Phytochemical Screening and Pharmacological Investigations on Hedychium coronarium
					
	
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		Academic Paper
		
			
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			Summary
			
				The present study was carried out for phytochemical screening and pharmacological investigations on methanolic extract of rhizomes of Hedychium coronarium (Local name: Dolan Champa, Family: Zingiberaceae). In this study, the possible analgesic and CNS (Central Nervous System) depressant activities of the methanolic rhizome extract of Hedychium coronarium were investigated at the doses of 100 mg/Kg, 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/Kg body weight on mice by oral administration. The analgesic activities were investigated for their central and peripheral pharmacological actions using tail immersion testing and acetic acid-induced writhing testing respectively. Its CNS depressant activity was evaluated by using hole cross and open field tests and the cytotoxic activity was observed using brine shrimp lethality bioassay.
			
		
	Excerpt
Table Of Contents
CONTENTS 
Serial No. 
Title 
Page no. 
Abstract 
11 
CHAPTER 1 
INTRODUCTION 
12-22 
1.1 
General Introduction 
12-15 
1.2 
Medicinal plants 
15 
1.3 
The history of medicinal plants 
16 
1.4 
Contribution of medicinal plants of modern medicine 
16-17 
1.5 
Prospect of herbal drug research in Bangladesh 
17-18 
1.6 
Economic significance of medicinal plants 
18-19 
1.7 
Crude drug 
19 
1.8 
Rationale of the present work 
20-21 
1.9 
Aim of the present work 
22 
1.10 
Plan of the present work 
22 
CHAPTER 2 
LITERATURE REVIEW 
23-31 
2.1 
Plant review 
23-28 
2.2 
Phytochemical properties 
28-30 
2.3 
Pharmacological properties 
31 
CHAPTER 3 
MATERIALS AND METHODS 
32-64 
3.1 
Plant material 
32-34 
3.2 
Materials used in the study 
35-37 
3.3 
Phytochemical screening 
38-43 
Result and discussion 
43 
3.4 
Pharmacological investigations 
44-64 
3.4.1 
Analgesic activity test 
44-52 
Acetic acid induced writhing test  
44-48 
Result 
49 
Tail immersion test 
49-50 
Result 
51 
Discussion 
52 
3.4.2 
Neuropharmacological study 
53-58 
Hole cross method 
54-55 
CONTENTS 
Serial No. 
Title 
Page no. 
Result 
55 
Open field method 
55-56 
Result 
56-57 
Discussion 
57-58 
3.4.3 
Cytotoxic activity test 
58-64 
Brine shrimp lethality bioassay 
58-64 
Results and discussion 
61-64 
CHAPTER 4 
CONCLUDING REMARKS 
65 
CHAPTER 5 
REFERENCES 
66-72 
LIST OF TABLES 
Table 
Title 
Page no. 
1.1 
Examples of Crude Drugs and Their Therapeutic Uses 
20 
3.1 
Accession Code of the Plant  
32 
3.2 
List of Apparatus Used for the Experiment 
35 
3.3 
List of Glassware Used  
35 
3.4 
List of Reagents Used for the Experiment  
36 
3.5 
Detail information of the mice used for the Experiment   
36 
3.6 
Type of Food Used for the Mice  
37 
3.7 
Materials Used for Animal House  
37 
3.8 
Reagents used for different group tests  
38-39 
3.9 
Results of phytochemical screening  
43 
3.10 
Experiment Profile to assess the effect of crude extract of 
Hedychium coronarium on acetic acid induced writhing 
of mice  
47 
3.11 
Effect of methanol extract of Hedychium coronarium on 
acetic acid induced writhing test in mice 
49 
3.12 
Effects of the methanolic extract of Hedychium 
coronarium on tail immersion test 
51 
3.13 
Experiment Profile to assess the effect of crude extract of 
Hedychium coronarium on  CNS depressant activity test 
on Mice  
53 
3.14 
Effect of methanol extract of Hedychium coronarium on 
Hole cross test in mice 
55 
3.15 
Effects of methanol extract of Hedychium coronarium on 
open field test in mice 
56 
3.16 
Effect of Hedychium coronarium on brine shrimp 
lethality test in Artemia salina 
61 
3.17 
Result of Hedychium coronarium against on Artemia salina
62 
LIST OF FIGURES 
Figure 
Title 
Page no. 
2.1 
Plant of Hedychium coronarium 
26 
2.2 
Leaves of Hedychium coronarium  
26 
2.3 
Rhizomes of Hedychium coronarium  
27 
2.4 
White color flower of Hedychium coronarium  
27 
2.5 
Whole part of Hedychium coronarium  
28 
2.6 
Structure of chemical compounds isolated from 
Hedychium coronarium 
29-30 
3.1 
Grinding by Using a Blender 
33 
3.2 
Rhizomes extract of Hedychium coronarium  
33
3.3 
Extraction of Hedychium coronarium by maceration  
34 
3.4 
Swiss albino mouse  
36 
3.5 
Identification of experimental animals 
37 
3.6 
Stock solution used for chemical group tests  
42 
3.7 
Schematic representation of acetic acid induced writhing 
of mice for investigation of analgesic activity    
45 
3.8 
Preparing mice for writhing by injecting acetic acid  
46 
3.9 
Synthesis of Prostaglandins and Leukotrienes  
47 
3.10 
Half Writhing Given by Mice  
48 
3.11 
Full Writhing Given by Mice  
48 
3.12 
Percentage inhibition of writhing reflex by Hedychium 
coronarium  
49 
3.13 
Tail immersion test on mice  
50 
3.14 
Percentage of elongation by Hedychium coronarium in 
tail immersion method  
51 
3.15 
Hole Cross Test  
54 
3.16 
Percentage of movements inhibitions by Hedychium 
coronarium in hole cross method 
55 
3.17 
Percentage of movements inhibitions by Hedychium
coronarium in open field method 
57 
3.18 
Hatching of Brine Shrimps  
60 
3.19 
Effect of methanolic extract of Hedychium coronarium 
on Brine shrimp nauplii. 
62 
3.20 
Effect of Vincristine Sulphate on Brine shrimp nauplii 
63 
ABSTRACT 
The present study was carried out for phytochemical screening and pharmacological 
investigations on methanolic extract of rhizomes of Hedychium coronarium (Local name: Dolan 
Champa, Family: Zingiberaceae). In this study, the possible analgesic, CNS (Central Nervous 
System) depressant activities of the methanolic rhizome extract of  Hedychium coronarium were 
investigated at the doses of 100 mg/Kg,  200 mg/kg  and 400 mg/Kg body weight on mice by 
oral administration. The analgesic activities were investigated for its central and peripheral 
pharmacological actions using tail immersion test and acetic acid-induced writhing test 
respectively. Its CNS depressant activity was evaluated by using hole cross and open field tests 
and the cytotoxic activity was observed using brine shrimp lethality bioassay. The result of 
preliminary phytochemical screening reveals that the methanolic rhizome extract contains 
alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, carbohydrates and steroids. The result of Acetic acid induced 
writhing test reveals that the extract inhibited 26.15%, 47.94% and 73.12% of writhing at the 
doses of 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/Kg body weight respectively, whereas writhing 
inhibition of the standard drug Diclofenac-Na was 73.36% at 25 mg/Kg body weight. On the 
other hand, the result of tail flick test also shows that the potential analgesic activity of the 
extract which is also comparable to the standard drug Diclofenac-Na (25 mg/kg body weight). 
The results of CNS depressant activity show that the extract decreased dose dependent motor 
activity and exploratory behavior of mice in both hole cross and open field test. The number of 
hole crossed in hole cross test and field crossed in field cross test decreased as time approached. 
The result of brine shrimp lethality bioassay reveals that the extract has dose dependent cytotoxic 
activity. The LC
50
 value of the methanolic rhizome extract was 0.39 g/ml, whereas the LC
50 
of 
the reference anticancer drug vincristine sulphate was 0.52 g/ml. These results suggest that the 
extract possesses analgesic and CNS depressant activity on mice and also has brine shrimp 
cytotoxic activity.   
Key words: Hedychium coronarium, analgesic activity, neuropharmacological activity, 
phytochemical screening, cytototoxic activity. 
11
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 
1. 1 General Introduction 
Plants and man are inseparable, because plants not only provide man with food, shelter and 
medicine, but also the life sustaining oxygen gas. Since disease, decay and death have always 
co-existed with life, the early man had to think about disease and its treatment at the dawn of 
human intellect. (Kirtikar and Basu, 1980). Thus, the human race started using plants as a 
means of treatment of disease and injuries from the very early days of civilization on earth 
and in   its long journey from ancient time to the modern age it has successfully used plants 
and plants products as effective therapeutic tools for fighting disease and other health 
hazards. 
 As therapeutic use of plants continued with the progress of civilization and development of 
human knowledge, scientists endeavored to isolate different chemical constituents from 
plants, put them to biological and pharmacological tests and identify therapeutically active 
natural compounds, which have eventually used to prepare modern medicines. In course of 
time synthetic analogues and derivatives of the natural compounds were also prepared. In this 
way, ancient uses of Datura plants have led to the isolation of hyoscinic, hyoscyamine, 
atropine and tigloidine, Cinchona barks to quinine and quinidine, Rauwolfia serpentina root 
to reserpine and rescinnamine, Digitalis purpurea to digitoxin and digoxin; Opium to 
morphine and codeine, Ergot to ergotamine and ergametrine, Sena to sennosides, 
Catharanthus roseus to vincristine and vinblastine to mention a few. (Ghani, 1998). 
In addition to these, there are many other plant-derived chemical substance of known 
structures that are used as drugs or necessary components of many modern medicinal 
preparations. These include camphor, capsaicin, eucalyptol, menthol, minor cardiac 
glycosides, various volatile oils, etc. 
Facilitated by the rapid development of technology of isolation and characterization process, 
particularly chromatography and spectroscopic methods a large number of therapeutically 
active plant constituents have been isolate during the last two decades. Simultaneous 
advancement in the fields of medical, botany, chemistry, biochemistry, pharmacognosy and 
pharmacology has tremendously helped the discovery, isolation, characterization, structure 
12
elucidation and synthesis of new drugs plants, with the development of further newer 
techniques and methods of plant analysis and with the    tremendous increase in man's 
knowledge of chemistry and pharmacology more and more medicinal compounds are likely 
to be discovered from plants. 
Although with the advent of synthetic drugs the use and procurement of plant -derived drugs 
have declined to large extent, a large number of drugs of modern medicine are still obtained 
from plant sources. As more data become available from phytochemical analysis and 
pharmacological screening of medicinal   plants, the number of plant-derived drugs of 
modern medicine is increasing everyday. 
How prominently plant-derived drugs still feature in modern medicine can be assessed from 
the following facts (Ghani, 1998): 
1.    
A recent survey by the United Nations Commissions for Trade and Development 
(UNCTAD) indicated that about 33% of drugs, produced in the development 
countries, are derived from plants (UNCTAD/GATT 1974) and that if microbes are 
added 60% of medicinal products are of natural origin. (Sofowara, 1982). 
2. 
According  to  some  sources  almost  80%  of  present-day  of  medicines                        
are directly or indirectly derived from plants (Mayers, 1892). 
3.         More than 47% of all drugs used in Russia, are obtained from botanical  
Sources (Ampofo, 1979). 
4. From 
Stephania cepharantha and Stephania sasabi (Jap. Journ. Exp.  Med. 1949, 
1:69). In the United States, in 1980 alone, the consumer paid 8 billion dollars for 
prescription drugs in which the active ingredients are still alive from plants 
(Sofowara,1982). 
5. 
47% of some 300 million new prescriptions written by physicians in America in 1961, 
contained as one as more active ingredients, a drug of natural origin (Fams-worth, 
1966). 
6.  
In 1960 47% of drugs, prescribed by physicians in the United States, of America, 
were from natural sources (Bingel et al, 1660). 
13
7. 
In 1967 25% of the products, which appeared in 1.05 billion   prescriptions filled in 
the United States, contained one or more ingredients derived from higher plants. 
(Karolkovans et al, 1966). 
8.  
Even today 80% of the rural population of most developing countries of the world 
depends as herbal medicine for maintaining its health and well being (Ghani, 1987). 
9.  
The consumption of medicinal plants in increasing in many developed countries, 
where 35% of drugs contain active principles from natural origin (Irvine, 1995). 
10.  
The North America used 170 drugs from different plants, which are as   official in the 
USP or NF. Surprisingly this large quantity of modern drugs comes from less than 
15% of the plants, which are known to have been investigated pharmacologically, out 
of an estimated 250000 to 500000 species of higher plants growing on earth 
(Farmsworth et al, 1985). 
At present, thousands of plant metabolites are being successfully used in the Treatment of 
variety of diseases (Farmsworth et al, 1985). A few striking Examples of plant metabolites 
include taxol from Taxus brevifalia (Kumar  et al, 1994), vincristine and vinblastine from 
Vinca roseus (Staskar, 1980), of which are important anticancer agents being used clinically. 
In the current popular field of chemotherapy, cepharanthine, isolated) is being used as a 
prophylactic in the management of tuberculosis. 
In china, about 15,000 factories are involved in producing herbal drugs, herbal medicines 
have been developed to a remarkable standard by applying modern scientific technology in 
many countries such as, China, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand and United Kingdom. 
In these countries, the dependence on allopathic drug has been decreased to greater extent 
(Borin, 1998) "Modern medicine still has much to learn from the collector of herbs" said 
Dr.Hafdan Mohler, Director General of World Health Organization. Many of the plants, 
familiar to the witch doctor really do have the healing power that tradition attaches to them. 
The age-old art of the herbalist must be tapped (Mayers, 1982). 
Thus it is apparent that whatever progress, science might have made in the field of medicine 
over the years, plants still remain as the primary source of supply of many important drugs 
14
used in modern medicine. Indeed the potential of obtaining new drugs from plant sources is 
so great that thousands of substances of plant origin are now being studied for activity against 
such formidable foes as heart disease, cancer and AIDS,(Ogden et al, 1981).This type of 
studies are sure to bring fruitful results, because of the fact that plant kingdom represents a 
virtually untapped reservoirs of new chemical compounds, many   extraordinarily, dynamic 
some providing novel bases on which the synthetic chemist may build even more interesting 
structures (Said, 1995). In this way, modern medicine will continue to be enriched by the 
introduction of newer and more potent drugs from plant sources. 
1.2 Medicinal Plants  
In nature plants of several variations are available which are responsible for various 
pharmacological actions. They are termed as medicinal plants. On the other hand, some of 
them produce harmful effects on animal system; they are termed as toxic or poisonous plants. 
It has now been established that the plants which naturally synthesize and accumulate some 
secondary metabolites like alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, volatile oil and contain minerals 
and vitamins posses medicinal properties (Ghani, 1998).A medicinal plant may thus be 
defined as a plant which, in one or more of its organs contains substances that can be used for 
therapeutic uses or which are precursors for the synthesis of useful drugs. 
However, ideally a definition of medicinal plants should include the following: (Sofowora, 
1982) 
a)  Plants or plants parts medicinally in galenical preparation (e.g. decoction, infusion, etc.)                      
b)  Plants used for extraction of pure substances either for direct medicinal use or for the 
synthesis of medicinal compounds (e.g. synthesis of sex hormones). 
c)   Food, spice and perfumery plants used medicinally. 
d)  Microscopic plants, e.g. fungi, actinomycets, used for isolation of drugs, especially 
antibiotics. 
e)   Fiber plants, e.g. cotton, flax, jute, used for the preparation of surgical dressings. 
A large number of plants are used as medicinal agents in this world. Specifically in 
Bangladesh about four hundred fifty species are used as medicinal plants (Ghani, 1998). 
15
1.3 The history of medicinal plants 
According to recorded history of human civilization, man was well aware of the medicinal 
properties of many plants growing around him more than five thousand years ago. The 
earliest mention of the medicinal use of plants is found in the Rig Veda (4500-1600BC), 
which reported that the Indo-Aryans used the Soma plant as a medicinal agent (Chopra et al., 
1982).A large number of plants now known to contain important medicinal agents   were 
known to contain important medicinal agents were known to the Babylonians (Ca 
3000BC).The famous Papyrus Ebers recorded the use of many plants which were used by the 
ancient Egyptians as far back as 1500 BC Ayurvedic system of medicine described the use of 
127 plants as curative agents as early as in 1200 BC.The first Chinese Pharmacopoeia 
containing a list of 135 different plant   medicines with their use and methods of preparation 
appeared around 1122BC. More than 400 recipes of plant medicines used in the Greek 
system of medicine were described by Hypocrites around 400BC (Le Strange, 1977). Arabian 
Muslim Physicians like Al-Razi and Ibne Sina (9
th
 to 12
th
 century AD), brought out 
revolution in the history of medicine by bringing new drugs of plant and mineral origin into 
general use. The use of medicinal plants in Europe in the 13
th
 and 14
th
 centuries was based on 
the "Doctrine of Signatures" or developed by Paraclsus (1400-1541 AD), a Swiss Al-Chemist 
and Physician (Ghani, 1998). According to the superstitious doctrine all plants possessed 
some sign, given by creator, which indicated the use, for which they were intended. Thus a 
plant with heart shaped leaves should be used for heart ailments, the sap of blood root 
(Sanguinary condenses). As a blood tonic, the liver leaf with its three lobed for liver troubles, 
the walnut with numerous investigations and convolutions for brain diseases and 
pomegranate seeds for dental diseases and so on. (Graves, 1990). 
1.4 Contribution of medicinal Plants to modern medicine 
The term medicine refers to a preparation or compound containing one or more drug (s) or 
therapeutic agent (s) which is used in the treatment, cure and mitigation of various diseases 
and internal injuries of man and other animals. The preparation may also contain substances 
other than the drug (s).  The drug (s) in the medicine is (are) the active therapeutic agent (s) 
that cures (cure) the disease or heals (heal) the wound or injury. "Modern medicines" are 
those medicinal preparations which are produced scientifically by using modern echnology 
and know- how and which are in current use for the cure and management of 
diseases.Modification, improvements, sophistifications and newer discoveries are 
continuously changing the type, quality, of medicinal preparations. The real changes that 
16
have taking place in medicines are those in their active ingredients, excipients and form of 
presentation.  And these are the areas where plants have been contributing enormously since 
the human race first discovered medicine to ensure its existence on earth. (Ghani, 1998). 
Isolation of the natural analgesic drug morphine from the latex of Papaver somniferum 
capsules (Opium) in 1806 is probably the first moat important example of natural drugs 
which plants have directly contributed to modern medicine .Isolation of other important plant 
derived drugs of modern medicine rapidly followed and may useful drugs have since been 
discovered and introduced into modern medicine. Drugs like Strychnine from Strychnos nux 
vomica,  (1817), emetine from Cephaelis ipecauanha (1817), caffeine from    Thea sinensis 
(1819), quinine from Cinchona spp.(1820) and colchicine from Colchicium autumnal (1820) 
constitute some examples of such early drugs. The list of the plant-derived medicinal in 
modern medicine is very big now. About 100 plant derived drugs of defined structures are in 
common use today throughout the world and about half of them are accepted as useful drugs 
in the industrialized countries. These include drugs like atropine, colchicine, deserpidine, 
digitoxin, L-lopa, emetine, ephedrine, ergometrine, ergotamine, hyoscine, hyoscyamine, 
physostigmine, picrotoxin, pilocarpine, pseudoephedrine, quinines, quinine, rescinnamine, 
reserpine, sennosides, sparetine strophanthin, strychnine, theobromine, theophylline, 
vinblastine, vincristine etc. Other plant derived drugs which are used widely but not generally 
in Western modern  medicine include anabasine, andrographolide, arecoline, berberine, 
brucine, cannibal, cephaeline, cocanine, curcumin, glycyrrhizin, hesperidin, hydrazine, 
nicotine, palmitine, quercetin, rutin santonin, vincamine, yohimlin etc.( Farnsworth and 
Moris,1976; Farnsworth and Bingel, 1977 ). 
1.5 Prospect of herbal drug research in Bangladesh 
Approximately 80% of the world's population exclusively uses plants for various healing 
purposes. In the industrially developed countries almost 35% of the drugs contain active 
principles of natural origin and consumption of medicinal plants is increasing. (Irvinne, 
1995). The practice of traditional medicine in China is firmly established. More than 5000 
kinds of Chinese medicinal herbs are used medicinally. India and Thailand are two burning 
examples of such countries in this subcontinent which earn cores of rupees by exporting 
medicinal plants and their semi-processed products to other countries including Bangladesh. 
There are still others such as china, India and Pakistan which utilize their own medicinal 
plants for local manufacture of both. Eastern and Western medicines and pharmaceutical 
products (Ghani, 1998). The suitable weather and fertile soil have made Bangladesh a great 
source of medicinal plants .About five thousands herbs, shrubs, trees, aromatic and   aquatic 
17
plants are scattered throughout the forests, jungles, hills, cornfields,   plain field, roadsides, 
gardens, marshy lands and watery place of Bangladesh. These medicinal plants which contain 
steroids, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, glycosides acetogenin and resin are most useful 
medicinal agents. The socio-economic condition has far-reaching effects on the health 
condition of the Bangladesh population. Existing health care system is not very impressive. 
Though there is steady increase of facilities, the situation has not improved much. Till now 
only 30% of the entire population has been brought under primary Health Care (PHC) (Ali et 
al., 1990). 20% of the populations of our country have access to the Western medicines and 
rest 75-80% of the rural population still   receives healthcare services from the indigenous 
traditional Ethno medicine practitioners. They play a significant role in providing primary 
health care services to rural people. They serve as important therapeutic agents as well as 
imported raw materials for the manufacture of traditional and modern medicines. Substantial 
amount of foreign exchange can be earned by exporting medicinal plants to other countries 
(Ghani, 1998). From a survey in different villages of Bangladesh (Ahmed,1990),it has been 
seen that if people suffer from illness approximately 14% of them go the qualified allopathic 
doctors, 29% contact unqualified village doctors, 10% contacts mollahs, 29% approach quack 
and 19% contact homeopaths. The survey represents an extensive use of medicinal plants, 
most of which are served in a crude and substandard form by the different types of traditional 
practitioners which is sometime hazardous for the health. For that, we should standardize our 
traditional use of the medicinal plants. Thus to maintain a safer traditional practices we 
should make more research with our medicinal plants to determine their chemical entities and 
biological activities property. 
1.6 Economic significance of medicinal plants    
Medicinal plants are rich sources of bioactive compounds and thus serve as important raw 
materials for drug production. They may constitute a valuable natural asset of a country and 
contribute a great deal to its health care systems. Judicious and scientific exploitation of this 
wealth can significantly improve the general health of the people. Being a valuable 
commodity of commerce, a country can also earn a food amount of foreign currency by 
exporting this natural wealth to other countries. The Government of Bangladesh officially 
recognizes Unani and Ayurvedic system of medicine. They are dispensed as broken pieces, 
coarse and fine powders, pills of different sizes, in the form of compressed tablets, as liquid 
preparations, as semisolid masses and in the form of ointment and creams, neatly packed in 
appropriate sachets, packets, aluminum foils, plastics or metallic containers and glass bottles. 
The containers are fully labeled with indications, contaminations, doses and directions for 
18
uses and storage, just like modern medicine. If we could make proper use of our medicinal 
plants we could get medicines in low costs and then it might be possible to fulfill the demand 
of our medication. Thus supplying low cost medicines to our population we could establish a 
better health care system. And in order to achieve this goal, research and development on the 
traditional medicines should be given in the proper privilege. The leaves, flowers, fruits and 
roots are extensively used for treating cold, cough, whooping cough and chronic bronchitis 
and asthma, as sedative-expectorant antispasmodic and as anthelmintic. The drug is 
employed in different form, such as fresh juice, decoction, infusion and powder. Also was 
given as alcoholic extract and liquid extract or syrup. The dried leaf is smoked as a cigarette. 
It is also given along with other expectorants and forms a part of several proprietary 
compounds. In chronic bronchitis, it is efficacious and affords relief, especially when the 
sputum is thick and tenacious acting very much similar to ipecacuanha. The cough is relieved 
and the sputum is liquefied and easily expelled. The leaf juice is stated to cure diarrhea, 
dysentery. 
1.7 Crude Drug 
The substance of natural origin both from plant and animal source possesses therapeutic 
properties and pharmacological actions. These substances in the natural state comprise whole 
plants, their morphological or anatomical parts, saps, secretions etc. whole animals, their 
anatomical parts, glands or other organs, extracts, secretions of their organs. These drugs are 
used as therapeutic agents in many traditional medicinal preparations in everywhere (Ghani, 
1998).A crude drug is a natural drug of plant, animal or mineral origin which has undergone 
no treatment other than collection and drying, that is the quality or appearance of the drug has 
not been advanced or improved by any physical or chemical treatment (Ghani, 1998).In 
Bangladesh numerous crude drugs are prepared from local plant and animal sources while 
many more are imported from foreign countries for use in the preparation of Unani, 
Ayurvedic and Homeopathic medicines. Many of them are also used in Hekimi, Kaviraji and 
Folk medicine practices in the country. Some of the official crude drugs available in 
Bangladesh are Abroma bark, Acacia, Aloes, Amlaki, Arjuna, Asoka bark, Asparagas, 
Babchi, Black Cumin, Calotropis, Capsicum, Cassia fruit, Castor, Cathranthus, Chaulmoogra, 
Cinnamon, Colocynth, Colophony, Coriander, Eucalyptus, Fenugreek, Garlic allium, Ginger, 
Henna, Herpestis, Hydrocotyle, Indian Ipecac, Indian Sarsaparilla, Indian Senega, Indian 
Squill, Kalamegh, Kurchi bark, Lemongrass, Linseed, Myrobalan, Neem, Nux-vomica, 
Papaya, Peppermint, Rauwolfia, Sesame, Stramonium, Turmeric, Vasaka, and Withania 
(Ghani, 1998). 
19
Table 1.1: Examples of Crude Drugs and Their Therapeutic Uses (Ghani, 1998) 
Drugs 
Plant Source 
Therapeutic Use 
Digitoxin, digoxin 
Digitalis purpura,
Digitalis lanata 
Cardiotonic 
Morphine 
Papaver somniferum 
Sedative, narcotic, analgesic 
Quinine, quinidine 
Cinchona sp. 
Antipyretic, antimalarial 
Vinblastin, vincristine 
Catharanthus roseus 
Anticancer 
Paclitaxel 
Texus brevifolia 
Anticancer 
Theophylline 
Camellia sinensis 
 Smooth muscle relaxant 
Reserpine, Rescinnamine     Rauwolfia sp. 
Hypotensive, vasodilator 
Menthol 
Mentha piperita 
Anti-pruritic, antiseptic 
Colchicine 
Colchicum autumnale
Anti-gout, anti-arthritic 
Hyoscine, Hyoscyamine 
Datura, Hyoscyamus,
Scopolia, Duboisia spp.
Parasympatholytic, 
Mydriatic 
Papaverine 
Papaver somniferum 
Smooth muscle relaxant 
Pilocarpine 
Pilocarpus jaborandi 
Parasymparhomimetic, 
cholinergic  
Theobromine 
Theobroma cacao
Smooth muscle relaxant, 
1.8 Rationale of the Work 
The use of medicinal herb in the treatment and prevention of disease is attracting attention by 
scientists' worldwide (Sofowora, 1982). This is corroborated by World Health Organization 
in its quest to bring primary health care to the people. The plant kingdom has long serve as a 
prolific source of useful drugs, foods, additives, flavoring agents, colorants, binders, and 
lubricants. As a matter of fact, it has been estimated that about 25% of all prescribed 
medicine today are substances derived from plants. Chemicals that make a plant valuable as 
medicinal plant are:
1. Alkaloids (Compound has addictive or pain killing or poisonous effect and   sometimes 
help in important cures),  
2. Glycosides (Use as heart stimulant or drastic purgative or better sexual health), 
20
Details
- Pages
- Type of Edition
- Erstausgabe
- Publication Year
- 2010
- ISBN (Softcover)
- 9783960670360
- ISBN (PDF)
- 9783960675365
- File size
- 1.5 MB
- Language
- English
- Institution / College
- Stamford University Bangladesh – Department of Pharmacy
- Publication date
- 2016 (April)
- Grade
- A
- Keywords
- Pharmacological properties Phytochemistry Hedychium coronarium White ginger lily White garland-lily Dolan Champa Zingiberaceae Pharmacognosy Analgesic activity Neuropharmacological activity Cytototoxic activity
- Product Safety
- Anchor Academic Publishing
 
					