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À„ Pharmacognosyis the study of medicines derived from natural
sources. The American Society of Pharmacognosy defines Pharmacognosy
as "the study of the physical, chemical, biochemical and biological
properties of drugs, drug substances or potential drugs or drug
of natural origin as well as the search for new drugs from natural
À„ The word "Pharmacognosy" is derived from the Greek words
pharmakon (drug), and gnosis or "knowledge". The term Pharmacognosy
was used for the first time by the Austrian physician Schmidt in 1811.
À„ Pharmacognosy is interdisciplinary, drawing on a broad spectrum
of biological and socio-scientific subjects, including botany, ethno botany,
medical anthropology, marine biology, microbiology, herbal medicine,
chemistry, biotechnology, (phytochemistry), pharmacology,
pharmaceutics, clinical pharmacy and pharmacy practice.

À„ An herb is a plant with no woody stem above ground distinguished from
tree or a shrub. However, that is meaning as per botany.
À„ gn general, terms any part of the vegetable species that can be used for
medicine, cosmetic, culinary or such purposes are known as herbs. The roots,
leaves, bark, fruits, flowers, stem or any part of the plant can be used for
purposes. Herb seeds are equally important. Many of the chemicals of
day have been derived from the plants, studied and then such molecules
been synthesized.
À„ The chemicals are product of last several hundred years. The
humankind has relied on vegetable for thousands of years. The herbal
information collected from the experience has been passed on from
generations to generations. We have tried to put some of that herb
information here.
À„ Medicinal herbs are much in demand. Herb gardens are taking
place of ornamental gardens. Herbs and spices are different. Though
spices are herbs, they are mainly used for culinary purpose. They
the food flavor or taste along with giving medicinal benefits of the herbs.
They are herbs for cooking. Chinese herbs are the herbs native to china.
À„ Growing herbs is not very difficult; with little understanding of
gardening, many herbs can be grown easily in backyard of the kitchen.
À„ ~atural herbs are herbs found in the nature, such as found in the
forest, along hillside etc. Vitamins and herbs have many correlations
synthetically produced vitamins and enzymes can be easily found and
obtained from the herbs.
À„ Healing herbs have healing properties, some times which looks
like a miracle. Drying herbs is very easy; most of the herbs are dried in
sunlight. Weight loss herbs will make a person slim, only thing is that one
must be prudent on how to use it.
 À„ Dulk herbs and herbal supplements, herbal tea and much other
herbal medicine are available through many herb stores.
À„ [ertility herbs, herbs for depression, herbs for menopause, herbs
for diabetes, herbs for high blood pressure, herbs for health have been
sited in many ancient Ayurvedic literatures.
À„ Ayurveda is ancient art and science of healing with herbal
supplements. Ayurvedic medicine containing gndian herbs have long been
used for health and long life.
À„ Herbs are products of nature, they are not synthetic chemicals
manufactured in the laboratories or chemical plants.

À„ Medicinal plants, herbs, spices and herbal remedies are known to
Ayurveda in gndia since long times. The value of medicinal plants, herbs
and spices as herbal remedies is being lost due to lack of awareness, and
deforestation. The result is many valuable medicinal herbs are becoming
rare and precious information is lost. Preserve the knowledge of
plants, herbs, spices and herbal remedies, which humankind has received
from the past generations, for posterity.
À„ History of herbal remedies is very old. Since old times before
modern medicine, people became ill and suffered from various ailments.
À„ Some minor ailments like common cold, cough, etc. may be cured
by herbal remedies with use of medicinal properties of spices.
À„ Herbal remedies can be taken in many forms. gnfusions are
steeping herbs or spices, with parts like leaves and flowers with boiling
water for some time. [iltered or unfiltered use this water extracts of
as herbal remedies. Decoction is boiling roots, bark and hard parts of
and spices with water for along time. gnfusion and decoction both are
known as herbal teas.
À„ Some times essential oil of herbs and spices are also used as
remedies. Action of herbal remedies may vary from human to human and
care should be observed in using it.

 

À„ The advantages of using herbal medicines are numerous.
1.„ Herbal medicines tend to be more effective for long-standing
health complaints that don͛t respond well to traditional medicine.
2.„ Herbs typically have fewer side effects, and may be safer to use
over time.
3.„ An example may be seen with herbs and alternative remedies
to treat arthritis. Vioxx, a well-known prescription drug uses to treat
arthritis, was recalled due to increased risk of cardiovascular
complications. Alternative treatments for arthritis, on the other hand,
few side effects. Adjusting the diet to remove vegetables from the
nightshade family, reducing white sugar consumption, and adding simple
herbs to the diet have few side effects. Most herbal medicines are well
tolerated by the patient, with fewer unintended consequences than
pharmaceutical drugs.
·.„ Another advantage to herbal medicine is cost. Herbs cost much
less than prescription medications. Research, testing, and marketing add
considerably to the cost of prescription medicines. Herbs tend to be
inexpensive compared to drugs.
5.„ Yet another advantage of herbal medicines is their availability.
Herbs are available without a prescription, and some simple herbs, such
peppermint and chamomile, can be grown at home. gn some remote
of the world, herbs may be the only treatment available to the majority
people. Many find the easy availability of herbs appealing.






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 à !
À„ £ With sessile, obovate, glaucous
À„ ü Less than 2 times longer than broad; bud globular,
À„ ["£ Umbellate, violet; coronal spurs not recurved"
À„ #$£ Mostly less than 6 ft., but up to 15 ft.; similar to c

but
À„ ü Oblong to elliptic, corolla usually about 1 in. across with
lobes more erect, corona lobes glabrous or pubescent, and follicle ·-5 in.
long"
À„ %& gn Australia "[ound on roadsides, disturbed
watercourses, river flats and coastal dunes.gt forms dense thickets which
compete with native plant species and transforms the appearance of the
savanna. Also hinders pastoralism by degrading pasture lands and making
mustering difficult."
À„  Spread by wind and water over large distances. Local
stands increased in size by suckering."

  $

À„ gndia.
À„ ~epal.
À„ Dhutan.
À„ South east asia.
À„ åastern ghats.
À„ Vellur in Assam.


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À„ The dried root freed from its outer cork layer and called Mudar. gt
occurs in commerce in short quilled pieces about 1/5 to 1/10 of an inch
thick and not over 1 1/2 inch wide. Deeply furrowed and reticulated,
colour greyish buff, easily separated from periderm. [racture shrub.
À„ Apple ofSodom, c
  is a plant native to the Dead
Sea and Sodom, gsrael and other desert regions. The name comes the
Hebrew -   .
À„ The green globes of the Apple of Sodom are hollow but the flesh
contains a toxic milky sap that is extremely bitter and turns into gluey
coating resistant to soap and oil thatcan remain on skin for up to 6ʹ8
hours.
À„ The Sodom Apple is mentioned in the Mishnah and the Talmud.
The long fibers attached to the seeds may once have served as wicks. The
rubbish rules that these fibers were not suitable for Sabbath wicks£ "gt
not be lighted with cedar-bast, nor with uncombed flax, nor with floss-
nor with willow fiber, nor with nettle fiber.
' à  &&(
À„ Apple of Sodom, Swallowwort, Sodom apple.
'  )$
À„ gt consists of dried leaves, bark, flower, fruit and seed of
c
 

' ' [(&

À„ Asclepidaceae
'
 
Kingdom £Plantae
Sub division £ Angiosperms
Super division £ åudicots
Division £Asterids
Order £Gentianales
[amily £Apocynaceae
Subfamily £Asclapiadoideae
Genus £c

Species £c
 


'  *$(
À„  £Aak, Alarkh, Madar, SvetaArka.
À„ #£ Akund, apple of Sodom, auricula tree, king's crown,
madar, mudar, roostertree, rubber bush, small crownflower, Sodom
Sodom's milkweed, swallowwort.
À„ [#£ Arbre à soie, giant milkweed.
À„ !#£ Calotropis.
'  !
!#&
À„  Shrub
À„
£ · m, exuding copious milky sap when cut or broken. 
À„ ü£ Opposite, grey-green, large up to 15 cm long and 10 cm
broad, with a pointed tip, two rounded basal lobes and no leaf stalk; 
À„ ["£ Waxy white, petals 5, purple-tipped inside and with a
central purplish crown, carried in stalked clusters at the ends of the
branches. 
À„ [$ Grey-green, inflated, 8 to 12 cm long, containing numerous
seeds with tufts of long silky hairs at one end" 
À„
£ Ditter, nauseous, acrid; it has a peculiar smell and is
mucilaginous; official in gndia and the Colonial addendum for the
preparation of a tincture. 
'  $
À„ They are profusely found in south east asia.
À„ gndia.
À„ ~epal.
À„ Assam.
À„ Dihar.
À„ Sumitrafoest.

'  $
À„ Leaves, seeds, roots.



'  #($
À„ A yellow bitter resin; a black acid resin; $(, a crystalline
colourless substance; $, an ambercoloured viscid substance.
À„ Caoutchouc, and a peculiar principle which gelatinizes on being
heated, called $.
À„ Lewin found a neutral principle, !, a very active poison
the digitalis type. The inner bark yields a fibre stronger than Russian
hemp. The acrid juice hardens into a substance like gutta-percha.
À„ gt has long been used in gndia for abortive and suicidal purposes.
Mudar root-bark is very largely used there as a treatment for
and leprosy, and is efficacious in cases of chronic eczema, also for
diarrhoea and dysentery.
!
' à 


À„ c
  plays an important role in improving soil
fertility and improved soil water holding capacity. 
À„ The root bark is febrifuge, anthelmintic, depurative, expectorant,
and laxative.
À„ The powdered root promotes gastric secretions and useful in
asthma, bronchitis, and dyspepsia. Dried whole plant is good tonic,
expectorant, depurative and anthelminthic.
À„ Madar root-bark is very largely used in gndia as a treatment for
elephantiasis, leprosy, and in chronic eczema.
À„ gt also used as antidote substance and for abortive purposes.
À„ Leaves are useful in the treatment of paralysis, arthralgia,
swellings and intermittent fevers. [lowers are useful in asthma, catarrh,
anorexia, inflammations and tumours.

' àà  #($„
À„ As an antidote to poisoning atropine may be administered.
À„ gn severe cases the stomach pump may be used and chloral or
chloroform administered.
À„ Dried whole plant is a good tonic, expectorant, depurative, and
anthelmintic. The dried root bark is a substitute for ipecacuanha.
À„ The root bark is febrifuge, anthelmintic, depurative, expectorant,
and laxative. The powdered root used in asthama, bronchitis, and
dyspepsia.
À„ The leaves are useful in the treatment of paralysis, arthralegia,
swellings, and intermittent fevers.
À„ The flowers are bitter, digestive, astringent, stomachic,
anthelmintic, and tonic. c
 is also a reputed Homoeopathic drug.
À„ Amyl nitrite may also be useful.























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À„ The alcoholic extract of the flowers of c
  was
administered orally and explored for its analgesic activity in chemical and
thermal models in mice. gn acetic acid induced writhing test.
À„ An inhibition of 20.97% and ·3.0% in the number of writhes was
observed at the doses of 250 and 500 mg/kg, respectively.
À„ gn the hot plate method the paw licking time was delayed.
À„ The analgesic effect was observed after 30 min of dose
administration which reached its maximum after 90 min.

$&

À„ The latex of c
  is a rich source of useful
components that has medicinal properties and one of the main
is in controlling bleeding.
À„ The crude latex extract contained many proteins, which are highly
basic in nature and exhibited strong proteolytic activity. The crude extract
hydrolyses casein, human fibrinogen and crude fibrin clot in a dose-
dependent manner.
À„ The hydrolyzing activity was completely inhibited by gAA
indicating they belong to the super family, cysteine proteases. Crude
extract hydrolyses Aɲ, D and ɶ subunits of fibrinogen.
À„ Among all the subunits the preferential subunit to get hydrolyzed
was Aɲ followed by and ɶ subunit is highly resistant and hydrolyzed at
higher protein concentration or over a prolonged incubation time.

 &

À„ Alcoholic extract of peeled roots of c
  was tested

orally in albino rats at the dose level of 250 and 500 mg/kg bodyweight
À„ C~S activity, prominent analgesic activity was observed in åddy's
hot plate method and acetic acid induced writhings.
À„ The paw licking time was delayed and the numbers of writhings
were greatly reduced. Significant anticonvulsant activity was seen as
was a delay in the onset of pentylenetetrazole induced convulsions as
as decrease in its severity.
À„ The extract treated rats spent more time in the open arm of åPM
showing its antianxiety activity.
À„ There was a decrease in the locomotor activity. The fall off time
(motor coordination) was also decreased.

((&&
À„ The latex of the plant c
  has been reported to
exhibit potent antiinflammatory activity against carrageenin and formalin
that are known to release various mediators. gn the present study, we
evaluated the efficacy of extracts prepared from the latex of
c
  against inflammation induced by histamine, serotonin,
compound ·8/80, bradykinin, and prostaglandin å2(PGå2) in the rat paw
oedema model.
À„ The antiinflammatory effect of aqueous and methanolic extracts
DL was more pronounced than phenylbutazone (PD
) against carrageenin
while it was comparable to chlorpheniramine and PD
against histamine
and PGå2, respectively.

 
,&
À„ Although a number of drugs are available for the management of
cancer none of the drugs is safe when used over a long period of time.
Treatment with some of the drugs even results in resistance to therapy.
À„ A number of compounds have been shown to possess anticancer
activity but most of them produce serious side effects.
À„ åven ~SAgDs produce gastric and renal side effects on long-term
use and alter platelet function. COX-2 selective inhibitors also produce
gastric and renal side effects on long-term use.
À„ As a result, a number of plant-derived substances have been
available through intensive research. The present invention is plant-
derived extract/product obtained from the latex that is orally effective as
an anticancer agent in a transgenic mouse model of cancer. gt is free from
observable side effects when used for 16 weeks.
À„ The animals were protected form the dysplasic changes occurring
due to the expression of an oncogene. [urther, the purified fractions of
latex were found to exhibit potent cytotoxic activity in in vitro cell culture
system using two different cancer cell lines.
À„ The present invention relates to an aqueous extract of dried latex
(DL) of c
  for the treatment and prevention of cancer. The
extract can only be given orally and is free from observable side effects.
The fractions prepared from the dried latex also exhibit cytotoxic activity
in cancer cell lines.




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gt has got $& which can be enhanced in future by the
chemical modifications and by the improved extraction processes.

gts  & has not been fully developed, so the studies can be carried
outfor its better C~S activity.„
„