Ethnomedicinal chasmophytes of southern Western Ghats in Coimbatore District, Tamilnadu, India

The Present Study highlights 40 species of therapeutically potential chasmophytes from the Southern Western Ghats areas in Coimbatore district in Tamilnadu. These medicinal plants are either used singly or with mixtures by the Irular tribe inhabiting these areas. The result of the study reveals that Irular tribe still depend on medicinal plants for their primary health care

Pharmacognostical studies on Acalypha indica L.

In the present study, Acalypha indica L. plants were collected and their physicochemical, phytochemical and antimicrobial properties were screened. The, plant extracts containing carbohydrates, alkaloids, saponins, fixed oil and fats, gum, mucilage and flavonoids were qualitatively screened. Among the physicochemical properties such as loss on drying was 72.4 and total ash was 6.03. Its solubility percentage was higher in ethanol than water. Behaviour of plant powder in exposure in different colours with different chemical compounds to determine, fluorescent behaviour was entirely different in normal light than in UV light. Four amino acids such as alanine, threonine, valine and tryptophan were identified. Antibacterial potentiality of aqueous extract exhibited against Klebsiella pneumoniae and Serratia marcescens only. Methanol extract inhibit the growth of Citrobacter diversus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Antifungal activity was screened only for Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Determination of trace and rare earth elements in three cassia SPP. by ICP-MS

Microwave acid digestion of Cassia aitriculata, C. obtusifolia and C. uniflora for the determination of trace elements [Sc. V, Cr, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga. Rb, Sr, Zr, Mb, Cs, Ba, Hf, Ta, Pb and U] and rare earth elements [La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tin, Yb, Lu and Y] by ICP-MS was carried out to estimate their concentrations and to correlate the associations of these elements with each other. The results obtained by using HF, HNO[3] and HC1 in a microwave digestion system for the analysis of plant samples and geochemical reference materials [SY-2] showed close agreement with the accepted values of SY-2. the very high levels of Zn [266.16 ppm]. Rb [178.68 ppm]. Sr [2567.63 ppm] and Ha [2043.16 ppm] indicate the ability of Cassia spp. towards hyperaccumulation of these elements from their respective environments