CRITICAL REVIEW IN PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES ISSN 2319-1082 Review Article Aristolochia bracteolata: An Overview on Pharmacognostical, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties. Thirumal.M*, Vadivelan.R, Kishore.G, Brahmaji.V.S Department of Pharmacognosy, Jaya College Pharmacy, C.T.H.road, Thiruninravur-602024, Chennai, T.N, India. ABSTRACT Aristolochia bracteolata is a shrub distributed throughout India, belongs to the family Aristolochiaceae. A.bracteolata commonly called as Worm killer in English and Aadutheendaapaalai in Tamil. It is used in traditional medicines as a gastric stimulant and in the treatment of cancer, lung inflammation, dysentery and snakebites. In the indigenous system of medicine, the plant was used as purgative, antipyretic & anti-inflammatory agents. The root part has antifungal and antibacterial activity and was used to treat syphilis, gonorrhoea, and skin diseases and also used during labours to increase uterine contraction. Its leaves are bitter and antihelmintic, antiulcer, antiplasmodial and are medicinally important. Almost every part of the plant has medicinal usage. A.bracteolata is proved to have antioxidant property and insecticidal properties. The plant contain Aristolochic acid, has many medicinal properties in various disease condition. The Phytochemical screening revealed the presence of alkaloids, triterpenoids, steroids and sterols, flavonoids, tannins and phenolic compounds and cardio glycosides. The present review is an attempt to provide an up-to-date and detailed survey of literature of Pharmacognostical, ethno botanical and traditional uses as well as Phytochemical and Pharmacological reports on A. bracteolata. KEYWORDS : Aristolochia bracteolata, Aristolochiaceae, Ethno botanical. INTRODUCTION Medicinal plants have been an integral in different countries and are a source of part of life in various regional many potent and powerful drugs [3]. The communities for food and drug both. use of medicinal plants to treat human India has more than 3,000 years of diseases has its roots in pre historical medicinal heritage based on medicinal times. Medicinal plants are used by 80% plants. Medicinal plants are largely used of the world population as the only by all divisions of the population either available medicines especially in directly as folk medications or indirectly developing countries [4]. The information in the preparation of recent of medicinal plants have been pharmaceuticals [1]. Numerous plants accumulated in the course of several synthesize substances that are useful in centuries based on various medicinal the maintenance of health in humans and systems such as Ayurveda, Homeopathy, animals [2]. Plants are used medicinally Naturopathy, Amchi, Modern, Siddha Volume 1 Issue 1 2012 www.earthjournals.org 70 CRITICAL REVIEW IN PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES ISSN 2319-1082 and Unani. In India, it is declared that Hindi), is a shrub distributed throughout traditional healers use 2500 plant species India. It belongs to the and 100 species of plants serve as family Aristolochiaceae. In the natural principles of medicine [5]. With a indigenous system of medicine, the plant view to increasing the wide range of was used for the treatment of skin medicinal usages, the present day entails diseases, inflammation and purgative [15, new drugs with more potent and desired 16]. Root extract was reported to have activity with less or no side effects anti bacterial activity [17] and also against particular disease [6]. Toxicity of A. bracteolata was reported Aristolochia is an important [18]. genus in the family of Aristolochiaceae. This species which had been The genus Aristolochia consists of about shown to be nephrotoxic, mutagenic and 400 species of herbaceous perennials, carcinogenic due to the cytotoxicity of under shrubs or shrubs bearing essential the Aristolochic acid constituents. The oils and is widespread across tropical leaves of the plant which are used by Asia, Africa and South America [7]. native tribal and the villagers. It is Aristolochia species has been used commonly called as “worm killer” in extensively in the traditional Chinese English and aadutheendapaalai in Tamil, medicine. Its diverse biological due to supposed antihelminthic activity functions include hypertension relief, and trypanocidal effect [20]. It is used in leukocyte enhancement, rheumatism traditional medicines as a gastric relief, edema therapy, as well as stimulant and in the treatment of cancer, analgesic and diuretic effects [8-11]. lung inflammation, dysentery and Various Aristolochia species have been snakebites. Methanolic extract of plant used in herbal medicines since antiquity parts of A. bracteolata were the source in obstetrics and in treatment of of physiological active compounds. The snakebite [12], festering wounds, and use of plant as an anti malarial is not tumours, and they remain in use recommended in its crude form [19]. The particularly in Chinese herbal medicine whole plant was used as a purgative, anti [13, 14]. pyretic and anti inflammatory. It also Aristolochia bracteolata Linn. possess a potent anti allergic activity (Aaduthinnapalai – Tamil; Worm killer - [21] and has pronounced antibacterial and English; Gadaparku - Telugu; Bhringi- antifungal activities [22]. Volume 1 Issue 1 2012 www.earthjournals.org 71 CRITICAL REVIEW IN PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES ISSN 2319-1082 Figure 1- Morphology of Aristolochia bracteolata The present paper aims to review its Hindi: Kitamari,Kalipaad, Hukka-bel ethno medical, Pharmacognostical, Kanada: Kattackiru banagida Phytochemical, Pharmacological actions Orissa: Paniri . Ethno Botanical Survey [23] Sanskrit: Keetamari Dhoomrapatra, Nakuli, kitamari, visanika. Synonym: Aristolochia bracteata Tamil: Aaduthinnapalai, atutinnapalai. Scientific classification Telugu: Gadida gadapa, Kingdom: Plantae gadidhagadapaaku, kadapara, Order: Piperales Thella esshvari. Family: Aristolochiaceae Marathi:Gandhari,Gindhaan Subfamily: Aristolochioideae Genus: Aristolochia Ethno pharmacology Traditional uses: Species:Bracteolata The uses of different parts of Synonyms Aristolochia bracteolata in traditional English: Bracteated birthwort system of medicine (Table 1). Gujarat: Midmari Volume 1 Issue 1 2012 www.earthjournals.org 72 CRITICAL REVIEW IN PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES ISSN 2319-1082 Table 1. Ethnomedical uses of different parts of A. bracteolate Plant parts Traditional uses as/in Whole plant Dermatitis, allergic disorder, leprosy, jaundice[24], worms, fever[25], Mosquito repellent [26], Anodyne, purgative, emmenagogue [27, 28]. Leaves Anti-inflammatory[29], dermatitis, rashes[25], skin disease, for scorpion sting[25], Antipyretic, snake bite[30], Antiulcer,amenorrhoea,antihelmintic[5], Antiplasmodial[31,32] Seeds Antibacterial,anti inflammatory and analgesics, may toxic to goats[33,17] Roots Syphilis, gonorrhoea & skin diseases, eczema [5]. obliquely cut vascular bundles both the epidermis are covered with this cuticle, Macroscopy and Microscopy [23] Macroscopic description: Leaf, reniform, cordate or rounded, 3.8-7.5 cm traversed with stomata and bear simple, long and as broad as long, obtuse, uniseriate, covering trichomes cordate at the base with a wide shallow characterized by a straight or hook sinus, entire, finely reticulately veined, shaped terminal cell resting on a short tubescent beneath, glabrous above; rectangular cell with a balloon like petiole cylindrical, slightly grooved on extension. upper surface 1.2-3.1cm long (Figure.1). Nodal Anatomy [34]: N.C.Nair et al., has It has bitter taste with characteristic reported that in A. bracteolata the odour. Fruits are oblong or ellipsoid vascular system of the axis immediately capsules and seeds compressed with below the node consists of nine large, cordate base. widely separated collateral bundles. All Microscopy: Transverse section of leaf of them enter the lamina to display the passing through midrib is strongly palmate venation characteristic. The convex below, slightly elevated above, leaves in A.bracteolata are cordate and and shows a conjoint, collateral they are palmately veined. The stomata meristele embedded in its are present only on the surface and they parenchymatous ground tissue located at are of the Ranunculaceous type [35]. the basal region of the two laminar Anatomy of reproductive shoot: It was extensions; 5-6 rows of collenchymas lie found that the inflorescence is one or under the upper epidermis, it being 2-3 two flowered and secondary peduncle in rows at lower side. Lamina dorsi does not develop in A.Bracteolata. The ventral, shows a layer of palisade under single flower has a bract on the posterior the upper epidermis and 5-6 rows of side and is sessile, large, leafy and spongy parenchyma traversed with subreniform. The margins of the limb are revolute. Prominent multicellular Volume 1 Issue 1 2012 www.earthjournals.org 73 CRITICAL REVIEW IN PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES ISSN 2319-1082 hairs are present on the inner surface of .Pet ether and acetone extracts of the perianth. They are very small in inflated plant A. bracteolata were prepared using region becoming larger towards the tip Soxhlet extraction. Pyrexia produced in of the perianth. The tapetum is rats by injecting 20ml/kg (s.c) of 20% binucleate and glandular. When it aqueous suspension of brewer’s yeast disorganises globular oily depositions suspension. Extracts at 250 mg/kg have been observed in A.bracteolata. exhibited significant anti pyretic activity. The peduncle shows a ring of 8 in Aspirin (300mg/kg) was used as A.bracteolata.