Indian Medicinal Plants

Eruca sativa Mill. 243
Habitat ◮ Native to China; now
cultivated mainly in Saharanpur,
Dehradun, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut,
Kanpur, Bareilly districts of Uttar
Pradesh, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and
Hoshiarpur districts of Punjab.
English ◮ Loquat, Japanese Medlar.
Ayurvedic ◮ Lottaaka (non-classical).
Unani ◮ Lokaat.
Siddha ◮ Ilakotta, Nokkotta (Tamil).
Action ◮ Leaves—used in China and
India for the treatment of diabetes
mellitus and skin diseases. Fruit—
sedative, antiemetic. Flower—
expectorant.
The plant contains lipopolysaccharides
(LPS), which exhibit antirheumatic
activity. LPS is also found useful
for treating diabetes mellitus and
lowering high cholesterol level. The
ethanolic extract of the leaves showed
anti-inflammatory activity on carrageenan-induced
oedema in rats and
significant hypoglycaemic effect in
normal rabbits like the standard drug
tolbutamide. The sesquiterpene glycoside
and polyhydroxylated triterpenoids
showed a marked inhibition of
glycosuria in genetically diabetic mice;
also reduced blood glucose level in normoglycaemic
rats. The hypoglycaemic
effect is mediated through the release
of insulin from pancreatic beta cells.
The leaves gave ionone-derived glycosides
and triterpenes. Maslinic and
ursolic acids have also been isolated.
Maslinic acid possesses significant
anti-inflammatory activity. It also exhibits
inhibitory effect on histamineinduced
contraction in isolated ileum
of guinea pig.
Hot aqueous extract of the leaves
showed hepatoprotective activity experimentally.
The leaves yield an essential oil containing
nerolidol (61–74%).
The presence of an antifungal compound,
eriobofuran, is also reported.
The methanolic extract of the plant
exhibits antioxidant and radical scavenging
activity.
Eruca sativa Mill.
Family ◮
Cruciferae; Brassicaceae.
Habitat ◮ Cultivated in Uttar
Pradesh, Punjab, Delhi and Madhya
Pradesh.
English ◮ Rocket-Salad.
Ayurvedic ◮ Tuvari, Tuvarikaa,
Shveta-sursaa, Bhuutaghna, Daradharsha,
Siddaartha.
Unani ◮ Jirjeer, Taraamiraa.
Folk ◮ Safed Sarson.
Action ◮ Tender leaf—stimulant,
stomachic, diuretic, antiscorbutic,
rubefacient. Seed—vesicant,
antibacterial.
Seeds and fresh plant gave glucoerucin
(4-methylthiobutyl glucosinolate);
leaves yielded iso-rhamnetin-
3-glucoside and iso-rhamnetin. The
volatile oil of the seeds contains isothiocyanate
derivatives. The oil at 0.004
and 0.008 ml/kg exhibits diuretic activity.
The ethanolic extract of the seeds
is diuretic at 20 and 40 mg/kg Seeds
are used to induce vomiting in place of
ipecac.
Crude juice of the plant inhibited E.
coli, S. typhi and B. subttis.
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