Public Health

Cassia fistula belonging to Leguminosae family, is widely used for its medicinal properties, its main property being that of a mild laxative suitable for children and pregnant women. It is also a purgative due to the wax aloin and a tonic (Satyavati and Sharma, 1989) and has been reported to treat many other intestinal disorders like healing ulcers (Biswas et al., 1973; Kirtikar and Basu, 1975). The plant has a high therapeutic value and it exerts an antipyretic and analgesic effect (Patel et al., 1965). Besides, it has been found to exhibit antinflammatory and hypoglycaemic activity (Datta…

Ayurveda consist of two words ‘Ayur’ and ‘Veda’. It is a Sanskrit term and it literally means the science of life (Sharma, 1979). The scope of Ayurveda is vast. It not only deals with the prevention of disease and promotion of health and longevity but it also cures the disease. It also deals with rejuvenation. It can also be called the science of living and it is upveda of Atharva veda. It treats an individual as a whole and not only the symptoms or the affected parts, unlike modern medicines. India due to its unique variety of geographical and climatic factors had a rich and varied flora of…

Potentially fatal mosquito-borne West Nile fever (WNF) can become much more widespread in Europe than previously thought, say scientists in a new report just out in the journal BMC Evolutionary Biology(1). The disease in temperate climates is carried by a population of Culex pipiens mosquitoes that only bites birds - the disease reservoir host - but Bruno Gomes and colleagues from the Centre for Malaria and Tropical diseases and Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in Portugal found high numbers of hybrids between this population and another one that bites on humans. These hybrids, by…

Despite the considerable amount of concern generated by the H1N1 outbreak earlier this year, the authors of a new study featured in PLoS Medicine believe it's impact will be relatively mild this flu season, with the number of hospitalizations and deaths related to the virus likely to remain much lower than anticipated. "As more detailed data have become available, we have been able to improve our estimates of how severe this disease is. Early on, it was difficult to measure the flu's impact and it was crucial to plan for the full range of possible outcomes. Fortunately, the virus now appears…

Not only is cardiovascular health good for children physically, it turns out that it may also promote intelligence. In a study published this week in PNAS, researchers say they have demonstrated a clear positive association between adolescent fitness and adult cognitive performance.  The results of the study also show the importance of getting healthier between the ages of 15 and 18 while the brain is still changing. The research team looked at data for all 1.2 million Swedish men born between 1950 and 1976 who enlisted for mandatory military service at the age of 18. In every measure…

Scientific Name Rubia cordifolia Linn. Family Rubiaceae Used Part Root. Distribution Area A, prickly creeper or climber, common throughout India , ascending to an altitude of 3,750 m. Common Uses . The Indian madder of commerce consists of short rootstocks with numerous cylindrical, smooth and straight roots, about the size of a quill. These are covered with a thin, brownish cork, which peels off in flakes, exposing a red-brown bark marked by longitudinal furrows. The root is sweetish, followed by acrid and hitter taste. The plant is a constituent of many…

Scientific Name Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. Family Amaryllidaceae Used Part Tuber Distribution Area This small herb found in India in the sub- tropical Himalayas from Kumaon eastwards and in the western ghats from Konakan southwards. Common Uses . The turberous roots are medicinal. They are collected when the plants are two years old, washed and freed from rootlets, sliced by a wooden knife and dried in shade. They are slightly bitter and mucilaginous and are considered tonic, alternative, demulcent, diuretic and restorative. They are usually administered in…

The use of plants and their parts is not a subject of interest, since the relationship between man and plants is in practice from time immemorial. But due to the intrusion of modern civilization in the remote country side most of the people of the globe have abandoned the idea of traditional use of plants in their daily life and many a such plants are becoming scarce owing to unplanned exploitation and prevailing biotic factors. Simultaneously, by considering the expansion of population and increasing demand for daily requirement. Scientists have to intensify their interest towards the…

For type 2 diabetics, the choices are invariably slim: take medications and hew to a strict diet, or don’t take medications and hew to an impossibly strict—and largely unpalatable—diet. Such are the current options for maintaining the strict control of blood sugar needed to fight off the worst effects of the disease and its almost inevitable consequences of hypertension and heart disease.  But what if our gut—the great mediator between this fattening outside world and our ancient, fat-thirsty metabolism—could be modernized, slowly reengineered to check this chain of disease? And what if…

A recent article entitled "Risk of blood clot after surgery higher and lasts longer than previously thought" raises an interesting point especially in light of recent discussions about public perceptions regarding medical care.   The risk of venous thromboembolism (a collective term for deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) is known to increase after surgery, particularly after major orthopaedic (joint) surgery. The risk is thought to be highest during the first few weeks after an operation but little is known about the exact pattern and scale of this increased risk. This…