Public Health

The following crude drugs are sold in market of Jaipur and their photographs are enclosed. (a) Vajradanti : Barleria prionitis / Indigofera trita (b) Brahmi : Bacopa monniri / Centella asiatica (c) Sikkakai-Acacia consinna (d) Ashwagandha – Withania somnifera CHAPTER-3 Morphological studies of some important medicinal plants (1) Morphology of Aloe vera: Aloe vera is a perennial with fleshy leaves arising in a rosette form. In young plants the leaves appear at ground levels, but the stem can grow up to 25 cm. long in older plants. There may be 15 to 30 leaves per plant, the young…

As stress is linked to many diseases, research on an effective antistress agent (adaptogen) from plants has gained importance. We report the investigations on the adaptogenic property of a standardized extract of Bacopa monniera against acute (AS) and chronic stress (CS) models in rats.It is concluded that the standardized extract of B. monniera possesses a potent adaptogenic activity. Bacopa monniera L. (family Scrophulariaceae) (BM) is an Ayurvedic medicine, clinically used for memory enhancing, epilepsy, insomnia and as a mild sedative. In this work, the free radical scavenging capacity…

Table 1 : Inventory of local knowledge regarding medicinal plants of Churu district in the Thar desert. S. No. Botanical Name LocalName Family Part used MedicinalProperty Disease curedby the plant Mode of Administration Active Principle 1 Acacia nilotica Delile Babul Mimosaceae Bark tender leaves, pods. Astringent, demulcent Ulcer Sore throat and toothache diarrhoea and dysentery urinogenital diseases Powder of bark is applied externally in ulcers. The decoction of the bark is used as a gargle. An infusion of tender leaves is given orally.The decoction…

The study reveals that in absence of modern health facility, people in the area depend on plants for medicinal purposes. The general information shows that more than 80% of the rural people depend for their primary healthcare on folk medicine, mainly of plant origin. According to survey the people of Churu district use 68 different plants belonging to 33 families for curing various ailments, out of which 25 were herbs, 16 shrubs, 13 trees, 7 ephemerals and 11 climbers and twinners. In most of the case (31%), leaves were used for curing ailment followed by roots, seeds and whole pant (Fig.2).…

While the body mass index (BMI) has been a popular yardstick for deciding who is at risk of obesity-related diseases because of their weight, since it is essentially a measure of density, identifying 'under-' and 'over-weight' risk groups, a more sophisticated approach than BMI is needed, says a new study. Manfred J Müller and colleagues at the University of Kiel in Germany explain in a recent article for F1000 Biology Reports how 'functional' body composition analysis (BCA) measures more of the variables that determine whether or not obesity is 'benign'.   Recent studies using similar…

WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY HAPPY DEEPAWALI & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

While I can appreciate the usefulness of smoking bans, especially as it relates to non-smokers (or even smokers for that matter).  I'm not convinced that the science is establishing a sound cause and effect linkage. There is little doubt that smoking is not a healthy activity, but similarly we should be aware of all forms of air pollution.  A recent study suggested that even a relatively brief exposure to second hand smoke could precipitate a heart attack1.  Unfortunately, I haven't seen how such a study or determination was made, so it is impossible to assess their methodology…

Calotropis procera (Asclepiadaceae) is a wild shrub, which grows up to a height of 1-3 m and its leaves are 10–13 cm wide by 17–19 cm long. Calotropis procera (Ait.) R.Br. commonly known, as ‘Akra’ is a popular medicinal plant found throughout the tropics of Asia and Africa and is used in many traditional systems of medicine. Important factors of the various parts of this plant have been widely reported. Calotropis procera latex has been used in leprosy, eczema, inflammation, cutaneous infections, syphilis, malarial and low hectic fevers, and as abortifacient ( Kumar and Basu, 1994). Leaves…

Basil (Ocimum spp.), belonging to the Lamiaceae family, is a pleasent by smelling perennial shrub which grows in several regions all over the world (AKGÜL 1993; BARIAUX et al. 1992). Basil is one of the species used for the commercial seasoning. It is commonly known that the presence of essential oils and their composition determine the specific aroma of plants and the flavour of the condiments. Many species of aromatic plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family grow wild in the Mediterranean basin (AKGÜL 1989; MAROTTI et al. 1996; SANDA et al. 1998; MARTINS et al. 1999). There are usually…

Basil (Ocimum spp.), belonging to the Lamiaceae family, is a pleasent by smelling perennial shrub which grows in several regions all over the world (AKGÜL 1993; BARIAUX et al. 1992). Basil is one of the species used for the commercial seasoning. It is commonly known that the presence of essential oils and their composition determine the specific aroma of plants and the flavour of the condiments. Many species of aromatic plants belonging to the Lamiaceae family grow wild in the Mediterranean basin (AKGÜL 1989; MAROTTI et al. 1996; SANDA et al. 1998; MARTINS et al. 1999). There are usually…