Public Health

Scientific Name Cassia fistula Linn. Family Caesalpiniaceae (Fabaceae) Used Part Root. Distribution Area A deciduous medium-sized tree, occurring in deciduous forests throughout the greater part of India, ascending up to an altitude of 1,220 m in the sub- Himalayan tract and outer Himalayas. Common Uses . The root and its bark possess astringent, tonic, febrifugal, and purgative properties. The aqueous extract of the rootbark exhibits anti-inflammatory activity. The root is useful in cardiac disorders, biliousness, rheumatic condition, haemorrhages, wounds, ulcers and…

Think shoes aren't important for women?   You would be wrong, though perhaps not for the reasons you want to believe. A recent Arthritis Care&Research study says that women who make poor shoe choices early in life are at greater risk for foot pain in later years. Apparently, men do not experience the same foot pain as women, though that could be because men never dance backward in heels. National data says that foot and toe symptoms are among the top 20 reasons patients ages 65-74 visit their physician. In the U.S., foot pain is considered a very common musculoskeletal symptom…

CDC officials are anticipating a wave a vaccine horror stories, and reminding folks that by sheer coincidence bad things will happen after some people get their flu shots: As soon as swine flu vaccinations start next month, some people getting them will drop dead of heart attacks or strokes, some children will have seizures and some pregnant women will miscarry. But those events will not necessarily have anything to do with the vaccine. That poses a public relations challenge for federal officials, who remember how sensational reports of deaths and illnesses derailed the large-scale flu…

Euphorbia pulcherrima L: Common name: Poinsettia The name pulcherrima means "most beautiful" and brilliant red floral display of E. pulcherrima, held against rich green foliage has made this unlikely species a holiday favorite. Its attractive appearance of the Christmas colors has so endeared the plant, that it is now second only to the Christmas tree as the most popular holiday plant. E. pulcherrima was named after Dr. J.R. Poinsett and was introduced to gardeners in the early 19th century. The species is a tall, rangy shrub that grows to a height of 10 ft (3.1 m). It has large, dark green,…

In India, more than about 80% of the rural people depend mainly on plants for their primary healthcare needs. Many member plants of family Euphorbiaceae are found in Rajasthan and used here in many traditional remedies. A list of plants of family Euphorbiaceae found in Rajasthan is given in Table 3.2. Different plants of Euphorbiaceae are used in traditional medicine include: E. antiquorum, (Fig.3.3), E. antisyphilitica (Fig.3.2), E. chamaesyce, (Fig.3.4), E. cyparissias, (Fig.3.5), E. helioscopia (Fig.3.6), E. hypericifolia, (Fig.3.7), E. lathyris, (Fig.3.8), E. longifolia, (Fig.3.9), E.…

Information on folk medicinal uses of the plants has become of improved interest in search for new therapeutic agent. Huge information on medicinal plants exists as oral among the folklore and primitive societies of India, where a large number of potent medicinal herbs are found growing wild. Although, a huge quantity of ethnobotanical explorations has been done in various pockets of tribal and rural population, scattered throughout the country, but there is still a lot to be explored. Ethnobotanical investigations play crucial role in revealing the information about such plant species that…

Ethnobotany in totality is virtually, a new field of research and if this field is investigated thoroughly and systematically, it will yield results of great value to the ethnologists, archaeologists, anthropologists, plant geographers, ethnobotanists, botanists, linguists and ultimately to phytochemists and pharmacologists. The term “ethnobotany” has often been considered synonmymous with “traditional medicine” or with “economic botany”. The scope, concepts and implications of ethnobotany have been expanding at a very fast rate (Schultes 1962, Jain, 1967, 1987 A & B). During last 30…

CASSIA OCCIDENTALIS LINN. Botanical name:- Cassia occidentalis Linn. Common name in Hindi :- Badikanodi , Chakunda , Kasonda Common name in English:- Coffee - senna , Foetid Cassia , Negro coffee , Rubbish Cassia, Stinking – weed . Common name in Sanskrit:- Kasamarda . Common name in Rajasthan:- Chakundra , Talka . Morphology of the plant An erect, foetid, annual herb or under shrub, 60-150 cms. in height found throughout in India upto an altitude of 1500 m. Leaves, 15-20 cms. long, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, leaflets 3 pairs, membranous, glaucous, ovate or lanceolate (Plate 5.1 II d…

Skin ailments: Paste of fresh rhizome of Curcuma domestica Valeton and mature fresh leaves of Calotropis procera (Ait.) R. Br. is boiled in oil of Brassica juncea (L.) Czern and Coss. till water part is evaporated. This medicated oil is applied on affected part twice a day. There are several traditional uses which are in need to be tested on medical grounds before making their use widespread. Plesae use all medicines from Calotropis procera for topical or external applications and avoid any contact to eyees as its latex is highly damaging to the eyes. The author only presents here what is…

There is an increasing interest concerning the plant Calotropis procera due to innumerous relevant biological activi¬ties found in its vegetative tissues. It is easy to obtain Calotropis procera latex where the plant is found because of its extraor¬dinary endogenous production. It would not be surprising Calotropis procera to produce more latex than Hevea brasiliensis in a comparative basis. Twenty milliliters of latex can be collected within 12 min. This certainly contributed to the exploitation of the latex for curative purposes. The plant seems to be deeply inserted in folk medicine in…