indian medicinal plants as a source of therapeutic - BRT Publishers

ABSTRACT 

REVIEW ARTICLE 

December 2012 Issue 1 Vol. 1 

INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS AS A SOURCE OF THERAPEUTIC AGENTS: 

A REVIEW 

Muniappan Ayyanar 

Post Graduate and Research Department of Botany, 

Pachaiyappa’s College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India 

E-mail: asmayyanar@yahoo.com 

Received 12 th October 2012, Published 31 December 2012 

India is one of the twelve mega-biodiversity countries of the world having rich vegetation with a 

wide variety of medicinal plants and a tradition of plant-based knowledge distributed amongst a vast 

number of ethnic groups. The use of ethnobotanical information in medicinal plant research has gained 

considerable attention in segments of the scientific community and it has become a topic of global 

importance making an impact on both world health and international trade. The importance of 

medicinal plants in traditional healthcare practices providing clues to new areas of research. People 

living in villages and far-flung areas depend completely on forest resources for maintaining their day-today 

needs like medicine, food, fuel and household articles. The use of traditional medicine remains 

widespread in developing countries while the use of complementary alternative medicine (CAM) is 

increasing rapidly. A common belief is that plant remedies are naturally superior to synthetic drugs and 

that they are not harmful to human beings. This knowledge is however, rapidly dwindling due to 

changes towards a more Western lifestyle, and the influence of modern tourism. It is expected that 

thousands of species of medicinal plants are facing threat to their existence in the wild and some of 

them have become extinct. For meeting the future needs, cultivation of medicinal plant has to be 

encouraged. There is still much we can learn from investigating herbals available abundantly in the 

forests particularly those which are less well known. This type of research needs a multidisciplinary 

approach and this includes expertise in the fields of ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology and 

phytochemistry. The present communication constitutes a review on the medicinal properties, major 

phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities of some of the common medicinal plants 

used in Indian traditional medicine. 

Keywords: Biological activity, Ethnopharmacology, Medicinal plants, Traditional medicine 

____________________________________ 

Available online at www.brtpublishers.com 

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Int. J Bioscience Res. December 2012 Issue 1 Vol. 1 

INTRODUCTION 

Herbal medicines are assumed to be of great 

importance in the primary healthcare of 

individuals and local communities in many 

developing countries (Ghosh 2003). Historians 

from all around the world have produced 

evidence to show that apparently all primitive 

people used herbs often in a sophisticated way 

(Gilani and Atta-ur-Rahman 2005). Medicinal 

components from plants play an important role 

in conventional Western medicine. The 

traditional medicine all over the world is 

nowadays revalued by an extensive study of 

results of research on different plant species 

and their therapeutic principles (Scartezzini and 

Speroni 2000). Interest in medicinal plants has 

been fuelled by the rising costs of prescription 

drugs in the maintenance of personal health 

and well-being, and the bioprospecting of new 

plant-derived drugs (Hoareau and DaSilva 

1999). 

Infectious diseases caused by bacteria, 

fungi, viruses and parasites are still a major 

threat to public health, despite the tremendous 

progress in human medicine. Their impact is 

particularly large in developing countries due to 

the relative unavailability of medicines and the 

emergence of widespread drug resistance 

(Okeke et al., 2005). Historically, all medicinal 

preparations were derived from plants, 

whether in the simple form of plant parts or in 

the more complex form of crude extracts, 

mixtures, etc. The vast majority of people on 

this planet still rely on their traditional materia 

medica for their everyday healthcare needs. 

Folk medicines are gaining great importance as 

information sources on traditional medicinal 

plants. Many commercially proven drugs used 

in modern medicine were initially tried in crude 

form in traditional or folk healing practices, or 

for other purposes that suggested potentially 

useful biological activity. 

BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS 

Medicinal plants are the important part of 

indigenous pharmaceutical systems. According 

to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 

65–80% of the world’s population in developing 

countries, due to the poverty and lack of access 

to modern medicine, depend essentially on 

plants for their primary healthcare (Calixto 

2005). In recent years, use of ethnobotanical 

information in medicinal plant research has 

gained considerable attention in segments of 

the scientific community (Heinrich 2000). Even 

today, in most of the rural areas, people are 

depending on local traditional healing systems 

for their primary health care. Since, traditional 

medicinal practice is the cheapest and safest 

method adopted in all countries of the world 

especially in developing countries. 

There are hundreds of drugs and 

biologically active compounds developed from 

the traditional medicinal plants, a few of which 

are mentioned here; the antispasmodic agent 

vasicin isolated from Justicia adhatoda, 

anticancer agents such as vincristine, 

vinblastine and D-tubocurarine isolated from 

Catharanthus roseus (Gurib-Fakim 2006), 

antibacterial agents isolated from Diospyros 

melanoxylon (Mallavadhani et al., 1998), 

antimalarial agent isolated from Sida acuta 

(Karou et al., 2006), steroid and lancamarone 

with cardiotonic properties, lantamine with 

antipyretic and antispasmodic properties from 

Lantana camara (Ghisalberti 2000), 

antimicrobial agents isolated from Acorus 

calamus (Chowdhury et al., 1993), antiviral, 

antibacterial and anti-inflammatory agents 

isolated from Urtica dioica (Harborne and 

Buxter 1993), anticancer agents isolated from 

Aloe vera, Allium sativum, Andrographis 

paniculata, Curcuma longa, Moringa oleifera, 

Phyllanthus amarus, Piper longum, Semecarpus 

anacardium, Tinospora cordifolia and 

Withanica somnifera (Balachandran and 

Govindarajan 2005), promising and potent 

antimalarial drug artemisinin isolated from 

Artemesia annua (Dhingra et al., 2000). A large 

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proportion of such drugs have been discovered 

with the aid of ethnobotanical knowledge of 

the traditional uses of the plant. 

Indian Medicinal Plants 

Ayurveda (Indian Traditional Medicine) 

is perhaps, the most ancient of all medicinal 

traditions is probably older that the traditional 

Chinese medicine. It is considered to be the 

origin of systemized medicine. It is actually a 

practical and holistic set of guidelines to 

maintain balance and harmony in the system. 

Ancient Hindu writings on medicine contain no 

references to foreign medicines whereas Greek 

and Middle Eastern texts do refer to ideas and 

drugs of Indian origin. Ayurveda is derived from 

the Indian words Ayar (Life) and veda 

(Knowledge or Science) and hence means the 

Science of Life. Ayurveda is similar to Galenical 

Medicine in that it is based on bodily humours 

(dosas) and the inner life force (prana) that is 

believed to maintain digestion and mental 

activity. The living and the non-living 

environment, including humans, is composed of 

the elements earth (prithvi), water (jada), fire 

(tejac), air (vaju) and space (akasa). Some of the 

important Ayurvedic medicinal plants used in 

Indian traditional medicine are Azadirachta 

indica, Centella asiatica, Cinnamomum 

camphora, Elettaria cardamomum, Rauvolfia 

serpentina, Santalum album, Terminalia 

chebula and Withania somnifera, etc. These 

plants are known to contain various active 

principles of therapeutic value and to possess 

biological activity against a number of diseases. 

The Indian flora is extensively utilized as 

a source of many drugs mentioned in the 

traditional systems of medicine. The traditional 

systems of medicine together with folklore 

systems continue to serve a large portion of the 

population, particularly in rural areas, in spite 

of the advent of the modern medicines. It is 

worthwhile to note that, about 80% of the 

human populations in India are still dependent 

on nature for remedies and this can be well 

understood from the fact that almost all 

systems of medicine are largely based on drugs 

of plant origin (Singh et al., 2001). Primarily 

Janaki Ammal (1956) conceptualized the 

importance of ethnobotanical studies in India 

and initiated such studies. Jain (1964) extended 

these studies to the forefront through his 

pioneering research and publications. These 

studies not only formed the foundations of 

modern ethnobotany but also triggered off a 

number of ethnobiological studies and inspired 

a number of research workers from different 

parts of the country. 

There are many reports on the use of 

plants in traditional healing by either tribal 

people or indigenous communities of India. 

During the last few decades there has been an 

increasing interest in the study of medicinal 

plants and their traditional use in different 

parts of India (Savithramma et al., 2007; 

Pattanaik et al., 2008; Kosalge and Fursule 

2009; Namsa et al., 2009; Upadhyay et al., 

2010). In our ethnobotanical survey among the 

Kani tribals and Paliyar tribal people in Western 

Ghats of Tamil Nadu, the traditional healers 

noticed that, most of the medicinal plants 

found in their environs are used frequently for 

the treatment of various diseases and most of 

the tribal people have a general knowledge of 

medicinal plants which are used for first aid 

remedies to treat cough, cold, fever, headache, 

poisonous bites and some other simple 

ailments (Ayyanar 2008; Ignacimuthu et al., 

2006; 2008; Ayyanar and Ignacimuthu 2005a, b, 

2009, 2010, 2011). 

The plants listed in table 1 are the 

commonly used medicinal plants in India which 

are known to contain various active principles 

of therapeutic value and to possess biological 

activity against a number of diseases with their 

respective medicinal properties. However, from 

this small percentage, innumerable 

therapeutically indispensable compounds have 

been isolated such as alkaloids, various 

glycosides, steroids, vitamins, flavonoids and a 

large range of antibiotics. It is evident that 

therapeutically interesting and important drugs 

can be developed from plant sources that are 

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used in traditional systems of medicines. The 

curative properties of drugs are due to the 

presence of complex chemical substances of 

varied composition in one or more parts of 

these plants. These plant metabolites in one, 

according to their composition, are grouped as 

alkaloids, glycosides, corticosteroids, essential 

oils, etc. 

Antidiabetic activity 

Hundreds of plants have been tested for 

their anti-diabetic potential and for most of 

them based on the ethnobotanical claims 

(Gurib-Fakim 2006). In traditional medicine, 

diabetes mellitus is treated with diet, physical 

exercise and medicinal plants and more than 

1200 plants are used around the world in the 

empirical control of Diabetes mellitus, most of 

them have not been pharmacologically and 

chemically investigated (Alarcon-aguilar et al., 

2002). The use of herbs in the management of 

diabetes mellitus has been prevalent in Indian 

society from a long time and there are several 

medicinal plants have reported to possess 

potential hypoglycemic activity in Indian system 

of medicines (Mukherjee et al., 2006). Drugs 

have been derived either directly or indirectly 

from plants. Some plant products act by 

lowering the level of glucose in the blood while 

others act by inhibiting glucose absorption from 

the gut and hence prevent the surge in blood 

glucose that can occur immediately after a 

meal (Gurib-Fakim 2006). 

Mukherjee et al. (2006) provided a 

comprehensive review on plants having potent 

hypoglycemic activity (65 antidiabetic plant 

species) from India. For these plants the 

phytomolecules including flavonoids, alkaloids, 

glycosides, saponins, glycolipids, dietary fibres, 

polysaccharides, peptidoglycans, 

carbohydrates, amino acids and others 

obtained from various plant sources have been 

reported as potent hypoglycemic agents. More 

than 100 medicinal plants are mentioned in the 

Indian system of medicines including folk 

medicines for the management of diabetes, 

which are effective either separately or in 

combinations (Kar et al., 2003). In India, the 

plants such as Coccinia indica, Eugenia 

jambolana, Gymnema sylvestre, Momordica 

charantia and Tigonella foenum-graecum are 

widely used for the treatment of diabetes in 

traditional as well as modern medicine. 

Anticancer activity 

Cancer is a growing public problem 

whose estimated worldwide new incidence is 

about 6 million cases per year and it is the 

second major cause of deaths after 

cardiovascular diseases and the disease is 

characterized by unregulated proliferation of 

cells (Srivastava et al., 2005). The use of natural 

products as anticancer agents has a long history 

that began with folk medicine and through the 

years has been incorporated into traditional 

and allopathic medicine (Costa-Lotufo et al., 

2005). The search for sources of new 

biologically active compounds is important for 

the discovery of new drugs relative to the 

treatment of cancer and blood coagulation 

(Goun et al., 2002). Early examples of 

anticancer agents developed from higher plants 

are the antileukemic alkaloids vinblastine and 

vincristine, which were both obtained from the 

plant catharanthus roseus. Since the early 

1950s, the identification and development of 

new lead compounds for anticancer 

chemotherapy has been partially driven by 

broad plant screening programs (Voss et al., 

2006). 

Several plant-derived compounds are 

currently successfully employed in cancer 

treatment and the plant derived anti cancer 

agents are vincristine, vinblastine, paclitaxel, 

docetaxel, irinotecan, flavopiridol, bruceantin, 

thalicarpin, topotecan and acronyciline (Rocha 

et al., 2001). Balachandran and Govindarajan 

(2005) scientifically proven the anti-cancerous 

properties of seven medicinal plants used for 

the treatment of various cancers. They also 

provide a list of commonly used anticancer 

plants, scientifically proven anticancer plants 

used in ayurvedic medicine, therapeutic 

enhancement potential of ayurvedic used in 

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cancer chemotherapy, pharmacological profile 

of ayurvedic anticancer plants and a classical 

treatment protocol for various tumors in 

ayurvedic medicine. Multidisciplinary scientific 

investigations are making best efforts to 

combat this disease, but the sure-shot, perfect 

cure is yet to be brought into world medicine. 

Antiviral activity 

Virus infection is a common worldwide 

problem. During the last few years efforts were 

made to increase the number of substances 

with antiviral activity and a few substances are 

known which provide an effective treatment of 

viral infections in vivo (Glatthaar-Saalmuller 

2001). Antiviral research using plant extracts 

has gained momentum since 1950 and some of 

the traditionally used medicinal plants have 

proved against some pathogenic viruses 

(Balasubramanian et al., 2006). Gastric 

hyperacidity and ulcer are very common 

causes, by which human suffering today. It is an 

imbalance between damaging factors within 

the lumen and protective mechanisms within 

the gastro duodenal mucosa. Most of the 

available drugs are thought to act on the 

offensive factors which neutralize acid 

secretion like antacids, H2 receptor blockers 

like ranitidine, famotidine, anticholinergics like 

irenzepin, telezipine, proton pump blockers like 

omeprazole, lansoprazole, etc. which interfere 

with acid secretion (Rao et al., 2004). 

Balasubramanian et al. (2006) proved that the 

plants such as Aegle marmelos, Lantana 

camara, Momordica charantia and Phyllanthus 

amarus showed significant antiviral activity 

against white spot syndrome virus in shrimp. 

Vimalanathan et al. (2009) reported that 

most of the tested medicinal plant extracts 

showed antiviral activity to a certain degree, 

although some of these activities were weak 

and specific for only one or two viruses. 

However, the plants such as Cassia alata, 

Clerodendron inerme, Clitoria ternatea, 

Evolvulus alsinoides, Gymnema sylvestre, 

Leucas aspera, Pergularia daemia and Vitex 

trifolia and showed impressive activity (in less 

than 1 μg/mL) against several viruses, and 

Caesalpinia bonduc, Durio zibethinus, Garcinia 

mangostana, Oldenlandia corymbosa, 

Spermacoce hispida and Trichodesma indicum 

showed moderate antiviral activity against 

more than one virus. 

Antiinflammatory activity 

Inflammation is body’s way of dealing 

with infections and tissue damage, but there is 

a fine balance between the beneficial effects of 

inflammation cascades and their potential for 

long-term tissue destruction (Simmons 2006). 

Studies have been continuing on antiinflammatory 

drugs to treat inflammatory 

diseases. Different approaches used to analyze 

the antiinflammatory potential of plants and 

plant derived compounds in the past years. In 

spite of the discovery of several newer agents, 

the search for better antiinflammatory drugs 

continues because they have many known side 

effects and none of them is apt for prolonged 

use (Ramprasath et al., 2004). Plant drugs with 

anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activity can 

bring relief to conditions like haemorrhoids, 

varicose veins and other conditions that involve 

a better flow of blood. The antiinflammatory 

activities are often attributed to the presence 

of saponins while the antioxidant activity 

attributed to the presence of flavonoids and 

other molecules having antioxidant activities 

(Gurib-Fakim 2006). 

Over the past 20 years there has been a 

significant increase in knowledge about 

immunology, both in terms of molecular targets 

and molecular mechanisms. Plant drugs with 

antiinflammatory activity can bring relief to 

conditions like hemorrhoids, varicose veins and 

other conditions that involve a better flow of 

blood. Indian medicinal plants are a rich source 

of substances claimed to induce paraimmunity, 

non-specific immunomodulation of 

essentially granulocytes, macrophages, natural 

killer cells and complement functions. 

Antioxidant activity 

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Antioxidants help organisms deal with 

oxidative stress, caused by free radical damage. 

Free radicals are chemical species, which 

contains one or more unpaired electrons due to 

which they are highly unstable and cause 

damage to other molecules by extracting 

electrons from them in order to attain stability 

(Ali et al., 2008). Interestingly the body posses 

defence mechanisms against free radicalinduced 

oxidative stress, which involve 

preventive mechanisms, repair mechanisms, 

physical defenses and antioxidant defenses. 

Among different families of antioxidants, 

flavanoids and tannins are most recurring 

followed by phenolics, ascorbic acid and 

alkaloids. Plant-derived antioxidants such as 

tannins, lignans, stilbenes, coumarins, 

quinones, xanthones, phenolic acids, flavones, 

flavonols, catechins, anthocyanins and 

proanthocyanins could delay or prevent the 

onset of degenerative diseases because of their 

redox properties, which allow them to act as 

hydrogen donors, reducing agents, hydroxyl 

radicals or superoxide radical scavengers 

(Marwah et al., 2006). 

Enzymatic antioxidant defenses include 

superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione 

peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) etc. Nonenzymatic 

antioxidants are ascorbic acid 

(vitamin C), a-tocopherol (vitamin E), 

glutathione (GSH), carotenoids, flavonoids, etc. 

All these act by one or more of the mechanisms 

like reducing activity, free radical-scavenging, 

potential complexing of pro-oxidant metals and 

quenching of singlet oxygen. The oxidative 

stress, defined as ‘‘the imbalance between 

oxidants and antioxidants in favor of the 

oxidants potentially leading to damage’’ has 

been suggested to be the cause of aging and 

various disease in humans (Katalinic et al., 

2006). Many plants have been identified as 

having potential antioxidant activities and it is 

of interest to investigate the antioxidant 

properties of herbal infusions especially those 

traditionally used in folk medicine. 

Many Indian medicinal plants have been 

investigated for their beneficial use as 

antioxidants or source of antioxidants using 

presently available experimental techniques. 

Scartezzini and Speroni (2000) reported that 

Curcuma longa, Magnifera indica, Momordica 

charantia, Phyllanthus emblica, Santalum 

album, Swertia chirata and Withania somnifera 

have possess rich antioxidant activity and used 

in Indian traditional medicine. Govindarajan et 

al. (2003) declared that Acorus calamus, Aloe 

vera, Andrographis paniculata, Asparagus 

racemosus, Azadirachta indica, Bacopa 

monnieri, Desmodium gangeticum, Glycyrrhiza 

glabra, Picrorhiza kurroa, Psoralea corylifolia, 

Semecarpus anacardium, Terminalia chebula 

and Tinospora cordifolia were reported to hold 

significant antioxidant activity. The most 

common use of these plants was found to be in 

cardiovascular diseases especially in the 

treatment of diabetes. Other major 

applications of these plants were in the form of 

a neuroprotective, anticancer, antitumor, 

antistress, dermal wound healing, 

cardiovascular protection, antidiarrhoea and 

anticholesterol activity (Ali et al., 2008). 

Antimycobacterial activity 

Historically tuberculosis (TB) is one of 

the oldest and most pervasive diseases in 

history and TB is caused by Mycobacterium 

tuberculosis (MTB), and to a lesser degree M. 

bovis and M. africanum, and continues to be a 

major disease of global importance infecting at 

least one third or two billion of the world’s 

population. It is a highly infective airborne and 

chronic bacterial disease usually infecting the 

lungs, although other organs are sometimes 

involved (Okunade et al., 2004). The plant 

kingdom is undoubtedly a valuable source for 

new anti-tuberculosis agents and provide the 

findings from an extensive literature search of 

all plants that have been assessed for 

antimycobacterial/ antitubercular activity over 

the past 20-30 years (Newton et al., 2000). 

Respiratory disorders such as colds, asthma and 

bronchitis have and can be treated by 

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phytotherapy. For such ailments leading to 

infections, the recourse to antibiotics is 

inevitable. However, throughout the duration 

or the cold and flu-bouts, decongestants, 

broncholytics and expectorants, demulcents 

are helpul in providing relief. 

According to Ayurvedic concepts, 

suppression of the urgings of stools and urine, 

excessive fasting, excessive virility, irregular 

meals at irregular hours and similar other 

practices which lead to a waste of the 

ingredients of the body, produce phthisis or 

consumption i.e. tuberculosis. A considerable 

number of plant species have been mentioned 

in Ayurveda for the treatment of TB, leprosy 

and related disorders. Gautam et al. (2007) 

reviewed that, 255 species were found to be 

antimycobacterial activity in preliminary in vitro 

screening and most of these species do find 

mention in traditional systems of medicine. Of 

the 255 species, 149 plant species that showed 

positive correlations with ethnomedicinal uses, 

were reported to be used for 

TB/phthisis/consumption/leprosy and TB 

related diseases like pulmonary affections, 

bronchitis, asthma, cough, whooping cough and 

infectious diseases of chest. 

Antimicrobial activity 

The systematic screening of living 

organisms with the purpose of discovering new 

bioactive compounds is a routine activity in 

many laboratories devoted to biomedical 

research (Salvat et al., 2004). Many efforts have 

been made to discover new antimicrobial 

compounds from various kinds of sources such 

as micro-organisms, animals, and plants. Since 

their discovery, antimicrobial drugs have 

proved remarkably effective for the control of 

bacterial infections. However, it was soon 

evident that bacterial pathogens were unlikely 

to surrender unconditionally, because some 

pathogens rapidly become resistant to many of 

the first discovered effective drugs (Barbour et 

al., 2004). The development of drug resistance 

in human pathogens against commonly used 

antibiotics has necessitated a search for new 

antimicrobial substances from other sources 

including plants. Plants used for traditional 

medicine contain a wide range of substances 

that can be used to treat chronic as well as 

infectious diseases (Erdogrul 2002). Examples 

of some microorganisms that gained resistance 

to antimicrobials are: Bacillus subtilis, Candida 

albicans, Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, 

Ervinia sp., Proteus vulgaris, Pseudomonas 

aeruginosa, Shigella dysenteriae, Salmonella 

enteritidis, Salmonella typhi, Staphylococcus 

aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis and 

Streptococcus faecalis. 

In the present scenario, the emergence 

of multiple drug resistance to human 

pathogenic organisms has necessitated a search 

for new antimicrobial substances from other 

sources including plants and to overcome the 

problem of antibiotic resistance, medicinal 

plants have been extensively studied as 

alternative treatments for diseases (Kumar et 

al., 2007). Some of the ailments treated with 

these plants include topical, respiratory, 

reproductive and gastrointestinal infections 

caused by fungi. In the case of temperate 

country, it is expected that the plants used in 

the treatment of conditions possibly involving 

microbial pathogens, such as burns, cuts, 

infections, mouth conditions, and diarrhea, 

would contain greater antimicrobial activities. 

In India scientific community is searching for 

alternative new antibiotics for the last few 

decades to treat various diseases including 

diseases caused by microbes. Antibacterial and 

antifungal activities were reported for various 

commonly used Indian medicinal plants on the 

basis of traditional medicine are Acorus 

calamus, Allium sativum, Azadirachta indica, 

Camellia sisensis, Citrus sisensis, Lantana 

camara, Ocimum sanctum, Nigella sativa, 

Plumbago zeylanica, Punica granatum, Psidium 

guajava, Terminalia bellirica and Zizyphus 

jujuba etc. 

Antimalarial activity 

Malaria is caused by a single celled 

protozoan parasites called Plasmodium and 

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transmitted to man through the anopheles 

mosquito. It is one of the major fatal diseases in 

the world, especially in the tropics and is 

endemic in some 102 countries with more than 

half of the world population at risk and the 

control of malaria is complex because of the 

appearance of drug resistant strains of 

Plasmodium and with the discovering that man 

may become infested with species of simian 

(monkey) malaria. The use of plant-derived 

drugs for the treatment of malaria has a long 

and successful tradition. For example, quinine 

isolated from Cinchona officinalis and 

quinghaosu from Artemisia annua represent 

the potential value of investigating traditionally 

used antimalarial plants for developing 

pharmaceutical antimalarial drugs (Srisilam and 

Veersham 2003). The declining efficacy of 

classical medication in relation to rapid 

extension of Plasmodium falciparum 

chloroquine-resistant strains has led to a need 

for new and efficient antimalarial drugs (Sanon 

et al., 2003). 

Malaria is one of the major causes of 

morbidity and mortality in the developing 

countries like India and has a great impact on 

the socio-economic development of the 

individual households in various ways. 

Repellents have an important place in 

protecting man from the bites of insect’s pests 

and mosquitoes (Kalyanasundaram 1991; 

Sukumar et al., 1991) and smoke produced by 

the burning of some herbs such as Artemisia 

and Azadirachta indica has been used for the 

protection against mosquitoes and biting 

insects since ancient times. Planting of plant 

species like Azadirachta indica, Annona 

squamosa, Artemisia vulgaris, Cymbopogon 

citratus, Lantana camara, Ocimum sanctum 

and Vitex peduncularis nearby the houses or 

settlement areas is another traditional method 

of controlling mosquito borne malaria still in 

practice by the local community in northeast 

India and polishing of house floor with leaf 

plant extracts obtained mainly from the species 

of Azadirachta, Artemisia, Lantana, Ocimum, 

and Cymbopogon is routinely done to drive 

away mosquitoes and other insect’s flies as 

common tradition among the community 

members of rural tribal people (Namsa et al., 

2011). 

Anti-HIV activity 

AIDS is a pandemic immunosuppresive 

disease which results in life-threatening 

opportunistic infections and malignancies. 

Much research effort has focused on the 

prevention and therapy of this infection 

resulting in AIDS, and despite considerable 

progress being made; still no vaccine that 

prevents infection or therapy that cures the 

disease and eliminates all infectious particles is 

yet available. In addition to biotechnological 

techniques, molecular modelling, etc., 

exploitation of natural resources to find new 

lead compounds against HIV is still a valuable 

approach (Cos et al., 2008). A vast number of 

natural products from medicinal plants such as 

terpenoids, coumarins, alkaloids, polyphenols, 

tannins and flavonoids have been shown to 

possess anti-HIV activity. Some of these natural 

products such as betulinic acid, calanolide A, (-) 

Epigallocatechin galloate, Glycyrrhizin, 

Andrographolide, Polycitone A and Geraniin 

were already entered clinical trials (Hupfeld and 

Efferth 2009). 

Sabde et al. (2011) reported that, of the 

92 extracts prepared from 23 Indian medicinal 

plants tested for anti-HIV activity in a human 

CD4+ T-cell line, CEM-GFP cells infected with 

HIV-1NL4.3, the results showed 9 extracts of 8 

different plants significantly reduced viral 

production in CEM-GFP cells infected with HIV- 

1NL4.3. Anuya et al. (2010) reported that 

Tinospora cordifolia, Avicennia officinalis, 

Rhizophora mucaranata and Ocimum sanctum 

showed anti-HIV potential and inhibiting the 

virus by two different mechanisms such as 

interference with the gp 120/CD4 interaction 

and inhibition of reverse transcriptase (RT). 

Mohanraj et al. (2010) reported that, the leaf 

crude extract of Calotropis procera was showed 

activity against HIV virus. 

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Indian Medicinal Plants in Trade 

The industrial demand for the medicinal 

plant resources has been on the rise due to the 

worldwide buoyancy in the herbal sector 

engaged in production of herbal health care 

formulations; herbal based cosmetic products 

and herbal nutritional supplements. In India, 

nearly 9,500 registered herbal industries and a 

multitude of unregistered cottage-level herbal 

units depend upon the continuous supply of 

medicinal plants for manufacture of herbal 

medical formulations based on Indian Systems 

of Medicine. In addition to the industrial 

consumption, significant quantities of medicinal 

plant resources are consumed in the country 

under its traditional health care practices at the 

household level by traditional healers and by 

practitioners of Indian Systems of Medicine. 

Although there are around 8000 

medicinal plant species used by different 

communities in India across different 

ecosystems, only around 10 % of them are in 

active trade. More than 1200 raw drug entities 

originating from more than 880 plant species 

have been recorded in active trade in India. The 

medical system wise representation (Ayurveda, 

Siddha, Unani, Tibetan, Folk, Homeopathy and 

Modern) of these 880 species of Indian 

medicinal plants is another interesting point to 

note. Majority of these plants (82%) are used in 

Ayurveda system of medicine while the lowest 

share (7%) is by modern system; similarly 

Siddha accounts for 58%, Unani for 53%, 

Homeopathy for 16% and Tibetan medice for 

25% (Begum and Ved 2004). 

Around 90% of the medicinal plants 

used by the Indian Pharmacies today are 

collected from the wild/natural sources. Less 

than 20 species of plants are under commercial 

cultivation and many of these have their uses 

for other purposes like perfumary/ 

condiments/ spices. Apart from requirement of 

medicinal plants for internal consumption, India 

is one of the major exporters of crude drugs 

mainly to the six developed countries, viz. USA, 

Germany, France, Switzerland, UK and Japan 

who share between them 75 - 80% of the total 

export of crude drugs from India. The principal 

herbal drugs that have been finding a good 

market in foreign countries are Abrus 

precatorius, Aconitum heterophyllum, Acorus 

calamus, Adhatoda zeylanica, Aegle marmelos, 

Aloe vera, Alpinia calcarata, Ammi majus, 

Andrographis paniculata, Asparagus 

racemosus, Atropa belladona, Bacopa monnieri, 

Cinchona officinalis, Cassia angustifolis, Cassia 

tora, Chrysanthemum cinerariifolium, Curculigo 

orchioides, Dioscorea sps., Digitalis purpurea, 

Ephedra gerardiana, Hyoscyamus niger, 

Kaempferia galanga, Picrorhiza kurroa, 

Plantago ovata, Podophyllum hexandrum, 

Rauwolfia serpentina, Saraca asoca, 

Nardostachys jatamansi, Terminalia chebula, 

Terminalia bellirica, Tribulus terrestris, 

Tylophora indica, Withania somnifera, etc. 

CONCLUDING REMARKS 

Research on medicinal plants and the 

search for plant-derived drugs require a 

multidisciplinary approach with integrated 

projects, financial and technical support, and a 

very carefully planned strategy. Renewed 

interest in traditional pharmacopoeias has 

meant that researchers are concerned not only 

with determining the scientific rationale for the 

plant’s usage, but also with the discovery of 

novel compounds of pharmaceutical value 

(Fennell et al., 2004). Instead of trying to 

identify the active components of herbs 

through massive collection of plants from 

natural sources, it is better to start 

investigating the efficacy of the natural product 

from the traditional use by patients in 

randomized clinical trials. There is still much we 

can learn from investigating herbals available 

abundantly in the forests particularly those 

which are less well known. This type of 

research must be promoted as a means for 

developing countries to understand the 

potential use of their plant resources, as well as 

a means to better promote basic healthcare. 

9


Botanical Name Medicinal Major phytochemical 

Pharmacological 

properties* 

constituents* 

properties** 

Abutilon indicum Diuretic, astringent, Leaves and root contain Hepatoprotective and 

(L.) Sweet 

demulcent, 

expectorant, 

laxative, 

aphrodisiac, 

pulmonary and 

sedative 

asparagin 

hypoglycemic activity 

Acacia nilotica (L.) Astringent, 

Tannins and phonolic Antimicrobial and 

Willd. ex Del. spasmolytic, compounds, (+)-catechin antimalarial activity 

hypoglycaemic, galloyl esters, (+)-catechindemulcent, 

soothing agent, 

hypoglycaemic and 

antifungal 

5-gallate 

Acalypha indica L. Expectorant, Alkaloids acalypus and Antioxidant, wound healing, 

anthelmintic, acalyphine, cyanogenetic antifertility and antibacterial 

emetic, hypnotic, 

anodyne and 

cathartic 

glucoside, triacetanamine activity 

Achyranthes Alternative, Alkalines Contraceptive, spermicidal, 

aspera L. 

antiperiodic, 

cancer chemopreventive, 

astringent, diuretic 

hypoglycaemic 

and purgative 

antiinflammatory and 

arthritic activity 

Justicia adhatoda Alternative, Vasicine, adhatodic acid, 1- Hepatoprotective and 

L. 

antispasmodic, pegamine, synthetic 1- antituberculosis activity 

diuretic, 

expectorant, 

pegamine 

Allium cepa L. Antiseptic, 

Acrid volatile oil, 

Antidiabetic, antimicrobial 

aphrodisiac, albuminoids, soluble and antileishmanial activity 

diuretic, demulcent, carbohydrates and sugar, 

emmanogogue, catechol and 

expectorant, 

rubefacient and 

stimulant 

protocatechuic acids 

Aloe vera (L.) Anthelmintic, Aloin, isobarbaloin, Anticancer, anti- 

Burm.f. 

antiseptic, cathartic, emodin, gum, resin, inflammatory, antidiabetic 

emmanogogue, chrysophanic acid, urinic and wound healing activity 

purgative, 

acid, oxidase, catalase and 

refrigerant, 

stomachic, tonic 

sugars 

Alternanthera Cholagogue, Protein and iron Antioxidant and 

sessilis (L.) R.Br. ex galactogogue, 

antimolluscicidal activity 

DC. 

febrifuge 

Anacardium Alternative, Cardol, anacardic acid, Free radical scavenging, 

10


occidentale L. astringent, 

demulcent, 

purgative, 

rubefacient 

Areca catechu L. Aromatic, 

anthelmintic, 

aphrodisiac, 

astringent, 

stimulant, taenifuge 

Azadirachta indica 

A. Juss. 

Bambusa bambos 

Voss 

Capsicum 

frutescens L. 

Cardiospermum 

halicacabum L. 

Astringent, 

antiperiodic, 

antiseptic, 

anthelmintic, 

discutient, 

demulcent, 

emmanogogue, 

emollient, 

insecticide, 

purgative, 

refrigerant, 

stimulant, 


and vermifuge 

Anthelmintic, 

antispasmodic, 

aphrodisiac, 


refrigerant, 

febrifuge, stimulant 

and tonic 

Irritant, pungent, 

stimulant, 

stomachic and tonic 

Alternative, 

diaphoretic, 

diuretic, emetic, 

emmenagogue, 

laxative, 


stomachic 

Carica papaya L. Anthelmintic, 

alternative, 

digestive, diuretic, 

anacardein antioxidant, antirotovirus and 

antimicrobial activity 

Choline, isoguvocine, 

catechu, �-catechin, 

tannin, gallic acid, 

alkaloids, arecoline, 

arecaine, guvacine, 

arecaidine,guvacoline, 

guvacine, 

Margosine, margosic acid, 

margosopicrin, glycerides 

of fatty acids, butyric acid, 

valeric acid, neutral resins 

and acid resins, nimbin, 

nimbidin, nimbinin, 

nimbisterin, bakayanin 

Silicic acid, peroxides of 

iron, cholin, betain, 

nuclease, urease, 

proteolytic, emulsifying 

and diastatic enzymes, 

cyanogenetic glucoside, 

benzoic acid, reducing 

sugar, resins and 

cyanogenetic glucoside 

Capsaicin, fatty acid, fixed 

oil, resin, solanine, volatile 

alkaloids,volatile oil, oleo- 

resin capsicin 

Antioxidant, hypoglycemic 

and active-oxygen scavenging 

activity 

Antiplasmodial, anticancer, 

antioxidant, antisecretory and 

antiulcer activity 

Antifertility, antiinflammatory 

and antiulcer 

activity 

Antimicrobial and antivenom 

activity 

Essential oil and saponin Antiulcer, antimalarial, 

antiinflammatory activity 

Papain or papayotin, 

chymopapain, carpaine, 

caricin, carposide, citric, 

Antifertility activity 

Antioxidant activity and 

contraceptive 

11


Carissa carandas 

L. 

Senna alata (L.) 

Roxb. 

Senna auriculata 

(L.) Roxb. 

Centella asiatica 

(L.) Urban 

Cissus 

quadrangularis L. 

Citrus aurantifolia 

(Christm.) Swingle 

ecbolic, 

Emmenagogue, 

laxative, 

rubefacient 

Antiscorbutic, 

anthelmintic, 


refrigerant and 

stomachic 

Antiparasitic, 


purgative 

Alternative, 

anthelmintic, 

attenuant, 


refrigerant, tonic 

Alternative, tonic, 

adaptogen, central 

nervous system 

relaxant, peripheral 

vasodilator, 

sedative, antibiotic, 

detoxifier, bloodpurifier, 

laxative, 

diuretic and 

emmenagogue. 

Alternative, 

digestive and 

stomachic 

Antiscorbutic, 

antiseptic, 

appetizer, 


stomachic 

Cleome viscosa L. Acrid, anthelmintic, 

Antiparasitic, 

antiseptic, 

carminative, 

irritant, rubefacient, 

sudorific and 

vesicant 

Clitoria ternatea L. Cathartic, 

demulcent, diuretic, 

laxative and 

purgative 

tartaric, malic, palmitic, 

crystalline, papayic and 

carica-fat acids, dextrin 

and resin 

Alkaloids, salicylic acid Histamine releasing activity 

and cardio tonic 

Chrysophanic acid, 

galactomannan, mineral 

elements, glycosides and 

carbohydrates 

Tannins, di-(2-ethyl) hexyl 

phthalate 

Vallarine, asiaticoside and 

oxy-asiaticoside, essential 

oil, fatty oil, sitosterol, 

tannin, pectic acid,ascorbic 

acid, alkaline hydrocotyline 

and resins 

Carotene, calcium oxalate, 

ascorbic acid 

Citric acid, citrol, 

limonene, linalool, linalyl 

acetate, cymene, 

petitgrain oil, coumatins, 

iso-pimpinellin, bergapten, 

citropten, xanthyletin, 

glucocapparin and 

glucocleomin, diterpene 

lactone, cleomoscosin A, 

cleomiscosin D, a minor 

coumarino-lignan and 

Kaempferide 3-glucuronide 

Tannin, resin, fixed oil, 

tannic acid and starch 

Antimicrobial, analgesic and 

hyperglycemic activity 

Nephroprotective, 

antibacaterial, antioxidant 

and free radical scavenging 

and antihyperglycemic 

activity 

Anticancer , antiulcer and 

antioxidant activity 

Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, 

venotonic and antiulcer 

activity 

Antiviral, antibacterial and 

anticancer activity 

Antimicrobial, antipyretic, 

analgesic and antidiarrheal 

activity 

Antimicrobial, 

antiinflammatory, analgesic 

and antipyretic activity 

12


Coccinia grandis 

(L.) Voigt 

Alternative, 


cathartic, 

expectorant 

Datura metel L. Anodyne, 

antiseptic, 


digestive, emetic, 

intoxicant and 

narcotic 

Eclipta prostrate L. Antiseptic, 

deobstruent, 

Elettaria 

cardamomum (L.) 

Maton 

emetic and tonic 

Aromatic, diuretic, 

carminative, 

stimulant and 

stomachic 

Euphorbia hirta L. Anthelmintic, 


demulcent and 

antiparasitic 

Evolvulus 

alsinoides L. 

Ficus bengalensis 

L. 

Alternative, 

anthelmintic, 

antiphlogistic, 

febrifuge and tonic 

and vermifuge 

Astringent, 

refrigerant, diuretic 

and tonic 

Ficus religiosa L. Alternative, 


refrigerant, laxative, 


Gymnema 

sylvestre (Retz.) 

R.Br. ex Schultes 

Hemidesmus 

indicus (L.) R.Br. 

purgative 

Astringent, diuretic, 

antiperiodic, 

emetic, refrigerant, 


Alternative, 

demulcent, 

Glucokenin, alkaloid, fatty 

acid, amylase, starch, 

sugar, gum, enzymes and 

hormones 

Alkaloids hyoscyamine, 

hyoscine, daturine, 

mucilage, albumin, resins, 

proteids, malic acids, 

scopolamine, atropine and 

vitamin C 

Antioxidant, antidiabetic and 

hyperglycemic activity 

Antimicrobial and 

hypoglycemic activity 

Alkaline ecliptine, nicotine Antihyperlipidemic, 

antivenom and antimicrobial 

Fixed, essential and 

volatile oil, terpinyl 

acetate, free terpineol, 

terpinene, sabinene, 

limonene, ligneous fibre 

Alkaloid, essential oil, linositol 

and alkaline 

xanthorhamnin, 

caoutchouc, resin, tannins, 

sugar, mucilage, calcium 

oxalate, carbohydrates, 

albuminoids, gallic acid, 

quercitin and a phenol 

Neutral fat, alkaloid, 

organic acid and saline 

substances 

Tannin, wax, caoutchouc, 

oils, albuminoids, 

carbohydrates and fibre 

activity 

Gastro protective, DPPH 

radical-scavenging and antiinflammatory 

activity 


antimalarial activity 

Adaptogenic, anti-amnesic, 

antioxidant and antharthritic 

activity 

Antioxidant and 

antidiarrhoeal activity 

Tannin, wax, caoutchouc Anti-tumor activity 

Acetylcholinesterase 

inhibitory activity 

Gymnemic acid, resins, 

tannins, pararapin, 

glucose, inositol, 

anthraquinone, 

carbohydrates, tartaric 

acid, calcium salts and 

crystalline concretions 

Coumarin, volatile oil, 

hemidesmine, smilasperic, 


antidiabetic activity 

Antinociceptive, antioxidant, 

antithrombotic, antiulcer and 

13


Hibiscus rosasinensis 

L. 

Hygrophila schulli 

(Hamilt.) 

M.R.Almeida & 

S.M. Almeida 

Jatropha 

gossypifolia L. 

diaphoretic, 

diuretic, sudorific 

and tonic 

Anodyne, 

aphrodisiac, 

demulcent, 

emollient, 

emmanagogue and 

refrigerant 

Diuretic, 

spasmolytic and 

hypotensive 

Emetic, 

emmenagogue, 

purgative 

Jatropha curcas L. Acro-narcotic, 

antiseptic, 


depurative, 

lactagogue, 

purgative and 

Kalanchoe pinnata 

(Lam.) Pers. 

stomachic 

Antiseptic, 

astringent and 

styptic 

Lantana camara L. Antiseptic, 

diaphoretic and 

carminative 

Lawsonia inermis 

L. 

Leucas apsera 

(Willd.) Link. 

Mangifera indica 

L. 

Alternative, 


deodorant, 

detergent, soporific, 


sedative 

Diaphoretic, 

emmenagogue, 

expectorant, 

insecticide, laxative 

and stimulant 

Anthelmintic, 

antiscorbutic, 


essentialoil, saponin, resin, 

tennins, 2-hydroxy-4methoxy 

benzaldehyde, 

sterols 

Aliphatic ethers, fatty acid 

methyl ethers, Ethyl β-Larabinopyranoside 

Phytosterol, semi-drying 

oil, mucilage, diastase, 

lipase, protease and 

alkaloids 

Flavonoids, lignan, gadain, 

pyridinium oxidases, oleic 

and linoleic acids, 

arylnaphthalene lignan, 

gossypifan, jatrodien, 

diterpene, 

Ricin, curcin, caseine, fixed 

oil, inorganic matters, 

jatrophic acid, sugar and 

starch 

Organic acid, tartar, 

tartaric acid, calcium 

oxalate 

Essential oil containing 

camarene, isocamarene, 

micranene, lantanine, 

lantadene 

Hanno-tannic acid, tannin, 

olive green resin, fragrant 

oil and glucoside 

Essential oil, glycosides 

and alkaloid 

Tartaric, citric, gallic malic 

and acids, tannin, fat, 

sugar, gum, starch, anti- 

antidiabetic activity 

Hypoglycemic activity and 

hair growth potential 

Hepatoprotective and 

antioxidant activity 


Anti-inflammatory, antiviral, 

wound healing activity, 

coagulant and anticoagulant 


antileishmanial activity 

Antimicrobial and antitumor 

activity 

Antiparasitic, antibacterial 

and tTuberculostatic activity 


Antiulcer, antioxidant and 

antiamoebic activity 

14


diaphoretic, 

diuretic, laxative, 

refrigerant, 


Melia azedarach L. Anthelmintic, 

antilithic, 


cathartic, diuretic, 

emetic, 

emmenagogue, 

narcotic, resolvent 

Michelia 

champaca L. 

and stomachic 

Alternative, 

antiperiodic, 


carminative, 


deobstruent, 

emmenagogue, 

febrifuge, 

purgative, 


and vermifuge 

Mimosa pudica L. Alternative, 

aphrodisiac, 

antiseptic, bloodpurifier, 

carminative 

Mimusops elengi 

L. 

Momordica dioca 

Roxb. ex Willd. 

Morinda 

pubescens J.E. 

Smith 

Moringa 

pterygosperma 

Gaertn. 

and resolvent 

Astringent, 

febrifuge, 

purgative, stimulant 

and tonic 

Antiseptic, 

astringent, sedative 

and stimulant 

Astringent, 

cathartic, 

emmenagogue and 

febrifuge 

Abortifacient, 

antiseptic, 


antilithic, diuretic, 

emmenagogue, 

expectorant, 

purgative, 

stimulant, 


scorbutic Vitamin C 

Alkaline azaridine, resin, 

tannin, meliotannic acid, 

benzoic acid, bakayanin, 

sterol, margosine 

Volatile essential and fixed 

oil, resin, tannin, mucilage, 

starch and sugar 

Alkaline mimosine, 

colchicines, tubulin, 5deoxyflavonol 

Saponin, tannin, volatile 

oil, fatty oil, starch, sugar, 

caoutchouc 

Pregnancy interceptive, 

antimalarial, antiviral and 

antimicrobial activity 

Antimicrobial activity and 

antiinfective 

Anticonvulsant, 

hyperglycemic and antivenom 

activity 

Antiulcer activity 

Alkaloids Hypoglycemic, antidiabetic, 

anticancer and 

antihyperglycemic activity 

Morindin and crystalline Antimicrobial activity 

Alkaloids moringine and 

moringinine, resins, 

organic acids, Moringa oil, 

behenic, myristic, 

palmatic, oleic, stearic and 

lignoceric acids 

Antioxidant, anticancer, 

antifungal and 

hypolipidaemic activity 

15


Murraya koneigii 

(L.) Spreng. 

Ocimum 

americanum L. 

Ocimum 

tenuiflorum L. 

Opuntia stricta 

Haw. 

Pandanus 

odoratissimus L.f. 

Phyllanthus 

amarus Schum. & 

Thonn. 

Phyllanthus 

emblica L. 

and vermifuge, 

vesicant 

Purgative, 


Aromatic, 

anthelmintic, 

aphrodisiac, 

carminative, 

diaphoretic, 


febrifuge and 

stimulant 

Aromatic, anticatarrhal, 

antiperiodic, 

demulcent, 

expectorant, 

febrifuge and 

stomachic 

Cholagogue, 

expectorant and 

refrigerant 

Antispasmodic, 

diaphoretic, 

antiseptic and 

stimulant 

Astringent, 

refrigerant, 

deobstruent, 

diuretic and 

stomachic 

Astringent, 

carminative, 

diuretic, laxative, 


stomachic 

Physalis minima L. Alternative, 

diuretic, laxative 

Koenigin, essential and 

volatile oils, glucosides 

Essential oil contain 

Camphor, citronellel. lcitronellic 

acid, eugenol, 

borneol, citral, methylheptenone, 

linalool, 

dipentene, terpinelone, 

crithmene, lomonene, 

sabinene, camphene, 

caryophyllene and 

methylheptenone 

Basil -camphor, terpenes 

and mucilage, eugenol, 

carvacrol, caryophyllene 

Fatty acid, malate of 

manganese, citric acid, 

resins, sugars, wax, 

carbohydrates, 

albuminoids, and water 

Methyl ester, benzyl 

benzoate, benzyl 

salicylate, benzyl acetate, 

benzyl alcohol, geraniol, 

linalool, linalyl acetate, 

bromostyrene, guaiacol, 

phenylethyl alcohol and 

aldehydes 

Phyllanthin, quinine and 

hypophyllanthin 

Rich vitamin C, essential oil 

and fixed oil, phosphatides 

and tannins 

Physalin B, epoxyphysalin 

B and physalin D, 

Hypoglycemic, 

antihyperglycemic, 

antifungal, antioxidant and 

radical scavenging activity 

Antidiabetic, antibacterial 

and antifungal activity 

Antiproliferative, antioxidant 

and antisecretory activity 

Analgesic and antiinflammatory 

activity 

Antioxidative activity 

Antidiabetic, 

antiinflammatory, 

antiallodynic and 

chemoprotective activity 

Anticancer activity 

Cholinesterase and 

anticancer activity 

16


Piper betle L. Antiseptic, 

aromatic, 

aphrodisiac, 


and tonic withaminimin, ergostanetype 

steroid, 5,6,7trimethoxyflavone, 

digestive, stomachic 

Piper nigrum L. Antiperiodic, 

antipyretic, 

carminative, 

resolvent, 


Pongamia pinnata 

(L.) Pierre 

rubefacient 

Antiseptic, 

antiparasitic, 


cholagogue, 

febrifuge, 

expectorant, 

stimulant and tonic 

Psidium guajava L. Astringent, 

antiseptic, febrifuge 

and luxative 

Punica granatum 

L. 

Anthelmintic, 


refrigerant, 

stomachic and 

taenifuge 

Santalum album L. Astringent, 

refrigerant, 

disinfectant, 

diuretic, 

expectorant, 

sedative and 

Sesamum indicum 

L. 

stimulant 

Demulcent, diuretic, 

emollient, 

emmenagogue, 

laxative and 

lactagogue 

Solanum nigrum L. Alternative, 

anodyne, diuretic, 

diaphoretic, 

phygrine 

Essential volatile oil 

containing betel-phenol, 

starch, sugar, tannins, 

terpene, sesqueterpene, 

chavicol 

Piperine, piperidine, 

piperitine, balsamic, 

chavicin, essential volatile 

oil, starch, lignin and 

insoluble water 

Pongamol (Pogamia oil), 

karanjin, glabrin, alkaloid, 

resin, mucilage, sugar, 

acetyl, benzoyl derivatives, 

myristic, palmitic, stearic, 

arachidic, lignoceric, 

dihydroxy stearic, lino 

lenic, linolic and oleic acids 

Tannins, resins, calcium 

oxalate, volatile oil, tannic 

acid, eugenol, phosphoric, 

oxalic and malic acids 

Essential oil eugenol, 

tannins, punico-tannic 

acid, mannite, sugar, 

pectin, pelletierine, 

isopelletierine 

A-santanol, B-santanol, 

isovaleric aldehyde, 

santanone, santalone, 

esters and free acids, 

resins, tannic acid, 

Fixed oils containing, solid 

fats, stearin, palmitin and 

myristin, proteids, 

carbohydrates, sesamin 

and a phenol compound 

sesamol 

Solanine, saponine, 

compound of sugar and 

solanidine 

Antidiabetic, antioxidant, 

antibacterial and antifungal 

activity 

Antioxidant, anticancer, 

antibacterial activity and 

antimutagenic 

Antihyperglycemic, 

antilipidperoxidative, anti 

inflammatory and 

antiplasmodial activity 

Antidiabetic activity 

Antidiabetic, antiinflammatory, 

anticancer and 

antibacterial activity 

Antitumor and antioxidant 

activity 

Antioxidative and antioxidant 

activity 

Antioxidant, antiulcer and 

antitumor activity 

17


Solanum 

trilobatum L. 

Sphaeranthus 

indicus L. 

Strychnos nuxvomica 

L. 

Syzygium cumini 

(L.) Skeels 

Tamarindus indica 

L. 

Tephrosia 

purpurea (L.) Pers. 

Terminalia arjuna 

(Roxb.) W. & A. 

Terminalia 

chebula (L.) Pers. 


sedative 

Alternative, 


carminative, 

diuretic, 

expectorant, 

febrifuge, laxative 

Alternative, 

anthelmintic, 

demulcent, 

emollient, 

refrigerant, 

stimulant, 


Aphrodisiac, 

anodyne, cardiac, 

emetic, purgative, 

stimulant, 

stomachic 

Astringent, 

carminative, 

diuretic and 

stomachic 

Astringent, 

antibilous, 

antiscorbutic, 

refrigerant, 

carminative, 

digestive, laxative 

and tonic 

Anthelmintic, 

cholagogue, 

deobstruent, 

diuretic, febrifuge, 

laxative and tonic 

Astringent, cardiac, 

deobstruent, 

febrifuge, stimulant 

and lithontriptic 

Alternative, 

antibilious, 


purgative, laxative, 


Solancarpine, solanine S, 

solidinine S, solacarpidin, 

carpesterol 

Sphaeranthine, 

eudesmanoids, isoflavone 

glycoside, eudesmanolide, 

sesquiterpenoids, 

sesquiterpene glycoside 

and sphaeranthanolide 

Strychnine, 

pseudostrychnine, brucine, 

vomicine, igasurine, 

igasuric and strychnic acid, 

loganine, proteids, starch, 

sugar and phosphates 

Jamboline, jambosine, 

resin, gallic acid, resin, 

tannin, ellagic acid, 

glucosides, essential oil, 

Tartaric acid, citric acid, 

malic and acetic, oxalic 

acids, pectin, albuminoids, 

carbohydrates 

Tephrosin, isotephrosin, 

rotenone, osyritin, 

deguelin, quercetin, 

querritrin, glucoside rutin 

Arjunine, arjunetin, 

lactone, tannin, essential 

oils, reducing sugars, 

glucotannic acid, 

pyrocaechol and 

phytosterol 

Chebulinic acid, resin, 

anthraquinone, tannic 

acid, gallic acid, mucilage, 


Wound healing, immune 

stimulating and antimicrobial 

activity 

Analgesic, antiinflammatory 

and antidiarrhoeal activity 

Antiinflammatory, 

antidiabetic and antioxidant 

activity 

Hypolipidemic, antioxidant 

and antidiabetic activity 

Wound healing and 

immunomodulatory activity 

Cardio protective, 

antiatherogenic and 


Chemomodulatory, 

antioxidant, antidiabetic and 


18


Thespesia 

populnea (L.) 

Soland ex Correa 

Trianthema 

portulacastrum L. 

Tribulus terrestris 

L. 

Tridax 

procumbens L. 

Alternative, 


constipative, 

demulcent, 

pjlegmatic, 

stimulant 

Abortifacient, 

cathartic, diuretic 

Aphrodisiac, 


laxative, refrigerant 

and tonic 

Stypic, antiseptic, 

antidiarrhoel, 

antidysenteric and 

haemorrhage 

Vitex negundo L. Alternative, 

antiparasitic, 

aromatic, 


discutient, 

emmenagogue, 

expectorant, 

febrifuge, tonic and 

Wedelia chinensis 

(Osbeck) Merr. 

Zizyphus 

mauritiana Lam. 

vermifuge 

Alternative, 

cholagogue, 

deobstruent 

Astringent, blood 

purifier, 


stomachic 

Populnin, populnetin, 

herbacetin, phosphoric 

acids and resins 

Saponin, alkaline 

punarnavine, ecdysterone 

Alkaloid, resin, fat and 

mineral matter 

Procumbenetin, 

dotriacontanol, βamyrone,12dehydrolupen-3-one,βamyrin, 

lupeol, fucosterol, 

9-oxoheptadecane, 10oxononadecane 

and 

sitosterol 

Essential oil, organic, malic 

acid, alkaloids and resin, 

iridoids, lignan, ecdysones, 

iridoid glucoside, Acetyl 

oleanolic acid, sitosterol, 

isomeric flavanones and 

furanoeremophilane 

Alkaloid ecliptine, kauren 

doterpenes 

Zizyphic acid, saponine, 

sapogenin, jujubogenin, 

jujubosides A and B, 

Acylated flavone-Cglycosides, 

cyclopeptide 

alkaloids, frangufoline, 

mucilage and sugar 

Antioxidant, wound healing, 

antinociceptive and 

antiinflammatory activity 


antifungal activity 

Antioxidant and aphrodiasic 

activity 

Immunomodulatory and 

hepatoprotective activity 

Antioxidant, antiinflammatory, 

analgesic and 


Hepatoprotective, 

antibacterial and 

antiosteoporotic activity 

Antioxidant and 

anticholinesterase activity 

*Nadkarni (1976); Rastogi and Mehrotra (1990 –1994); Khare, 2007; **www.sciencedirect.com, 

Ayyanar and Ignacimuthu (2005, 2008a, b, 2009, 2010, 2011) 

19


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