Vitex Negundo Linn. : Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology- a Review
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www.ijapbc.com IJAPBC – Vol. 1(1), Jan- Mar, 2012 ______________________________________________________________________________ INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCES IN PHARMACY, BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY Review Article Vitex negundo Linn. : Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology- A Review PL. Ladda1* and CS. Magdum2 1Appasaheb Birnale College of Pharmacy, Sangli, Maharashtra, India. 2Rajarambapu College of pharmacy, Kasegaon, Maharashtra, India. ABSTRACT Vitex negundo Linn. is a large aromatic shrub distributed throughout India. Herbal medicine, rather than merely curing a particular disease, aims at returning the body back to its natural state of health. It has been used since ancient times as a female remedy and also for pains in Ayurveda and also in Roman medicine. It became known as the chaste berry tree. This species is globally distributed in Indo-Malesia, cultivated in America, Europe, Asia and West Indies. Within India, it is found throughout the greater part of India, in the outer Himalayas. Myriad medicinal properties have been ascribed to Vitex negundo Linn. and the plant has also been extensively used in treatment of a plethora of ailments as traditional medicine, folk medicine and pharmacological evidence. Traditionally the leaves of Vitex negundo Linn. are documented to possess antibacterial, antitumor, astringent, febrifuge, sedative, tonic and vermifuge. It has been reported to posses potent pharmacological properties like anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, antibiotic, Hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anticonvulsant, oxidative stress, anti-androgen, snake venom neutralization and anti-allergic activities. The various chemical constituents like flavonoids, flavones glycosides, volatile oil, triterpenes, tannins and many others were identified in this plant. This review gives a bird’s eye view mainly on the pharmacognistic characteristics. traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological actions of Vitex negundo Linn. Keywords: Vitex negundo Linn., anti-inflammatory, Phytochemistry, Pharmacological evidence. INTRODUCTION Uniyal et al. reiterates a popular local quote of the Subkingdom: Tracheobionta – Vascular plants Bangalis in the Western Himalayan region of India Super division: Spermatophyte – Seed plants which translates as – A man cannot die of disease in Division: Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants an area where Vitex negundo, Adhatoda vasica and Class: Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons Acorus calamus are found (provided that he knows Subclass: Asteridae how to use them). The plant holds great promise as a Order: Lamiales commonly available medicinal plant and it is indeed Family: Verbenaceae – Verbena family no surprise that the plant is referred to in the Indian Genus: Vitex Linn. traditional circles as ‘sarvaroganivarini’ – the Species: Vitex negundo Linn. – (Chastetree) 2,3,4 remedy for all diseases1. Taxonomical classification Kingdom: Plantae- Plants 111 www.ijapbc.com IJAPBC – Vol. 1(1), Jan- Mar, 2012 ______________________________________________________________________________ Synonyms: table no. 14 is petiolate; in trifoliate leaf, leaflet lanceolate or narrowly lanceolate, acute, entire or rarely crenate, Geographical distribution: Vitex usually grows middle leaflet 5-10 cm long and 1.6-3.2 cm broad, from three to nine feet tall, but under cultivation can with 1-1.3 cm long petiolule, remaining two sub- develop to 20 feet tall. Nirgundi occur in tropical to sessile; in pentafoliate leaf inner three leaflets have temperate regions (up to 2200 m from east to west) petiolule and remaining two sub-sessile; Odour is grows gregariously in wastelands and is also widely agreeably aromatic surface glabrous above and used as a hedge-plant. This species is globally tomentose beneath; texture, leathery9. distributed in Indo-Malesia, cultivated in America, Europe, Asia and West Indies. Within India, it is Microscopy: Petiole shows single layered epidermis found throughout the greater part of India, ascending having a number of unicellular, bicellular and to an altitude of 1500 metres in the outer Himalayas5. uniseriate multicellular covering trichomes and also It is abundant in open-waste lands. Locally glandular trichomes with uni to tricellular stalk and distributed throughout the State Maharashtra along uni to bicellular head; cortex composed of outer the banks of rivers; very common near the sea-coast collenchymatous tissue and inner 6-8 layers of in tidal and beach-forests in Konkan; along Deccan parenchymatous tissue; collenchyma well developed rivers. Habitat found to be in Waste lands and moist in basal region and gradually decreases in middle and situations. A small slender tree with quadrangular apical regions; pericyclic fibres absent in basal region branchlets densely whitish, tomentose branchlets of petiole and present in the form of a discontinuous distributed throughout India. It is often found ring in apical region surrounding central horse shoe- growing next to streams and it loves water3,6,7. shaped vascular bundle; a few smaller vascular bundles present ventrally between arms of central Cultivation: It is widely planted as a hedge plant in vascular bundle and two, or rarely three, bundles between the fields and usually not browsed by the situated outside the arms. cattle. It can be reproduced readily from shoot cuttings. It produces root suckers which can also be Lamina - shows single layered epidermis having utilized as planting material. An easily grown plant, it mostly unicellular hairs, bi and multicellular and prefers a light well-drained loamy soil in a warm glandular trichomes being rare; hypodermis 1-3 sunny position sheltered from cold drying winds layered interrupted at places by 4-8 palisade layers succeeds in poor dry soils. Plants tolerate containing chlorophyll; a large number of veins temperatures down to about -10°C. The leaves and enclosed by bundle sheath traverse mesophyll; stems are strongly aromatic. The flowers have a most stomata present only on the ventral surface, covered pronounced musk-like perfume8. densely with trichomes; vein-islet and vein termination number of leaf are 23-25 and 5-7 Pharmacognosy: Root: Roots are woody, fairly respectively. thick, 8-10 cm in diameter; external surface brownish, rough due to the presence of longitudinal Powder – It shows number of pieces or whole, uni, fissures and a small rootlets. The bark is very thin bi and multicellular covering trichomes, glandular and corky portion can be scrapped off easily. trichomes, palisade tissues with hypodermis, and Transverse section shows outer cork consisting of 12- upper and lower epidermis, xylem vessels with pitted 20 rows of nearly cubical to rectangular cells, the walls4. cells of peripheral rows being thick walled but not lignified. Physical constituents: Table no.26 Phytochemistry: Table no.310-18 Stem Bark: Bark occurs in channelled pieces, 0.3- Ayurvedic properties: Table no.4 0.5 cm thick; outer surface yellowish grey, rough, lenticelular, longitudinally channeled and Formulations (Yog): transversely cracked; inner surface darker than outer, 1. Arkadi kvath churna 2. blackish and smooth; fracture short and splintery; Manikya rasa taste slightly bitter. In transverse section the bark 3. Vatavidhvamsana rasa 4. Maha shows well developed periderm and secondary vishgarbha tiala 5. Vishagarbh taila(1). phloem elements. Home remedies: Leaf 1. In cold, its decoction 20 ml should be used Morphology: Leaves are palmately compound, along with 1gm Pippali and 250 mg Vacha. petiole 2.5-3.8 cm long; 3-5 foliate; the middle leaflet 112 www.ijapbc.com IJAPBC – Vol. 1(1), Jan- Mar, 2012 ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. In pneumonitis, Swarasa of its leaves 10 ml took some time for the drug to take effect, the women is so beneficial along with Pippali. were able to continue the use of the drug for months 3. It’s paste on affected site is painkiller and without harmful side effects21. anti-inflammatory5. Root: The root of Vitex negundo Linn. is expectorant, Medicinal importance febrifuge and tonic. It is used in the treatment of Herbal medicine, rather than merely curing a colds and rheumatic ailments. It is harvested in late particular disease, aims at returning the body back to summer and autumn and dried for later use. Roots are its natural state of health. The phytochemical tonic, febrifuge, expectorant, diuretic. Root juice is components of medicinal plants often act said to increases the growth of hair. individually, additively or synergistically in improvement of health. After having analyzed the Seed: Seeds of Vitex negundo Linn. occasionally various chemical components present in different used as a condiment, it has pepper substitute. When parts of Vitex negundo Linn., it is imperative that washed to remove the bitterness it can be ground into focus shifts to the medicinal applications of the plant. a powder and used as a flour, though it is very much Myriad medicinal properties have been ascribed to a famine food used only when all else fails22. Vitex negundo Linn. and the plant has also been extensively used in treatment of a plethora of A) Traditional medicine: Traditional medicine ailments. These properties have been categorized mainly comprises of Indian Ayurveda, Arabic Unani under three heads – traditional medicine, folk medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. In Asia medicine and pharmacological evidence. and Latin America, populations continue to use traditional medicine as a result of historical Leaves: The leaves of Vitex