JDRAS 10.5005/jp-journals-10059-0051 REVIEW ARTICLE Review on Ethnomedicinal Claims, Pharmacological Activity, and Phytochemical Constituents of Samarakhadyam (Byttneria herbacea Roxb.) 1Tarun Sharma, 2Rabinarayan Acharya ABSTRACT basis of herbal medicine systems, which have been used for thousands of years. Use of plants for various health Background: Byttneria herbacea Roxb., family Malvaceae, a branched herb with perennial woody rootstock, known as Samara- purposes have been reported through ethnobotany, khadyam, is available in India. It has been provided with copious ethnomedicine, and ethnopharmacological survey therapeutic claims in Indian traditional medical systems as some of studies. One species of the genus Byttneria of the family them are well-documented as “ethnomedicinal uses”. Single hand- Malvaceae viz. B. herbacea Roxb., considered as the compiled data on its ethnomedicinal uses are scarcely available. botanical source of Samarakhadyam, has been provided Materials and methods: In the present review, an attempt with copious therapeutic claims in Indian traditional has been made to congregate all available data from available medical systems, especially for its ethnomedicinal and 9 books and published 24 research articles. economical uses.1 Result: It is found that there are almost 65 tribes in and around The genus Byttneria was first described by Hooker2 India who use either the whole plant of B. herbacea Roxb. or its and brought to light the information and a critical look different parts (leaves, roots, seeds, and stems) in 32 different in the Indian subcontinent. There are nine species of disease conditions. Among these, maximum are indicated in the treatment of wounds, sprains, cuts, boils, cholera, Byttneria reported in the Indian subcontinent. B. herbacea leucorrhoea, etc., through internal and external applications. occurring in the Western Peninsula; not common in The phytochemical screening of the plant revealed the presence Karnataka, Odisha, and Konkan while B. crenulata and of alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, tannins, saponins, phenols, B. aspera reported in Nepal; B. jackiana from Penang; and flavonoids. B. herbacea Roxb. showed a broad range of B. elliptica, B. uncinata, and B. maingayi from Malaka; pharmacological actions, such as antioxidant, anti-edemogenic, B. andamanensis from Andaman Islands; and B. pilosa anti-inflammatory, anti-asthmatic, and antitubercular activities. from Eastern Bengal including Burma and Chittagong in Conclusion: Easy availability of B. herbacea Roxb., with single Bangladesh.2 In India, the genus is represented by four hand information on its potential ethnomedicinal uses, may lead species viz. B. pilosa, B. aspera, B. herbacea, and B. anda- to new research on this plant. manensis2 and is mainly distributed in Andhra Pradesh, Keywords: Byttneria, Ethnobotany, Ethnomedicinal, Folklore, Assam, Karnataka, Nagaland, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Samarakhadyam. Pradesh, and West Bengal.3,4 How to cite this article: Sharma T, Acharya R. Review B. herbacea Roxb. is a branched herb with a perennial on Ethnomedicinal Claims, Pharmacological Activity, and woody rootstock. Its leaves are distant, ovate-lanceolate, Phytochemical Constituents of Samarakhadyam (Byttneria acuminate, toothed, paler beneath, 2.5 to 6 cm long, base herbacea Roxb.). J Drug Res Ayurvedic Sci 2018;3(3):173-180. cordate or rounded, 3 to 5 nerved, petiole 4 mm long, and Source of support: Nil stipules linear, equaling the petiole (Fig. 1). The flowering 5 Conflict of interest: None and fruiting time is June to November. Its flowers are small, purplish, and in axillary cymes. Sepals are linear- INTRODUCTION lanceolate and reflexed. Petals are with long slender tips and 2-fid appendages. Fertile filaments are very short Plants have been an indispensable part of the health of and staminodes are ovate and capsule is softly spiny and mankind since time immemorial and have formed the 6 mm in diameter6 (Fig. 2). 1PhD Scholar, 2Professor and Head Due to its easy availability, the plant has been a part 1,2 of traditional use for healthcare purposes. India has more Department of Dravyaguna, Institute for Postgraduate 7 Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Gujarat Ayurved University, than 300 tribal communities. Many claims have been Jamnagar, Gujarat, India reported during surveys in the tribal regions of various Corresponding Author: Tarun Sharma, PhD Scholar, Department states of India. Single-hand information about the ethno- of Dravyaguna, Institute for Postgraduate Teaching and Research medicinal uses of the species B. herbacea, is still lacking. in Ayurveda, Gujarat Ayurved University, Jamnagar, Gujarat, India, Hence, in the present article, an attempt has been made Phone: +91 9887701733, e-mail: [email protected] to collect the ethnomedicinal uses from ethnobotanical Journal of Drug Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, July-September 2018;3(3):173-180 173 Tarun Sharma, Rabinarayan Acharya Maharashtra), North India (Bihar), South India (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu), and Central India (Madhya Pradesh) (Table 1). This shows the wide availability and use of this plant throughout India. In the neighboring countries of India like Bangladesh, Malaka, Nepal, and Burma, Byttneria species has also been reported.2 Tribes The present review reports about the use of B. herbacea by 65 tribes to combat various disease conditions. These are as follows: in East India (Odia tribes of Bolangir, Odisha; Chamar, Dom, Ganda, Ghasi, Dhoba, Mahar, Panik, Bhunja, Kandha, Gand, Banjara, Sabar, Bhottada, and Dal tribes of the Kalahandi district of Odisha; Bonda, Koya, Poraja, and Fig. 1: B. herbacea Roxb. plant Didayi tribes of the Malkangiri district of Odisha; tribes of Baliguda sub division, Phulbani, Odisha; Oraon, Munda, Kisan, Gond, Bhuiya, Paudi Bhuiya, Kolho, Khadia, Shabar, Binjhal, and Kandho tribes of the Deogarh district, Odisha; Santhal, Bhumija, Munda, Oraon, Birhor, Mal Paharia, Kharia, Kharwar, and Gond tribes of the Purulia district, West Bengal; Birhor tribes of Jharkhand), in West India (Rabari, Koli, Bhil, and Jat tribes of the Dhinodhar hill, Kachchh region of Gujarat), in North India (Santhali tribes of Bihar), in South India (Mannedora, Kondadora, Jatapu, and Savara tribes of Kotia hills, Andhra Pradesh; Chenchu and Nakkala tribes of Japali Hanuman Theertham, Tirumala hills, Andhra Pradesh; Gond, Koya, Konda, Reddi, Kolam, Naikpod, Pardhan, Thoti, Mannewar, Dadve, Gowari, and Raj Koya tribes of Northern Telangana; Koya tribes of Fig. 2: B. herbacea Roxb. in its natural habitat Nalgonda and Warangal districts of Telangana), and in and ethnomedicinal books, research journals, and survey Central India (Baiga, Gond, Bharia, Oraon, Kol, Korku, study reports. Muria, Kunwar, and Uikey tribes of the Achanakmar- Amarkantak biosphere reserve, Madhya Pradesh) (Table 1). MATERIALS AND METHODS Local Names Information reported about the ethnobotanical, ethnome- Details of the local names attributed to B. herbacea dicinal, and ethnopharmacological uses of B. herbacea Roxb. have been presented in Table 1. The plant is known by from available 9 books on ethnobotany and published 24 Adaaubol and Dekusindoor by the tribes of Odisha, ethnomedicinal research articles has been compiled from Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Madras; Bir-sindur and Sarka- various web based search engines during July 2017 to March pired by the tribes of Sikkim, Bengal, and Bihar; Kambraj 2018. The obtained data are arranged in a tabular form, and Deku sindur by the tribes of Bihar, Jharkhand, and with regard to various local names, names of the tribes Gujarat; Samarkhoi, Samarkhai, Sambarkai, and Samar and their area of reporting, the mode of administration, kayee by the tribes of Odisha; Hanju, Vagdaubalbuvaro, i.e., whether external or internal including the dosage form and Pordhol by the tribes of Gujarat; Idelsanga by the and the major indicated disease conditions, and lastly the tribes of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka; Yerra katla teega by textual references. the tribes of Karnataka; Magasirigadda, Eraa teega, and Rudraksh by the tribes of Andhra Pradesh; and Kamraj RESULTS AND DISCUSSION by the tribes of Madhya Pradesh. Area of Reporting It is observed that B. herbacea is being used as medicine Parts Used across 12 states of India viz. East India (Odisha, West It is observed that, though it is a small herb, the plant as Bengal, Sikkim, and Jharkhand), West India (Gujarat and a whole or almost all individual parts of B. herbacea are 174 JDRAS Review on Ethnomedicinal Claims, Pharmacological Activity, and Phytochemical Constituents of Samarakhadyam Table 1: Ethnomedicinal claims of roots, leaves, stems, seeds, and the whole plant of B. herbacea Roxb. Dosage form: external application (E); internal Therapeutic S. No. Local names Tribes/areas administration (I) claims/uses References 1 — — Root powder with honey (I) Tuberculosis 8 2 Samarkhai Niyamagiri hill, Kalahandi, Root paste (I) Body pain 1 and 8 Odisha 3 Pordhol, Deku Santali Root Gynecological 6 and 9 sindur disorders 4 Adaaubol, Gujarat, Santhali Leaf Cholera and 10 Dekusindoor diarrhea 5 Adaaubol, Odisha, Madras state, N. Root stock is ground and then Swelling of legs 6, 9 and 10 Dekusindoor circars, Deccan, Bombay, and rubbed (E); leaf paste Konkan; Gujarat, Santhali rubbed (E) 6 Bir-sindur, Sikkim, Bengal, Bihar, and Root Boils, Stomach 11 Sambarkhai, Odisha discomfort, and Sarkapired veterinary medicine 7 Bir-sindur, Sikkim, Bengal, and Odisha Whole plant Dysentery 11 Sambarkhai,