Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant Memorial Lecture - XI Medicinal Plants for ...

are used as tranquillizers and sedatives, and the action is comparable tomeprobmate. Additional advantage is that these can be prescribed to alcoholicpatients. Valerian also contains valernic acid having spasmolytic action.Valeranone is found in jatamansi (Nardostachys jatamansi) possessing sedativeproperty. It will be worthwhile to produce valepotriates in India. A peruvian plantValeriana thalictroides has been found to contain 14.5% total valepotriate contentin the roots and thus yields the highest known concentration of valepotriates inplants to date 65 . The high yield of valepotriates in V. thalictroides roots. cannot bedirectly used to overcome shortage of valepotraites for therapeutic use, as theroots have very small diameter (2 cm) and a length of about 5 cm. V. edu/is ssp.procera (HBK) F.G. Mey, although having a smaller valepotriate content (7%), isa much better source for valepotriates because of its higher drug yield. However,such high yielding plants could be used to establish high yielding tissue culturefor the in vitro production of valepotriates. Relation between valepotriate contentand differentiation level in various tissues from valerianaceae has been studied 66 .Isolation and evaluation of valepotriates from Indian valerian are well known 67 .6.12 Plants for mental healthFor psychomimetic and/or euphoria inducing effects, 217 plant speciesrepresenting 146 genera belonging to 59 families have been used at one time oranother at various mental disorders. The substances of plant origin such asextracts of Gingko biloba, papaverine from Papaver somniferum fruit latex,theophylline commonly occurring purine base in tea leaves, vincamine indolealkaloid from Vinca minor hydrated semisynthetic ergot alkolids have beenexperimentally evaluated with regard to their cerebrovascular activity in patients.Medhya rasayana plants such as Bacopa monniera, centella asiatica,convolvulus pluricaulis, nardostaychs jatamansi and acorus calamus have beenreported useful for mental disorders 67a .6.13 Plant LaxativesConstipation is a common problem of Western and European countries because of protein richdiet. In the U.S.A., 1000 patents of vegetable origin are there which involves an annual trade of$ 500 million. On an average we export 15,000 tonnes of plantago, 7000 tonnes of senna and1000 tonnes of rhubarb annually. Trade in plant laxatives increases by over 10% every year.India is the sole supplier of Plantago ovata seeds and husk (psyllium) in the international market.India’s export of Psyllium seeds in 1980-81 were to the extent of 25,743 metric ttonnes valued atRs.85.93 million. Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad has published recently a surveyreport on the psyllium production and marketing in India 68 .6. 14 Antihyperlipidemic (lipid lowering) plantsObesity and high lipid content constitute a serious life style problem in the developed countriesand in the affluent class of the developing countries. In the year 2000 the world statin market sizewas US$ 16 billion with three products viz. Merck’s Zocor (Simvastatin), Pfizer’s Lipitor(Atorvastatin) and Bristol Meyers Squib/Sankyo’s Pravachol (Pravastatin) accounting for 8926