Herbal Science

Herbal Garden Part 5

PUDINA

Common Name: Pudina, Pahari pudina

English Name: Hill Mint

 

A glabrous perennial herb with creeping rhizome. Leaves ovate-elliptic or lance late. Coarsely dentate, glabrous above, glandular below. Flowers lilac in loose, cylindrical, stander interrupted spikes. Parts used : Leaves Major constituents : Essential oil contains corvine, tarpene, alcohol etc. Uses: Oil is used for flavoring chewing gums, tooth pastes, confectionery and pharmaceutical preparations.

QUINGHAOSU

Common Name: Quinghaous.

English Name: Wheatworm wood

 

Annual erect plant up to 2m tall. Leaves 2-3 pinnatisect or decompounds, serrate or lob late. Inflorescence panicle (compound raceme) with capitulum’s. The capitula’s are inconspicuous hemispherical, pendulous. Achene’s surface has longitudinal striations and lack Pappas. Parts used : Aerial parts /Artemisinin Major constituents : One of the economically important constituents of the plant is the sequin repine lactones art emisinin. The other main constituents are art emisitene, arteannuin B and artemisinic acid. Uses: The compound artemisinin has been found to be effective for the treatment of clhoroquin resistant malaria and cerebral malaria. Two semi-synthetic derivatives of artemisinin namely arteehter and articulated have been found to be more effective than artemisinin in the clinical trails. The plant yield essential oil after st4am distillation of fresh herbage which is widely used in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and flavoring industries.

SADABAHAR

Common Name: Sadabahar Sadaphul, Sadasuhagan

English Name: Tropical Periwinkle

 

It is a perennial herb, erect, much branched. 70-80 cm high. Leaves elliptic to obviate, rounded reuse or mucronulate at apex acute at base. Flowers in 1-4 flowered cymes. Calyx segments sub late. Corolla whitish or pinkish. Follicles 2-3 cm long, pubescent. Parts used : Leaves and roots Major constituents : More than 100 alkaloids have been isolated from roots and leaves of this plant. The most important alkaloids having anticancer properties from the leaves are: vinblastin. The important alkaloids isolated from roots are : ajmalicine, serpentine and reserpine. Uses : The alkaloid Vinblastin is principally used for the treatment of Hodgkin’s disease., hypo sarcoma, horiocarinoma, neuron blastula and carcinoma of the breast lungs and tests also used against leukemia vincristine is used particularly for the treatment of acute leukemia,. Hodgkin’s disease, Wilm’s tumor neuron blastoma. Rhabdosacroma and reticulum-cell sarcoma. The alkaloid ajmalicine from root is used as a hypertensive and ant arrhythmic agent.

SARPAGANDHA

Common Name: Chhota Chand, Sarpghandha

English Name: Serpent Wood, Serpentine root, serpentine, Ravioli Root.

 

It is an erect, perennial herb with irregular tubular roots. Leaves 4-6.5 cm broad and 7-18 cm long, elliptic lance late or oblanceolate or obviate. Flowers white or pink, in many flowered cymes. Fruits black and globes Parts used : roots Major constituents : The roots contain about 30 alkaloids, of which therapeutically important alkaloids are: reserpine, rescinnamine, ajmalicine, ajmaline (rauvolfine) serpentine, rauvolfinine and sarpagine. Uses : The roots of the plant have been in use in India since a long time as hypnotic and sedative in diseases like insomnia, schizophrenia, epilepsy, stress, anxiety and depression. The alkaloids. Respiring and rescinnamine are used in the modern management of essential hypertension and in certain neuro-psychiatric disorders. Ajmaline is used in the cardio arrhythmias and ajmalicine for the treatment of circulatory diseases.