Johnsy Mary F and Komala M , Int. J. Res. Pharm. Sci., 2021, 12(1), 504-507 REVIEW ARTICLE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH IN PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES Published by JK Welfare & Pharmascope Foundation Journal Home Page: www.pharmascope.org/ijrps Olax scandens: The Plant of The Researchers- A Review Johnsy Mary F1, Komala M*2 1Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies (VISTAS), Pallavaram, Chennai-600117, Tamil Nadu, India 2Department of Pharmaceutical Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vels Institute of Science, Technology and Advanced Studies (VISTAS), Pallavaram, Chennai-600117, Tamil Nadu, India Article History: ABSTRACT Received on: 13 Sep 2020 Revised on: 09 Oct 2020 Plants had been a source of food for human beings from the start of the evolu- Accepted on: 21 Oct 2020 tion of mankind. Besides food, herbs served us as the source of medicines to treat ailments. Plants had been investigated for the chemical moieties that are Keywords: potent in treating many diseases. With the development of science and tech- nology, there had been various drugs, synthesized to treat diseases. But the Olax, chemicals that were synthesized had serious adverse effects and side effects. Antipyretic, So there has been a focus on herbs and medicinal plants in search of the alter- Pharmacology, natives for synthetic drugs. In this paper, Olax scandens had been reviewed Laxative for its Pharmacognostic, Phytochemical and Pharmacological proiles which revealed the presence of various phytoconstituents like glycosides, tannins, phenols, lavonoids, alkaloids etc. Few areas include the Himalayas and sub- Himalayan regions like northern parts of Bihar, Kumaon. The plant also grows widely in Deccan forest and the Western Ghats. The plant is native to coun- tries like India, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam and Java. Olax is s scandent shrub which grows to 5m height. The leaf is simple, alternate and oblong with the lanceolate surface. The inlorescence is axil- lary, racemose and panicle. The lowers are white, and the fruits are drupes and ovoid in shape. The plant was proven to exhibit anti-bacterial, laxative, anti-inlammatory, anti-diabetic, antipyretic activities. *Corresponding Author the chemical moieties that are potent in treating Name: Komala M many diseases. Before the advent of technology Phone: into medicine, plants had been used in the tradi- Email: [email protected] tional medical systems like Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, homeopathy, Chinese medicine etc. Even before the ISSN: 0975-7538 use of drugs in traditional medicine, herbs have been used in the folklore systems. There were numerous DOI: https://doi.org/10.26452/ijrps.v12i1.4096 reported documents which suggest the traditional Production and Hosted by uses of herbs. But these claims had not been prop- Pharmascope.org erly evaluated and investigated till recent past. Sev- © 2021 j All rights reserved. eral chemical constituents have been isolated from plants. INTRODUCTION With the development of science and technology, there had been various drugs, synthesized to treat Plants had been a source of food for human beings diseases. But the chemicals that were synthesized from the start of the evolution of mankind. Besides had serious adverse effects and side effects. So there food, herbs served us as the source of medicines has been a focus on herbs and medicinal plants in to treat ailments. Plants had been investigated for search of the alternatives for synthetic drugs. There 504 © International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences Johnsy Mary F and Komala M , Int. J. Res. Pharm. Sci., 2021, 12(1), 504-507 were numerous publications which prove the safety and Ramamoorthy, 2011). and potency of the herbs. In this view, several works The plant is also claimed to be used to treat small- have been done to probe the medicinal plants for pox, intestinal disorders and measels. There are disease treating properties, and several review arti- reports that claim for its use to treat liver problems. cles were published to document the pharmacolog- It is used as a natural blood puriier. The plant ical properties of the plants. extracts were also used to cure psoriasis in tradi- In this review, the plant Olax scandens was reviewed tional medicine (Ovais et al., 2018). The parts of for the research activities and the chemistry work the plant like roots, stems and lowers are used to done on the plant. This review article is the consol- relieve stomach-ache and were used to control diar- idation of all the research work that was performed rhoea (Sreeramulu et al., 2013). on Olax scandens. PHARMACOGNOSTIC PROFILE PLANT PROFILE The leaves were studied, and the pharmacognostic Botanical name proile of the leaves was established, which showed Olax scandens Roxb. the presence of trichomes, vascular bundles and collenchymatous tissue. Stomata of paracytic type, Synonyms rosettes and prisms of calcium oxalate crystals and Olax. In Ayurveda, it is called as Dheniaani, Karbu- unicellular trichomes were present in the powder daar, in Siddha as Malliveppam, Kadalranchi. In fol- microscopy of the dried leaves (Naik et al., 2015). lore, it is called a Rimil-Beer plant. Below is the taxonomical status of the plant (Scan- Table 1: Taxonomical status of the plant dens, 2019). Taxonomical status Plant Habit and Habitat Kingdom Plantae The plant is a scrub that grows widely in hills and Phylum Tracheophyta higher altitude areas. Dry deciduous forests with Class Magnoliopsida vivid and very high moisture are home for this plant Order Santalales in various countries (Khare, 2007). Family Olacaceae Few areas include the Himalayas and sub-Himalayan Genus Olax regions like northern parts of Bihar, Kumaon. The Species scandens plant also grows widely in Deccan forest and the Western Ghats. The plant is native to countries like Chemistry of the plant India, Srilanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Burma, Thai- land, Vietnam and Java. Olax scandens had been reported to contain Tannins Plant description and alkaloids in variable concentrations in roots and bark of the plant. Flavonoids and phenols had been Olax is s scandent shrub which grows to 5m height. isolated from the roots of the plant, which were The leaf is simple, alternate and oblong with the believed responsible for the antibacterial activity of lanceolate surface. The inlorescence is axillary, the plant (Owk and Naidu, 2016). The preliminary racemose and panicle. The lowers are white, and phytochemical screening of the Leaves proved the the fruits are drupes and ovoid in shape. presence of Carbohydrates, Saponins, Tannins, Alka- Traditional Claims loids but Terpenoids, Glycosides, Flavonoids and Traditionally the plant is used to treat anemia, and Phenols are absent in the leaves. The dried leaf pow- there are folklore claims to treat diabetes. Olax is der showed the presence of all the nutrients like pro- also used to treat fever and other symptoms (Khare, teins, carbohydrates and fats. The leaves have rich 2007). The fresh and young leaves were cooked as minerals like magnesium, calcium, zinc and phos- a leafy vegetable and chewing the leaf cause curing phorus in varied proportions (Naik et al., 2013). of mouth ulcer. They are used to treat headaches The ethanol extract of the fruit of Olax had been when applied as paste (Acharya et al., 2015). Fruits investigated and isolated for the chemical con- are edible when they are ripe. The stem bark is stituents like lavonoids, coumarins, cardiac gly- claimed to treat cough and fevers (Acharya et al., cosides, quinones, anthraquinones and also ter- 2015). The decoction was made from the plant’s penoids. There were also phytosterols and saponins stem and was used traditionally to treat kidney dis- that were common in leaves, too (Prabhakar and eases like stones and inlammations (Swamynathan Kamalakar, 2014). There are isolated molecules © International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences 505 Johnsy Mary F and Komala M , Int. J. Res. Pharm. Sci., 2021, 12(1), 504-507 from the plant. Saponin glycoside, Olaxoside was to test the activity, and Ascorbic acid was used as a isolated from the plant leaves (Forgacs and Provost, standard drug in this method. Out of all the extracts, 1981). The plant had been isolated for other con- methanol extract was proven potent, and the activ- stituents that belong to the phytosterol class like ity was in a concentration-based manner (P and D, sitosterol, β-sitosterol and fatty acids like aleanoic 2020). acid and oleanolic acid were isolated from the HPLC Laxative Property ingerprinting analysis (Ovais et al., 2018). Leaves of the plant Olax had bee investigated for the Pharmacological activities laxative effect based on the traditional claims. The Acute Oral Toxicity investigation as carried out a dose of 1300mg/kg using kaolin expulsion test in experimental mice. The plant leaves had been investigated for acute oral The intestinal transit time was calculated, and the toxicity using OECD guidelines and proved that the latency of the expulsion of the kaolin from the leaf extract was found to be safe at a concentration faeces was estimated. Results showed that the of 200mg/kg of body weight (Raghavendra et al., extracts produced signiicant intestinal motility and 2015). the rapid clearance of the kaolin (Raghavendra et al., Antimicrobial activity 2015). Olax scandens roots had been investigated for the Anti-inlammatory activity antimicrobial activity using Agar Well Diffusion The saponin glycoside that is isolated from the plant Method and Two-fold Serial Dilution Method. Sol- was investigated for the anti-inlammatory prop- vents like Chloroform, Hexane, Distilled water and erty, and the results showed potent activity against Methanol were used for extraction of the roots. The the inlammations that are usually caused in the plant showed good activity against Bacillus subtilis, human body (Forgacs and Provost, 1981). Micrococcus luteus, Enterococcus faecalis, Proteus Vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans Other Uses and Aspergillus niger.