Indian Medicinal Plants

460 Panax pseudoginseng Wall.
P
anti-inflammatory, analgesic, emmenagogue,
hepatoprotective.
Flower—used for diseases of mucous
membranes, fissures, anal
fissures associated with haemorrhoids,
also for ailments of the
respiratory tract, nervous conditions
and skin diseases. Root—
used for arthritis, neuralgia, neurasthenia,
migraine, epilepsy, allergic
disorders, whooping cough and
painful spasms.
The herb gave monoterpene ester
glucosides of the pinen-type (including
paeoniflorin); anthocyanin including
paeonin; tannins (pentagalloyl glucose);
flavonoids including kaempferol
glycosides.
Paeoniflorin shows a smooth muscle
relaxant, vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory,
immunostimulating and some
CNS depressant activity in animal
studies. Pentagalloyl glucose exhibited
antiviral activity in animal studies
in vitro against herpes simplex.
German Commission E included
Paeony (flower and root) among unapproved
herbs. The Pharmacopoeia of
People’s Republic of China indicates the
use of the root in dementia, headache
and vertigo. (WHO.)
Panax pseudoginseng Wall.
Family ◮
Araliaceae.
Habitat ◮ Western Himalayas,
Pithoragarh district of Uttaranchal.
English ◮ Indian Ginseng, Indian
Pseudoginseng.
Ayurvedic ◮ In Indian medicine,
Panax quinquefolium Linn. and
Panax schinseng Knees have been
equated with Lakshmanaa.
Action ◮ Adaptogen, digestive
relaxant, old-age revitalizer. Sustains
nerves and immune system in
physical exhaustion and during convalescence.
Antiarrhythmic (used
for angina). Activities comparable
with Korean ginseng.
Indian pseudoginseng, including
subspecies himalaicus and its varieties,
variety angustifolius and variety
bipinnatifidus, has been found to be
a rich source of oleanolic acid saponins,
while dammarane saponins (panaxadiol
and panaxatriol) are present in
minor quantities. Panax burkillianus
Bennet & Viswan and P. sikkimensis
Banerjee are also related to the commercial
ginseng.
Panax quinquefolium (American
Ginseng) has been introduced into India
in the Kashmir valley during 1983.
It is rich in dammarane saponins. The
air-dried roots of the plant, introduced
in India, contain total saponin content
of 11.5%. The saponins isolated include
ginsenosides Rb1, Rb2, Rb3, Rc,
Rd, Re, Rg1, pseudoginsenoside F11
and chikusetsu saponin V; the major
saponin being ginsenoside Rb1. The
saponin fraction of the root yielded
panaxadiol, panaxatriol and oleanolic
acid.
Ginsenosides Rb and Rc are ‘diols’,
while Rg is a ‘triol’. (‘triol’ group is
arousing, ‘diol’ is sedative.) In American
ginseng ‘diols’ predominate.
Panax pseudoginseng, equated with
Himalayan ginseng (Natural Medicines
Comprehensive Database, 2007), is believed
to dilate the coronary vessels, re-