Public Health

Pharmacognosy of Calotropis procera Botanical Origin : Calotropis procera ( Ait.) R.Br. Family : Asclepiadaceae Arka, an important drug of Ayurveda is known in this country from the earliest time. It is mentioned by the earliest Hindu writers and the ancient name of the plant which occurs in the vedic literature was Arka alluding to the form of leaves, which was used in the sacrifical rites. There are two common species of Calotropis, viz. C. gigantea ( Linn.) R.Br. and C. procera (Ait.) R.Br. described by the Sanskrit writers. Both the species are used as substitutes for one another and are…

Pharmacognostical characterization of some selected medicinal plants. History of Pharmacognosy: In the early period primitive man went in search of food and ate at random plants or parts of plants like tubers, fruit, leaves etc. If the found that no harmful effects were observed he considered it as edible and used as food. If he found that by eating other actions were found it was considered inedible and according to the action he used in treating symptoms or diseases. If it caused diarrohea it was used as purgative, if vomitting it was used as emetic and if it was found poisonous and death…

Collection of important medicinal plants from different regions of Rajasthan. Introduction– Rajasthan has a large population of about 5, 64, 73, 122 crore. Around 80 percent live in villages which utilizes local medicine. The people of Rajasthan can be broadly divided into ; those living into extreme wheather condition as in Western Rajasthan and others in milder climate. Rajasthan has rich biodiversity consisting of a large number of plants, some of which are used for their medicinal value. Although flora of Rajasthan has been compiled by Bhandari (1978) and Sharma (1976) but detailed…

The Role of ethnobotany in relation to medicinal plants in India. Ethnobotany is usually defined as anthropological approach to botany. There are several methods of ethnobotanical research and those relevant to medicinal plants are archaeological search in literature, herbaria and the field studies. “Man, ever desirous of knowledge, has already explored many things, but more and greater still remains concealed; perhaps reserved for far distant generations, who shall prosecute the examination of their creator’s work in remote countries and make many discoveries for the pleasure and…

With the help of inebriated fruit flies, scientists have discovered an entire network of genes the tiny creatures share with humans that help explain why some people tolerate alcohol better than others and may one day lead to a cure for alcoholism. Their findings also yield more information about the negative side effects of excessive drinking, like liver damage. The study appears in the October issue of the Genetics. To make this discovery, the researchers first measured the amount of time it took for the fruit flies to lose postural control after exposure to alcohol. At the same time,…

Family Fabaceae dominates the plant world and consists of a large number of plants which are having Ayurvedic medicinal importance. This family Fabaceae consists of 600 genera with 12000 species and are arranged in three well defined sub families and they are Papilionaceae, Caesalpiniaceae and Mimosaceae. The sub family Papilionaceae consists of 400 genera with 7000 species. The sub family Caesalpiniaceae consists of 56 genera with 650 species. The sub family Mimosaceae consists of 23 genera with 550 species. A large number of crude drugs are reported in Ayurveda system of medicines…

The increase in the number of overweight Americans has led to a so called epidemic of type 2 diabetes that shows no signs of slowing. More than two-thirds of adults are now overweight or obese. About 11 percent of adults ─ 24 million people ─ have diabetes, and up to 95 percent of them have type 2 diabetes, according to the National Institutes of Health. Diabetes is a major cause of heart disease and stroke and the major cause of kidney failure, limb amputations and new-onset blindness. Despite the public health threat posed by diabetes, small lifestyle adjustments--such as sustaining modest…

Ethnobotanical uses of some of the plants of family Fabaceae :- It is estimated that nearly one third of about 15,000 higher plant species in India are used by the tribals and poor people. These plants meet most requirements, both for man and his domesticated animals. The various uses of barks of trees for clothing, fibers and floss for nets and clothing, vegetable fats as an luminant and as a cooking media, bows, bow- strings, fishing nets and floats to carts wheels, wheels spokes, axles, mortars, poles, posts, turnery and combs to musical instruments are all made from these plants. Seeds…

Folk songs : References to the trees and flowers are found profusely in folk song, particularly in songs of worship of plants. Folk songs in praise of Bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris Schard. ex. J.C.Wendl), Basil (Ocimum sanctum Linn.), and Amaltas (Cassia fistula Linn.) are sung, believing these plants are the abode of several Gods and Goddess (Agarwal, 1997). Flowers, fruits and plants as offerings : Religious songs have references to offering of flowers and fruits Palas (Butea monosperma O. Kuntze.), Kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn.), and Mahua (Madhuca indica Gmel.) etc bear flowers and…

Scientific Name  Amomum subulatum Roxb.  Family   Zingiberaceae Used Part Fruit         Distribution Area A tall, perennial herb, with leafy stems, up to 2.5 m in height,   found in the eastern Himalayas and cultivated in Nepal, northern West  Bengal, Sikkim, and Assam hills.   Common Uses . The seeds are aromatic and pungent, with a sharp, pleasant taste;   they are similar in properties to the true cardamom for which they are   often substituted both as a spice and as a masticatory or as an  …