Glycyrrhiza glabra L. [Liquorice]

Medicinal plants are being used for treating various diseases. According to World Health Organization 80% of the world population depends on indigenous medicinal plant remedies. Herbal medicine employs fruits, vegetables, as dry materials or their extracts for the treatment of different diseases and health maintenance. Glycyrrhiza glabra [Liquorice] has been used in Europe since prehistoric times. It is well documented in written form starting with the ancient Greeks. Glycyrrhizin is the major active constituent obtained from liquorice roots, one of the most widely used in herbal preparations for the treatment of liver complaints. The plant is used as anti-inflammatory, spasmolytic, laxative, anti-depressive, anti-ulcer and anti-diabetic. The present review focuses Glycyrrhiza glabra distribution, ethno botany, ethno pharmacology, chemical constituents, medicinal uses, cultivation and trade. Plant requires a lot of attention as it has been reduced in population due to over-use in Baluchistan. The plant conservationists should consider this herb as priority species and should start its cultivation on the commercial scale to fulfill the requirements of the local markets and pharmaceutical industries as well as reduce the pressure on the wild plants

Medicinal plants of arid zones utilization, cultivation and conservation

One third of the earth's surface [47 billion hectares] is classed as arid zones. Plant wealth from this arid zones area is known for its medicinal and nutritional attributes and therapeutic potential. Research on vast majority of such medicinal plants has revealed interesting results. To mention some examples, Acacias - resolvents, Aloes - cathartic, antihepatitis, Euphorbiaes - anthelmintics, Lamiaes - rubefacients, Solanaceae - anticholinergics, Apiaceae - aromatic and carminatives, Zygophyllaceae - anti-cancers etc. Three decades of research brought into light such amazing results so as to prove drugs like above mentioned as effective for contemporary disease situations including malaria, G.I. disorders, STDs and liver inflammations leading to AIDS. Proper utilization in the light of their traditional importance or alternative uses in medicine is already underway round the globe, under different systems of medicine which proves the efficacy of traditional approach in practise. But it is believed that natural resources' extensive utilization and uncontrolled exploitation may lead to the current wave of herbal therapeutics which may follow their scarcity in years to come. Therefore large scale, conservation strategies and controlled organized cultivation is necessary to keep requisite raw material supply to the herbal pharmaceutical industry. Hence conservation methodologies are intensely required to preserve the genetic makeup of the significant spp. of the arid zones

Comparative antibacterial activities of seaweed extracts from Karachi coast, Pakistan

Six species of green seaweeds [Ulva intestinalis Linnaeus, Ulva fasciata Delile, Ulva lactuca Linnaeus, Chaetomorpha antennina [Bory de Saint-Vincent] Kutzing, Bryopsis pennata Lamouroux, Codium iyengarii Borgesen, Codium shameelii Nizamuddin, Caulerpa scalpelliformis, Caulerpa taxifolia [Vahl] C Agardh], ten species of brown seaweeds [Dictyota dichotoma var intricate [C Agardh] Greville, Dictyota hauckiana Nizamuddin, Padina antillarum [Kutzing] Piccone, spatoglossum variabile Figari et De Notaris, Stoechospermum polypodioides [JV Lamour] J Agardh, Colpomenia sinuosa [Mertens ex Roth] Derbes et Solier, Iyengaria stellata [Borgesen] Borgesen, Jolyna laminarioides guimaraes, Cystoseira indica [Thivy et Doshi] Mairh, Sargassum ilicifolium [Turner] C Agardh] and also ten species of red seaweeds [Dermonema abbottiae Afaq-Husain, Nizamuddin et Shameel, Gelidium usmanghanii Afaq-Husain et Shameel, Gracilaria corticata [J Agardh] J agardh, Gracilaria foliifera [Forsskal] Borgesen, Aspaaragopsis taxiformis [Delile] Trevisan, Cystoclonium purpureum [Hudson] Batters, Botryocladia leptopoda [J Agardh] Kylin, Melanothamnus afaqhusainii Shameel and Osmundea pinnatifida [Hudson] Stackhouse] were collected from the coastal areas of Karachi [Pakistan] and extracted in methanol. These extracts were tested for their antibacterial activity. In comparative study, the brown seaweeds were found to be most active and green seaweeds the least active, while species of red seaweeds occupied and intermediate position

Trade of medicinal plants in Pakistan

Herbal drugs have always fascinated the majority cite population. According to WHO, the global market of the medicinal herbs and herbal-products is about LIS S 62 billion and will hit the market by the Year-MIN at the level of US $ 5 trillion. Pakistan has distinct diminical regions" with varied medicinal flora. Pakistan Int got more than 4000 different plant species and out of them 1,100 has been pointed out to be medicinal in nature but only 350-456 plant species have entered into bulk herbal manufacturing and raw material market. Controversy still exists in many cases regarding their authenticity, source of procurement, etc. This is mostly because of the drug trade, which has slipped into the hands of inexperienced, non-professional middlemen and traders. This has resulted into the commerce of adulterated, spurious and sub-standard crude drugs. Indeed, better quality; pharmacologically active drugs can only be manufactured when the available material is properly authenticated. There is also urgent need to improve post harvest processing, storage and effective quality control and regulate the commerce in order to make a significant dent in the world market

Elemental composition of marine algae from the coastal areas of Karachi, Pakistan

Eighteen species of seaweeds were collected from the coastal area of Karachi [Pakistan] and analyzed for their elemental composition by Perkin-Elmer 3100, Atomic Absorption Spectrometer. Many elements e.g. Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Na, Pb, Zn were detected quantitatively. Among these Ca, Fe, K, Mg and Na were found in large amounts [on the average 3509.86-48354.21 ppm] Co, Cu, Pb and Zn were present in small amount [on the average 11.21-80.08 ppm] while Cr and Cd were detected in extremely small amount [on the average 0.25-1.18 ppm]. The average quantity of K. was detected to be the highest among these algae [48354.2 ppm] followed by Na [21733.61 ppm] and Fe [3509.86 ppm]. The average amount of Zn [80.08 ppm] and Cd [1.18 ppm] were quite low, Cr was found in the lowest quantity [0.25 ppm]