ISSN 0976 - 3090 (Print) 2231 - 0541 (Online) PHARMANEST A PHYTOPHARMACOLOGICAL REVIEW ON VIGNA SPECIES Gangarao Battu1, Ch.K.V.L.S.N.Anjana Male1*, T.Hari priya2, Venna Naga Malleswari2, Sk.Reeshma2 1A.U.College of pharmaceutical sciences, Andhra university, Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh, India. 2Narsaraopet Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences,Narsaraopet, Guntur Dist, Andhra Pradesh, India. ABSTRACT Plants are the almost exclusive source of drugs for a majority of the world’s population. Therefore, it remains a challenge for scientists to provide efficient, safe and cheap medications, especially for rural areas, with the available resources at the nearest. In the present review an attempt has been made to gather the information regarding taxanomical characters, various species, climatic conditions, various folklore usages, and some of phytochemical, pharmacological, antimicrobial studies conducted so far on these vigna genus plants which belongs to leguminosae family. This review reveals that legumes can be used as antioxidant in treating various ailments like liver diseases, cancer, diabetes, kidney disorders and for curing various microbial infections. These legumes acts as good nutritive as well as cures various ailments hence these legumes comes under nutraceuticals. With this review we conclude that there is a need of conducting further studies for isolation of individual constituents, to find our their pharmacognostic characters, and going for different formulations and screening of various activities on these genus plants Key words: vigna species, vigna mung, vigna radiate, phytochemical work INTRODUCTION and sometimes still, especially in non-scholarly Man and Animals depend on the plants for their very sources — included in the genus Phaseolus. Common existence. Our environment is characterized by richly names in this genus reflect its mixed taxonomic diversified plant life. Plant diversity is composed of more history: some are referred to as “peas” and others as than 500,000 botanical species. The green scum and “beans”. The Urad Bean (V. mungo) is sometimes the duckweed on surface of some ponds, the lichens, called a “lentil”, while germinating Mung Bean (V. fungi, liverworts, mosses, ferns, conifers and the radiata) are often sold as bean sprouts similar to those flowering plants are the representatives of the plant of the Soybean diversity. Worldwide, drugs derived from various sources TAXONOMICAL / SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION 2, 3 continue to be significant for the treatment and prevention of diseases. Plants constitute a vital Kingdom : Plantae component of the biodiversity as they play a key role in Division : Magnoliophyta maintaining earth’s environmental equilibrium and Class : Magnoliopsida ecosystem stability. They are also essential for the survival of not only the human beings but also animals Order : Fabales at large. Wild plants have enormous endemic, cultural Family : Fabaceae and aesthetic importance, and provide food, medicine, Genus : Vigna fuel, clothing and shelter to majority of people. With the emerging world wide interest in adopting and studying Parts :Seeds. traditional systems and exploiting their potential based 4 on different health care systems. In this regard one of Different species of vigna are those heritages is species belonging to vigna genus, Vigna aconitifolia — Moth Bean, Mat Bean, Fabaceae family. Which is cultivated and used as a Turkish Gram neutraceutical in all over world. In the traditional system of medicine this genus is mainly used in the treatment Vigna angularis — Azuki Bean, “red bean” of liver disorders, ulcers, to decrease the weight, and Vigna caracalla — Snail Bean, Corkscrew Vine, also used in hormonal balancer1 . The aim of present Snail Vine review is to highlight the nutritional value, phytochemical Vigna debilis Fourc. and pharmacological investigation so far carried on the Vigna dinteri Harms few species of this vigna genus. So that further research could be carried out on these genus plants. Vigna lanceolata — Pencil Yam, merne arlatyeye (Arrernte) Plant profile: The genus is named after Dominico Vigna, an Italian o Vigna lanceolata var. filiformis botanist of the 17th century. They include some well- o Vigna lanceolata var. lanceolata known and other less well-known beans formerly — o Vigna lanceolata var. latifolia PHARMANEST - An International Journal of Advances In Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol. 2 (1) January - February 2011 www.pharmanest.net 62 ISSN 0976 - 3090 (Print) 2231 - 0541 (Online) PHARMANEST Vigna luteola to be protective and curative properties in polyneurtitis Vigna marina (Burm.f.) Merr. granuloma Vigna maritima Vigna ungiculata Vigna mungo — Urad Bean, Black Matpe Bean, Uses :Roasted seeds are used to treat neuritis, insomnia, Black Gram, White Lentil, “black lentil” weakness of memory, indigestion, dyspepsia, sensation Vigna o-wahuensis Vogel — Hawaii Wild Bean of pins and needles in limbs, periodic palpitation, Vigna parkeri congestive cardiac failure etc. it is an excellent medicine for stomatitis, corneal ulcers, coleic diseases, kwasiorkar, Vigna radiata — Mung Bean, Green Gram, Golden marasmus. Decoction of leaves is used to treat Gram, Mash Bean, Green Soy hyperacidity, nausea and vomiting Vigna speciosa (Kunth) Verdc. — Wondering Vigna vexillata Cowpea Uses :Seeds contain L-Dopa , a medicine for parkinsons Vigna subterranea — Bambara Groundnut, Jugo disease. Bean, njugumawe (Swahili) (sometimes separated in Voandzeia) Vigna mung Vigna trilobata (L.) Verdc. — Jungle Mat Bean, Uses: used in liver disorders, rheumatisim, infection of AfricanGram, Three-lobe-leaved Cowpea nervous system. root is said to narcotic and is used as Vigna umbellata — Ricebean, “red bean” remedy for aching bones, black gram is considered as diuretic and is used in dropsy and cephalgia. The mung Vigna unguiculata — Cowpea, Crowder Pea, bean is one of many species recently moved from the Southern Pea genus Phaseolus to Vigna and is still often seen cited as o Vigna unguiculata ssp. cylindrica — Catjang Phaseolus aureus or Phaseolus radiatus. These are all o Vigna unguiculata ssp. dekindtiana — Wild the same plant. Cowpea,African Cowpea, Ethiopian Cowpea o Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis — Mung Bean is a traditional food source of our Indian Yardlong Bean, Long-podded Cowpea, Asparagus people. Vitamins, calcium, irons, phosphorus ratio higher Bean,Snake Bean, Chinese Long Bean than crude rice. So it got good values both as food and o Vigna unguiculata ssp. unguiculata — Black- as medicine, in the hot summer, mung bean soup are eyed Pea, Black-eyed Bean nice drinks for local folks to drive away heat. Vigna vexillata (L.) A.Rich. — Zombi Pea Some of the folklore usage of these species o Vigna vexillata var. angustifolia Anti-bacteria o Vigna vexillata var. youngiana Some contents of mung bean shows anti-bacteria effects directly. Bacteria inhibition experiment proved that mung TRADITIONAL USES5 bean skin extraction saps shows inhibition to This genus seeds are said to be a traditional source, cures staphylococci. According to related research, tannins from for paralysis, rheumatism, coughs, fevers and liver mung bean can solidify bioplasm of microorganisms, thus ailments, for weight reduction . show bacteria inhibition activity. Flavnoids and phytosterols 6 Some other species individual traditional uses are show certain degree of bacteria inhibition Vigna marina effects and anti-viral effects. This is used in fractured bone, remedy for food poisioning, Mung beans contains active compositions such as to treat weakness after child birth, to treat head ache, to coumarins, alkaloid, phytosterols, saponins boost the cure stomachache.this herb is used to treat mouth immune system, increase the amount of phagocytic cell. infections, abscesses Antiatheroscloresis: Vigna philosa Experiment proved 70% mung bean powder or sprout Uses: roots are bitter, sweet,aphrodisiac, germicidal, mung bean powder shared feed to rabbit, result showed cooling. They are cured for consumption, cough, fever, that it works to lower blood fat of the experimental diarrhea, heamoroids, opthalomapathy, burning sensation, hyperlipemia rabbit, thus relieve coronary arterial lesions, dyspepsia, violated condition of vatta, pitta, and kapha. further experiment find that phytosterols in mung beans has similar structure as cholesterol, phytosterols competite Vigna radiate: with cholesterol to get, lipd enzyme, thus make many Uses: it is employed as light diet during fever, and is cholesterol cannot be esterified considered as cooling and astriongent affect, the pulse is prescribed for vertigo. A decoction of seeds is used an affective treatment for beri-beri. The mung extract is said PHARMANEST - An International Journal of Advances In Pharmaceutical Sciences Vol. 2 (1) January - February 2011 www.pharmanest.net 63 ISSN 0976 - 3090 (Print) 2231 - 0541 (Online) PHARMANEST thus reduced the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine, in all of the four cultivated species and genotypes. The also mung bean can reduce the serum cholesterol. glycoside kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside was found present in the four genotypes of V. subterranea and other Anti-Cancer and Antineoplastic cultivated Vigna species. However, the flavonoid Experiment proved mung bean shows preventions to lung kaempferol-3-O-glucoside-7-rhamnoside is restricted to cancer and liver cancer induced by morphine and sodium V. subterranea. This study questions the inclusion of V. nitrite. subterranea in the genus Vigna