Herbalism, Phytochemistry and Ethnopharmacology Herbalism, Phytochemistry and Ethnopharmacology AMRITPAL SINGH SAROYA Herbal Consultant Punjab India 6000 Broken Sound Parkway, NW CRC Press Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487 Taylor & Francis Group 270 Madison Avenue Science Publishers an informa business New York, NY 10016 2 Park Square, Milton Park Enfield, New Hampshire www.crcpress.com Abingdon, Oxon OX 14 4RN, UK Published by Science Publishers, P.O. Box 699, Enfi eld, NH 03748, USA An imprint of Edenbridge Ltd., British Channel Islands E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.scipub.net Marketed and distributed by: 6000 Broken Sound Parkway, NW CRC Press Suite 300, Boca Raton, FL 33487 Taylor & Francis Group 270 Madison Avenue an informa business New York, NY 10016 2 Park Square, Milton Park www.crcpress.com Abingdon, Oxon OX 14 4RN, UK Copyright reserved © 2011 ISBN 978-1-57808-697-9 CIP data will be provided on request. The views expressed in this book are those of the author(s) and the publisher does not assume responsibility for the authenticity of the fi ndings/conclusions drawn by the author(s). Also no responsibility is assumed by the publishers for any damage to the property or persons as a result of operation or use of this publication and/or the information contained herein. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, in writing. The exception to this is when a reasonable part of the text is quoted for purpose of book review, abstracting etc. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. Printed in the United States of America Foreword It is indeed an honour to be invited to write the Foreword for book titled ‘Herbalism, Phytochemistry and Ethnopharmacology’ with its twin lofty motto both to educate and to provide much needed scientifi c validation to herbal medicine. The author has achieved in this book the multi-faceted objectives of emerging herbal science which is a blend of ancient knowledge coupled with scientifi c proofs. When I received an invitation from the author to write the Foreword to the book I was somewhat puzzled by the invitation. After all, during the past one decade, my work has focused upon the pharmacological aspects of Ayurvedic and herbal medicine. I have coauthored a number of research and review papers along with the author detailing herbal medicine and ethnopharmacology. And prior to that, my original scientifi c training and qualifi cations were as pharmacologist, rather than Herbal Medicine. The scope of this book is truly impressive, reviewing the phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of herbal drugs. The book is thoroughly referenced and illustrates the scientifi c approach to herbalism. The book is not limited to one class of Complementary and Alternative Medicine but also highlights medicinal applications of lesser known systems like Amchi. The book clearly warrants application of algae, fungi and mosses in drug discovery. This book was need of the hour to provide clarifi cations regarding issues related to herbalism. Herbalism and traditional medicine are backbone of the modern pharmaceutical industry. In China and Western countries, herbal medicine has come into the limelight because of advancement in research and development. Taxol (Taxus brevifolia), Silymarin (Silybum marianum), Artemisinin (Artemisia annua) are some reputed drugs in synthetic system of medicine. All the three drugs owe their origin to plants. We need to explore other systems of Complementary and Alternative Medicine such as Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Homeopathy and Amchi for more potent and life saving drugs. I believe that this book should be of great help to people concerned about the value of herbalism in future healthcare. Dr. Samir Malhotra Associate Professor, Dept of Pharmacology Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Chandigarh Preface This book has been written with the primary objective of providing scientifi c footage to medical herbalism. With advancement of our knowledge of the subject, a large number of texts have appeared which are useful in their own way but do not fully meet the interdisciplinary nature of herbalism. Herbalism coupled with phytochemistry and ethnopharmacology is a powerful tool for drug discovery. The present treatise has been presented in a simple and lucid style so that a student who has even a limited knowledge of herbalism can understand the phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of herbalism. A simple, clear, well illustrated and a concise account of phytochemicals and experimental pharmacology has been presented. An introductory chapter in the beginning of the text is meant to acquaint the students with a general outline of various issues related to herbalism. Another objective has been to present the entire subject matter in light of new advancements in herbal drug discovery. The book is primarily meant for students of phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology, phytotherapy and medicinal plants. For the benefi t of the readers, concise information in form of tables has been included. Each chapter contains a complete bibliography which may particularly benefi t postgraduate and research-oriented students and teachers. It is certainly not possible to consider all aspects of herbalism in a single book, especially when there are genuine limitations such as lack of standardization and awareness. No originality is claimed in the preparation of this book. It is simply a compilation of work done in a manner so as to meet the needs of the students of herbalism and related subjects. A large of standard books on the subject and research journals have been consulted. I am also greatly indebted to all eminent herbal scientists of the world for sending me copies of original papers. During the three-year period that this book passed through the different stages of preparation and production, I perforce ignored my family. For all kinds of personal help rendered to me by my parents and wife, I have no words to express my feelings. Special thanks is due to my pretty daughter Seerat Kaur for tolerating my whims and moods while working for the project. My heartiest thanks to Dr. Bhupinder Singh Bhoop, viii Herbalism, Phytochemistry and Ethnopharmacology Professor (Pharmaceutics & Pharmacokinetics), University Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Punjab University, Chandigarh and Dr. Samir Malhotra, Associate Professor (Pharmacology), Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Chandigarh for providing the stimulus to achieve this ambitious project. Finally, I wish to express my thanks to my publishers for providing me the facilities in the publication of the book. Constructive suggestions from readers, for the improvement of possible future editions of the book, shall be gratefully acknowledged. September 2010 Amritpal Singh Contents Foreword v Preface vii 1. Herbal Drug Industry 1 2. Reverse Pharmacology 18 3. Ethnopharmacology 26 4. Medicinal Phytochemistry 33 5. Phytochemicals 36 6. Phytochemicals Research—Emerging Concepts 215 7. Therapeutic Utility of Ayurveda 251 8. Amchi System of Medicine 263 9. Ethnopharmacology of Algae 268 10. Ethnopharmacology of Lichens 277 11. Ethnopharmacology of Bryophytes 286 12. Ethnopharmacology of Anthelmintic Ferns 294 13. Ethnopharmacology of Medicinal Orchids 300 14. Salacia sp. Potential Hypoglycemic Plants 312 15. Ethnopharmacology of Taraxacum offi cinale Weber 323 16. Ethnopharmacology of Acanthus ilicifolius Linn. 336 17. Ethnopharmacology of Alstonia macrophylla ex A. DC 341 18. Ethnopharmacology of Alstonia venenata R. Br 351 19. Ethnopharmacology of Holoptelea integrifolia Planch. 353 20. Ethnopharmacology of Terminalia belerica (Gaertn.) Roxb 357 21. Ethnopharmacology of Nardostachys jatamansi DC. 362 22. Ethnopharmacology of Eclipta alba Linn. 368 23. Ethnopharmacology of Cassia siamea Lam. 376 24. Ethnopharmacology of Tylophora asthmatica Wight & Arn. 384 25. Colchicine Containing Medicinal Herbs 390 x Herbalism, Phytochemistry and Ethnopharmacology 26. Lakshmana-Ayurvedic Drug of Controversial Origin 395 27. Antidiabetic Potential of Pterocarpus marsupium 399 Index 405 Color Plate Section 427 Chapter 1 Herbal Drug Industry 1.1 Introduction A considerable number of defi nitions have been proposed for the term ‘medicinal plant’. According to the World Health Organization, “a medicinal plant is any plant which, in one or more of its organs, contains substances that can be used for therapeutic purposes, or which are precursors for chemopharmaceutical semi synthesis”. This defi nition distinguishes between the already known medicinal plants whose therapeutic properties or characters are precursors of certain molecules which have been established scientifi cally, with that of other plants used in traditional medicine which are regarded as medicinal, but have not yet been subjected to a thorough scientifi c study. Medicinal plants are a signifi cant source of synthetic and herbal drugs. Patterns of herbal utilization are depicted in Fig. 1.1 Medicinal plants have been used for the treatment of diseases since antiquity. According to Alves