ABSTRACT
Nature has gifted widest range of plant diversity to India for the welfare of mankind. Plants have been utilized for various purposes by the human beings since the time immemorial. Plants have been the basic source for therapeutic preparation in the indigenous system of medicine, the Ayurveda. With the recent changes in the life style of human being, over exploitation of natural resources has put a large number of plant species to the verge of extinction. Euphorbia fusiformis Buch. -Ham. ex D. Don (Euphorbiaceae), botanical source for the classical drug Adhoguda is one among plant species threatened with the extinction (endangered). It is a plant having potential pharmacological properties and actions. Traditionally, tribal communities have been using this plant in ethnomedicine to treat headache, arthritis, gout, paralysis, diarrhoea, abdominal diseases, abdominal tumour, liver disorders, urinary stones, chronic wounds, cracks, skin disease, eczema and poor lactation, scorpion and snake bites and plant latex as an antidote. E. fusiformis is reported to possess variety of pharmacological activities like antioxidant, antifungal, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, hepatoprotective, antinociceptive and galactagogue. Also, the plant has been evaluated for its use in female infertility. Present paper is an attempt to review therapeutic potential of this underexplored drug E. fusiformis.
ABSTRACT
Echinococcosis is a multisystem disease and has propensity to involve any organ, an unusual anatomical site, and can mimic any disease process. Primary peritoneal echinococcosis is known to occur secondary to hepatic involvement but occasional cases of primary peritoneal hydatid disease including pelvic involvement have also been reported. We report here 1 such case of primary pelvic hydatidosis mimicking a malignant multicystic ovarian tumor where there was no evidence of involvement of the liver or spleen. Our patient, a 27-year-old female, was detected to have a large right cystic adnexal mass on per vaginal examination which was confirmed by ultrasonography. Her biochemical parameters were normal and CA-125 levels, though mildly raised, were below the cut off point. She underwent surgery and on exploratory laparotomy, another cystic mass was found attached to the mesentery of the small gut. The resected cysts were processed histopathologically. On cut sections both large cysts revealed numerous daughter cysts. Microscopic examination of fluid from the cysts revealed free scolices with hooklets and the cyst wall had a typical laminated membrane with inner germinal layer containing degenerated protoplasmic mass. The diagnosis of pelvic hydatid disease was confirmed and patient was managed accordingly. Hydatid disease must be considered while making the differential diagnosis of pelvic cystic masses, especially in endemic areas.