Sultana Rajia

Some pharmacological findings of non therapeutic importance of an Ayurvedic preparation Chandanasav

Chandanasav is an Ayurvedic preparation slightly reduced the gastrointestinal motility at the 15 min time interval. It increased the latent period of castor oil induced diarrhoea, slightly decreased number of stool count and lowered the purging index values. Chandanasav significantly reduced the onset and increased the duration of pentobarbital induced sleeping time. No significant analgesic effect was observed from the hot plate study Thus it may have mild constipating and central nervous system depressant activity without any effect on peripheral nervous system.

Evaluation of antidiarrhoeal activity of Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) on mice models

SUMMARY Diarrhoea is a major health care problem in developing countries. Elettaria cardamomum Matonfruits, commonly known as cardamom are widely used for flavoring purposes in food. In thisstudy we evaluated the antidiarrhoeal activity of hot water extract of cardamom againstexperimental diarrhoeal models on mice. Cardamom extract showed significant antidiarrhoealactivity against castor oil and magnesium sulphate induced models. Whereas, the gastrointestinalmotility was slightly increased. Key words: Antidiarrhoeal; Cardamom; Elettaria cardamomu; Gastrointestinal INTRODUCTION In developing countries diarrhoea is a major publichealth problem and therefore it is important anduseful to identify plants with antidiarrhoealactivity. Diarrhoea ranks second to respiratorydiseases as the cause of non-surgical paediatricadmission and causes one fourth of the avoidabledeaths in hospitalized children. It is one of theleading causes of morbidity and mortality in allage groups, particularly in infants and childrenunder the age of three. The incidence of diarrhoealdiseases still remains high despite the efforts of anygovernments and international organizations (e.g.WHO) to curb it (Agbor et al., 2004).Cardamom, the fruits of Elettaria cardamomumMaton. (Zingiberaceae), are widely used forflavoring purposes in food and as carminative. InUnani system of medicine it is used to treatgastrointestinal disorders (Jamal et al., 2006).Despite its wide uses little information has beenreported on their pharmacological properties,which showed antioxidant (Hinneburg et al., 2006;Vasavada et al.., 2006) and anti-inflammatoryactivity (Al-Zuhair et al.., 1996). Antimicrobialactivity of cardamom was attributed to its essentialoil (Ramadan et al.., 1994; Garg and Jain, 2001).Recently, cardamom showed gastroprotective effectsagainst aspirin and ethanol induced lesions in rats(Jamal et al., 2006). The seeds also showed activityagainst Helicobacter pylori (Nostro et al.., 2005).Cardamom is usually added to the food preparations

Central nervous system depressant effect of two spices ajowan (Carum copticum Karst.) and bay leaves (Cinnamomum tamala T.Nees.)

Two common Indian spices Carum copticum Karst (ajowan) and Cinnamomum tamala T.Nees. (bay leaves) has been investigated first time to report the activity on the central nervous system. Preliminary study of the hot water extract showed depressant activity on the hole board test as evidenced from the ambulation and head dipping scores. The extracts further quicken the onset and increased the duration of pentobarbital induced sleeping time.

Pharmacological findings of an Indian traditional Ayurvedic herbalformulation Amritaristo

SUMMARY In this present study Indian traditional Ayurvedic herbal formulation Amritaristo has been studiedto assess the general pharmacological effect on mice. The drug showed no significant activity on theneuropharmacological test models experimented. The increased pentobarbital sleeping time wasconsidered related with hepatic metabolism of pentobarbital. The formulation exhibited a non-significant reduction of gastrointestinal motility, and devoid of any acute diuretic activity. Thetested drug revealed antidiarrhoeal activity on castor oil-induced model, whereas on magnesiumsulphate-induced model no effect was observed. Key words: Amritaristo; Ayurveda; CNS; Diarrhoea; Gastrointestinal motility INTRODUCTION The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates,however, that one third of the world’s populationstill lacks regular access to essential drugs withfigure rising to over 50% in the poorest parts ofAfrica and Asia. Fortunately, in many developingcountries, traditional medicines offer a major andaccessible source of health care. WHO has thusfocused its attention in the traditional medicine orcomplementary and alternative medicine into thenational health care systems. WHO suggests researchon the traditional medicine or complementaryand alternative medicine to ensure the safety,efficacy and quality of them. The national healthpolicy of Bangladesh also has the objectives toencourage systematic improvement in thepractice of the indigenous system of medicine andfor utilizing the additional manpower available inthis sector. Particular attention should be given toscientific evaluation of indigenous and herbaldrugs (Chakraborty et al., 2006).Ayurvedic herbal medicines are the mostpopular form of alternative medicine beingpracticed in Bangladesh. Although tremendousprogress has taken place in the field of modernmedicine, but the practice and use of Ayurvedicmedicine is being continued throughout thecountry even today. Amritaristo is widely usedfor the treatment of fever and malaria (Anonymous,1991). The research work was performed toassess the general pharmacological effect ofAmritaristo in experimental mice.

Preliminary study on the central nervous system depressant effect of Picrorhiza kurrooa Royle. (Scrophulariaceae) in mice models

Picrorhiza kurrooa Royle. is a well known medicinal plant among the indigenous medical practitioners of India. Present study is the first time to report the activity on the central nervous system. Preliminary study of the hot water extract showed significant depressant activity on the hole board test as evidenced from the ambulation and head dipping scores. The extract showed better activity compared to diazepam on the duration of pentobarbital induced sleeping time.

Bioactivity of the methanol extract of Excoecaria agallocha Linn.(Euphorbiaceae)

The methanol extract and residual methanol fraction of Excoecaria agallocha L. (Euphorbiaceae) stem bark was investigated in this study by wheat rootlet and shoot growth inhibition, and antimicrobial bioassay. The methanol extract and residual methanol fraction showed high inhibitory effect on both the wheat rootlet (82-89%) and shoot growth (85-90%) compared to control. The methanol extract showed a better and dose related inhibition on both the rootlet and shoot growth compared to residual methanol fraction. The value of methanol extract for rootlet and shoot were and , and of residual methanol fraction for rootlet and shoot were and . The methanol extract and residual methanol fraction did not show any antibacterial activity against the tested microorganisms of clinical isolates Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureous, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus vulgaris and Bacillus subtilis. The plant has the potential to be a source of novel cytotoxic compound(s).

Central nervous system depressant effect of hot water extract of Ocimum sanctum Linn. (Labiateae)

A battery of neuropharmacological experiments showed the hot water extract of Ocimum sanctum Linn. (Labiateae) had a depressant effect on the central nervous system (CNS), but the aqueous extract showed no effect on it. The hot water extract reduced the spontaneous locomotor activity, exploratory head dipping, propulsive locomotion and exploratory ambulation as well as prolonged the pentobarbital induced sleeping time. The depressant effect starts from 60 minutes after the drug administration and continued to 180 minutes. The drug may exert central depressant effect by interfering with the function of the cortex.