Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) and its active constituents: A critical review of their efficacy and toxicological issues.

Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis L.) is a medicinal plant widely used in various traditional systems of medicine and as a food supplement. It has been traditionally used by Native Americans as a coloring agent and as medicinal remedy for common diseases and conditions like wounds, digestive disorders, ulcers, skin and eye ailments, and cancer. Over the years, goldenseal has become a popular food supplement in the USA and other regions. The rhizome of this plant has been used for the treatment of a variety of diseases including, gastrointestinal disorders, ulcers, muscular debility, nervous prostration, constipation, skin and eye infections, cancer, among others. Berberine is one of the most bioactive alkaloid that has been identified in different parts of goldenseal. The goldenseal extract containing berberine showed numerous therapeutic effects such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, hypoglycemic, antioxidant, neuroprotective (anti-Alzheimer's disease), cardioprotective, and gastrointestinal protective. Various research finding suggest the health promoting effects of goldenseal components and their extracts. However, few studies have also suggested the possible neurotoxic, hepatotoxic and phototoxic activities of goldenseal extract and its alkaloids. Thus, large randomized, double-blind clinical studies need to be conducted on goldenseal supplements and their main alkaloids to provide more evidence on the mechanisms responsible for the pharmaceutical activity, clinical efficacy and safety of these products. Thus, it is very important to review the scientific information about goldenseal to understand about the current scenario.

Phytochemistry and gastrointestinal benefits of the medicinal spice, Capsicum annuum L. (Chilli): a review.

Dietary spices and their active constituents provide various beneficial effects on the gastrointestinal system by variety of mechanisms such as influence of gastric emptying, stimulation of gastrointestinal defense and absorption, stimulation of salivary, intestinal, hepatic, and pancreatic secretions. Capsicum annuum (Solanaceae), commonly known as chilli, is a medicinal spice used in various Indian traditional systems of medicine and it has been acknowledged to treat various health ailments. Therapeutic potential of chilli and capsaicin were well documented; however, they act as double-edged sword in many physiological circumstances. In traditional medicine chilli has been used against various gastrointestinal complains such as dyspepsia, loss of appetite, gastroesophageal reflux disease, gastric ulcer, and so on. In chilli, more than 200 constituents have been identified and some of its active constituents play numerous beneficial roles in various gastrointestinal disorders such as stimulation of digestion and gastromucosal defense, reduction of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms, inhibition of gastrointestinal pathogens, ulceration and cancers, regulation of gastrointestinal secretions and absorptions. However, further studies are warranted to determine the dose ceiling limit of chilli and its active constituents for their utilization as gastroprotective agents. This review summarizes the phytochemistry and various gastrointestinal benefits of chilli and its various active constituents.

Pueraria tuberosa: a review on its phytochemical and therapeutic potential.

Pueraria tuberosa (Willd.) DC is a perennial herb commonly known as 'vidarikanda', distributed throughout south east Asia. The plant's tuber is widely used in ethanomedicine as well as in traditional systems of medicine, particularly in ayurveda. It has been used in various ayurvedic formulations as restorative tonic, antiaging, spermatogenic and immune booster and has been recommended for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, hepatosplenomegaly, fertility disorders, menopausal syndrome, sexual debility and spermatorrhoea. Numerous bioactive phytochemicals, mostly isoflavonoids such as puerarin, genistein, daidzein, tuberosin and so on have been identified in the tuber. In vivo and in vitro studies have provided the support against traditional demands of the tuber as spermatogenic, immune booster, aphrodisiac, anti-inflammatory, cardiotonic and brain tonic. However, further studies are required to define the active phytochemical compositions and to validate its clinical utilisation in the herbal formulations for human uses. This review provides an overview of traditional applications, current knowledge on the phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of P. tuberosa. This review also provides plausible hypotheses about how various isoflavones particularly puerarin, genistein and daidzein, individually or collectively, may be responsible for the therapeutic potential against a wide range of ailments.

A validated RP-HPLC-UV method for quantitative determination of puerarin in Pueraria tuberosa DC tuber extract.

BACKGROUND: Pueraria tuberosa (Fabaceae) is a well-known medicinal herbs used in Indian traditional medicines. The puerarin is one of the most important bioactive constituent found in the tubers of this plant. Quantitative estimation of bioactive molecules is essential for the purpose of quality control and dose determination of herbal medicines. The study was designed to develop a validated reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) method for the quantification of puerarin in the tuber extract of P. tuberosa. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The RP-HPLC system with Luna C18 (2) 100 Å, 250 × 4.6 mm column was used in this study. The analysis was performed using the mobile phase: 0.1% acetic acid in acetonitrile and 0.1% acetic acid in water (90:10, v/v) under column temperature 25°C. The detection wavelength was set at 254 nm with a flow rate of 1 ml/min. The method validation was performed according to the guidelines of International Conference on Harmonization. RESULTS: The puerarin content of P. tuberosa extract was found to be 9.28 ±0.09%. The calibration curve showed good linearity relationship in the range of 200-1000µg/ml (r (2)>0.99). The LOD and LOQ were 57.12 and 181.26µg/ml, respectively and the average recovery of puerarin was 99.73% ±1.02%. The evaluation of system suitability, precision, robustness and ruggedness parameters were also found to produce satisfactory results. CONCLUSIONS: The developed method is very simple and rapid with excellent specificity, accuracy and precision which can be useful for the routine analysis and quantitative estimation of puerarin in plant extracts and formulations.

Estimation of capsaicin through scanning densitometry and evaluation of different varieties of capsicum in India.

Capsicum annuum L. (family: Solanaceae) possesses therapeutic benefits for the treatment of rheumatism, neuropathy, psoriasis, flatulence and so on. In this study fruits of four different varieties of C. annuum from four different geographical regions in India were evaluated based on their total content of capsaicin. Ethanol extracts of the fruits were used. HPTLC plates were developed in a mobile phase containing benzene, ethyl acetate and methanol (75:20:5). Densitometric scanning was performed at a wavelength of 283 nm in the absorbance mode. The calibration curve was described by the equation Y=393.587+3.836*X with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.99890. The content of capsaicin in Nagaland, Manipur, West Bengal and Shimla varieties was found to be 3.71%, 1.78%, 0.54% and 0.06%, respectively. The developed densitometric method was found to be specific, accurate and precise. A recovery study and precision showed low levels of %RSD values. The linearity range of the curve for capsaicin was found to be 300-900 ng per spot. The limit of detection and the limit of quantification values were determined to be 31 and 94 ng, respectively, proving the sensitivity of the method. Thus the method can be used to control the total content of capsaicin on an industrial scale.

The sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) - phytochemical and therapeutic profile.

OBJECTIVES: Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. (Nymphaeaceae), also known as sacred lotus, is a well known medicinal plant. This article reviews the traditional uses, phytochemistry and therapeutic reports on different parts of N. nucifera viz. the seeds, rhizomes, leaves and flowers. This review also describes various compounds isolated from different parts of this plant and the therapeutic benefits derived from those phytoconstituents. KEY FINDINGS: There are several therapeutic benefits of this plant for which different parts are used. The extracts of rhizomes, seeds, flowers and leaves have been reported to have varied therapeutic potential. Several bioactive compounds have been derived from these plant parts belonging to different chemical groups, including alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, triterpenoid, vitamins etc., which all have their own therapeutic impact. Thus, the pharmacological effects and various active ingredients of different parts of N. nucifera are well understood. SUMMARY: In this review we explore the current pharmaceutical, phytochemical and pharmacological knowledge about this well known plant species as well as several emerging aspects for research on N. nucifera.