Bioactivity studies of the individual ingredients of the Dashamularishta

The bioactivity studies of the individual ingredients of Dashamularishta ' a classical Ayurvedic preparation were done with the aqueous extracts of the individual ingredients. The Aegle marmelos Correa. exhibited severe toxicity to the brine shrimp [BST] nauplii, wheat rootlet growth [WRG] inhibition bioassay and lettuce seed germination [LSG] bioassay. It exhibited no inhibition to the growth of PPR and Reo virus in vero cell line. The Oroxylum indicum exhibited moderate toxicity to the BST and WRG, but it is not toxic to the LSG. It exhibited no inhibition to the growth of PPR and Reo virus. The Stereospermum suaveolens exhibited severe toxicity to the BST and LSG, but it is not toxic to the WRG. It exhibited total inhibition to the growth of Reo virus, but it has not effect on the PPR virus. The Premna integrifolia showed severe toxicity to the BST, but it was not toxic to the WRG and LSG. It exhibited no inhibition to the growth of PPR and Reo virus. The Gmelina arborea exhibited severe toxicity to the BST and WRG, but it is not toxic to the LSG. It exhibited no inhibition to the growth of PPR and Reo virus. The Solanum xanthocarpum showed mild toxicity to the BST, WRG and LSG. It exhibited 75% inhibition to the growth of Reo virus. The Solanum indicum showed no toxicity to the BST, WRG and LSG. It exhibited 75% inhibition to the growth of PPR virus. The Desmodium gangeticum showed no toxicity to the BST, but moderate toxicity to the WRG and LSG. It exhibited total inhibition to the growth of PPR virus. The Uraria lagopoides showed no toxicity to the BST, WRG and LSG. It exhibited total inhibition to the growth of Reo virus. The Tribulus terrestris showed no toxicity to the BST, but showed moderate toxicity to the WRG and LSG. It exhibited 75% inhibition to the growth of both PPR and Reo virus

Effect of aqueous extract of Ocimum sanctum Linn. [Labiateae] on gastrointestinal tract

The effect of O. sanctum L. on gastrointestinal [GI] motility by BaSO4 revealed that O. sanctum L. aqueous extract significantly increased the peristaltic movement of GI tract compared to control. But the in vitro result on isolated guinea pig ileum differs from the in vivo gastrointestinal motility result. The in vitro result of hot water extract showed a dose dependent increase in relaxation on isolated guinea pig ileum similar to previous findings and it showed no interaction with acetylcholine

Bioactivity studies of the aqueous extract of Ocimum sanctum linn. [Labiateae]

Hot water extract of Ocimum sanctum L. [Labiateae] showed bioactivity against brine shrimp lethality bioassay. The LC50 value was found l35micro g/ml and the ED50 value was calculated l3.5micro g/ml. The extract was ineffective on wheat rootlet growth inhibition bioassay. O. sanctum showed dose related antimicrobial activity against some clinical bacterial isolates Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhi but failed to exhibit activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae

Gastrointestinal and diuretic effects of aqueous extracts of the stem bark of aegle marmelos [L.] Correa

The aqueous extract of the stem bark of Aegle marmelos [L.] Correa decreased defaecation and food and water intake after 4 hours of drug administration in acute metabolism. In forced diuresis it decreased the volume of urine output after 1 to 4 hours of drug administration. It exhibited small increase in the gastrointestinal motility in mice when compared with control and atropine treated animals. In the castor oil induced diarrhoea it significantly inhibited the diarrhoea at a dose of 100 mg/kg intraperitoneally

Asokarishta-Studies on Metabolism and Gastro-intestinal Motility

The 24 hours acute metabolic study revealed certain striking aspect of the pharmacological profile of Ascokarishta and Saraca asoca [Roxb]. Asokarishta causes no change in food intake but decreases the defecation rate and with low water intake maintains normal rate of excretion. But Saraca asoca [Roxb] causes no change in food intake and defecation followed by slight decrease in water intake but no difference on urinary output. The gastro-intestinal motility test revealed that Asokarishta did not change the motility at all, but Saraca asoca [Roxb] slightly increased the motility whereas the rest of the components lowered the motility. In 30 days chronic administration study all of the components slightly decreased the rate of gain in body weight compared to control

Screening of some medicinal plants for their effects on the gastrointestinal motility of the laboratory animals

A highly significant peristaltic activity was found in Phragmites maxima Blatter and McCann, Imperala cylindrical Beauv, Saraca asoca [Roxb.] de Wilde, Nigella sativa Linn., at both intervals. Saccharum spontaneium L., Pterocarpus santalinus f., Nyctanthes arabor-tristis L., Adhatoda vasica Nees., increased the GI motility at significant level [p < 0.005] only at 15 minutes. Saccharum officinarum Linn. and Numphaea lotus Hook f and Thoms increased the motility after 30 minutes intervals. Dichelactina nodicaulis Hance., Pentaptera mollis Presl., Embica officianlis, Zingiber officinale Rosc., Cyperus rotundus Linn., Tinospora cordifolia Will., Tribulus terrestris Linn., Terminalia chebula Retz., and Sphaeranthus indicus Linn. did not show any effect on gastrointestinal motility experiments. Plumbago zeyanica Linn., Woodforida fruticosa Kurz, Piper longum Linn., Iraria lagopodioides, Curcuma domestica Valeton, Symplocos racemosa Roxb., Crataeva religiosa Buch-Ham, and Terminalia bellerica Roxb. showed a decreasing tendency on GI motility at intervals. The Embelia ribes Burm f., Crataeva nurvala Buch-Ham, Argyreia speciosa Burm f. Boj., Boerhaavia diffusa Linn., Centratherum anthelminticum Kuntze, Ipomoea turpethum Linn., Butea monosperma Kuntze and Piper nigrum Linn. showed significant decrease in peristaltic movements only at 15 minutes intervals. The Semecarpus anacardium Linn. [p < 0.001] showed a very high GI motility inhibiting effects showing no motility at both intervals

Effects of the crude extracts of Nigella sativa linn on isolated guinea-pig tracheal chain preparations

The aqueous extract of the seeds of Nigella sativa Linn. cause spontaneous relaxation on isolated tracheal chain preparations. The extract does not interact with the acetylcholine, but it inhibits the contractile actions of histamine on isolated tracheal chains. All the effects of N. sativa on isolated tracheal tissue preparations are found to be dose dependent

Antimicrobial activity of nigella sativa linn and semecarpus anacardium l. against escheriochia coli in vitro

Nigella sativa Linn. has moderate antibacterial action against Escherichia coli. The ethanolic and diethylether extracts subjected to antimicrobial activity exhibited 64.83% and 65.04% bacterial inhibition on agar diffusion method, respectively. But the alcoholic extract of Semecarpus anacardium L. did not exhibit prominent antibacterial action against Escherichia coli

Clinical trials on male normotensive subjects and female uti patients treated with the seeds of nigella sativa linn

In the clinical trial to study the effects of KSJ on blood pressure it was noted that KSJ depressed both the systolic and the diastolic blood pressure starting from 1 hour till end of 5 hours after the oral intake of KSJ. But the diastolic pressure was significantly low only from 2 hours after the oral intake of KSJ. All the results of systolic and diastolic pressure are statistically highly significant. In the clinical trail with female UTI patients there was a decrease in pus cells in the urine after the patients were treated with KSJ in comparison to their pre-drug urine examination report

Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of semecarpus anacardium linn

Semecarpus anacardium L. [fruit aqueous extract] exerted moderate analgesic activity as revealed in experiments on mice and rats. In the experiments utilizing the peak effect was noticed at 30 minutes after the administration of the drug which was highly significant [p<0.001]. At this time interval it was equivalent to acetaminophen in its activity. In the analgesic studies using rat, the peak effect was achieved after 60 minutes of the administration of the drug in highly significant [p<0.01]. In the inflammation studies the curative model showed better response on rats. In case of preventive effect the 1st [14.19%, p<0.001], and [20.0%, p<0.001] and 3rd [21.94%, p<0.001] hours after treatment the effect of Semecarpus anacardium L. was better than the Diclofenac sodium [DCF]. In the curative model, the inhibition of inflammation was better than acetylsalicylic acid [ASA] and Ibuprofen [IBP]. Treatment with Semecarpus anacardium L. causes the percent age of inhibitions after 1st [14.18,% p<0.01], 2nd [20.57%, p<0.001], 3rd [29.79%, p<0.001] and 4th [35.46%, p<0.001] hours. Semecarpus anacardium treated animals did not show any gastric irritation