly potentiated sleeping time induced…
Bark extracts are reportedly associated with spasmogenic, oxytocic, uterotonic, anti-bacterial, anti-implantation, anti-tumor, anti-progestational, and antiestrogenic activity. They also have a stimulatory effect on the endometrium and the ovarian tissue. Alcoholic extract of the bark is found to be oxytocic, enhancing the frequency and duration of uterine contractions unlike tonic contractions due to ergot alkaloids. Extracts…
It is a medium-sized handsome, evergreen tree up to 9 m height with numerous spreading and drooping glabrous branches. Leaves are paripinnate, 30–60 cm long having 2–3 pairs of lanceolate leaflets, which are oblong, lanceolate, and parallel veined. Flowers are orange yellow in dense corymbs and with great fragrance. Fruits are leathery, flat black pods,…
Leaf ethanol extract is reported with antibacterial and antifungal activity. Leaf aqueous extract inhibited HIV-antigen-positive H9 cells. Dehydroandrographolide is shown to be inhibitory to HIV–I cells in human lymphocytes. Ethanol extract of the aerial parts is reported to cause nonspecific stimulation of immune response, which is more effective than that produced by purified andrographolide indicating…
The plant is an herbaceous annual, growing erect to a height of 1 m. The stem is acutely quadrangular, much branched with simple, opposite, lanceolate, glabrous leaves, about 2–12 cm long and 1–3 cm wide with an acute apex, entire slightly undulate margin with a bractiform short petiole. Inflorescence is terminal and axillary in peduncle,…
Ethyl acetate extract of Commiphora mukul confers significant protection to albino rats against experimental atherosclerosis. It prevents deteriorating changes in serum cholesterol, triglyceride and plasma fibrinogen levels. Research studies showed that guggul is beneficial in the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Guggulsterones were comparable to cardioprotective drugs, propanolol and nifedipine, in protecting from myocardial necrosis induced by isoproterenol…