INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHEARPY RESEARCH ISSN 2278 – 5701 Review Article A Review and Search of Phytomedicine Used by Traditional People of Malaysia (Ipoh, Perak) Manish gunjan*, Liswaria Karna, Kosheelah Dayalan ,Puvaneswaran Sasigaran Masterskill University college of health science, Ipoh, Malaysia Abstract: The work basically about the study of traditional phytomedicine used by traditional people of Malaysia (Ipoh region). Traditional medicine also known as indigenous or folk medicine comprises medical knowledge systems that developed over generations within various societies before the era of modern medicine. We did survey on phytomedicine and tried to explore their probable future aspects. We did survey and tried to communicate with the villagers to collect information about both that is claimed as well as unclaimed traditional drugs. Most importantly we focused on the various therapeutic uses of those drugs which is till now not claimed in any journals or literatures, and hence, this might be helpful for the researchers for further exploration of these phytomedicines. Key words-Traditional drugs, indigenous drugs, folk medicine INTRODUCTION medical knowledge and practices all over Traditional medicine (also known as the globe.The World Health Organization indigenous or folk medicine) comprises (WHO) defines traditional medicine as:"the medical knowledge systems that developed health practices, approaches, knowledge and over generations within various societies beliefs incorporating plant, animal and before the era of modern medicine. Practices mineral-based medicines, spiritual therapies, known as traditional medicines include manual techniques and exercises, applied herbal, Ayurveda, Siddha medicine, Unani, singularly or in combination to treat, ancient Iranian medicine, Islamic medicine, diagnose and prevent illnesses or maintain traditional Chinese medicine, traditional well-being."[1] The use of herbs to treat Vietnamese medicine, acupuncture, Muti, disease is almost universal among non- Ifá, traditional African medicine, and other industrialized societies.[2] A number of www.earthjournals.org Volume 2 Issue 3 2012 26 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHEARPY RESEARCH ISSN 2278 – 5701 traditions came to dominate the practice of correlation between their modern therapeutic herbal medicine at the end of the twentieth use and the traditional us e of the plants from century: Many of the pharmaceuticals which they are derived.[7]More than two currently available to physicians have a long thirds of the world's plant species - at least history of use as herbal remedies, including 35,000 of which are estimated to have opium, aspirin, digitalis, and quinine. The medicinal value - come from the developing World Health Organization (WHO) countries.[verification needed]At least 7,000 estimates that 80 percent of the world's medical compounds in the modern population presently uses herbal medicine pharmacopoeia are derived from plants[8] for some aspect of primary health care.[3] Use of phytomedicine can be as informal as, Pharmaceuticals are prohibitively expensive for example, culinary use or consumption of for most of the world's population, half of an herbal tea or supplement, although the which lives on less than $2 U.S. per day. In sale of some herbs considered dangerous is comparison, herbal medicines can be grown often restricted to the public. Sometimes from seed or gathered from nature for little such herbs are provided to professional or no cost. In addition to the use in the herbalists by specialist companies. Many developing world, herbal medicine is used in herbalists, both professional and amateur, industrialized nations by alternative often grow or "wildcraft" their own herbs. medicine practitioners such as naturopaths. Some researchers trained in both western A 1998 survey of herbalists in the UK found and traditional Chinese medicine have that many of the herbs recommended by attempted to deconstruct ancient medical them were used traditionally but had not texts in the light of modern science. One been evaluated in clinical trials.[4] In idea is that the yin-yang balance, at least Australia, a 2007 survey found that these with regard to herbs, corresponds to the pro- Western herbalists tend to prescribe liquid oxidant and anti-oxidant balance. This herbal combinations of herbs rather than interpretation is supported by several tablets of single herbs.[5] The use of, and investigations of the ORAC ratings of search for, drugs and dietary supplements various yin and yang herbs.[9][10] Cherokee derived from plants have accelerated in medicine tends to divide herbs into foods, recent years. Pharmacologists, medicines and toxins and to use seven plants microbiologists, botanists, and natural- in the treatment of disease, which is defined products chemists are combing the Earth for with both spiritual and physiological phytochemicals and leads that could be aspects, according to Cherokee herbalist developed for treatment of various diseases. David Winston.[11] In India, Ayurvedic In fact, according to the World Health medicine has quite complex formulas with Organisation, approximately 25% of modern 30 or more ingredients, including a sizable drugs used in the United States have been number of ingredients that have undergone derived from plants.[6] Among the 120 "alchemical processing", chosen to balance active compounds currently isolated from "Vata", "Pitta" or "Kapha."[12] In Tamil the higher plants and widely used in modern Nadu, Tamils have their own medicinal medicine today, 80 percent show a positive system now popularly called the Siddha www.earthjournals.org Volume 2 Issue 3 2012 27 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHEARPY RESEARCH ISSN 2278 – 5701 medicinal system. The Siddha system is generally based on the Arabic Unani entirely in the Tamil language. It contains medicine and Galenicphilosophy. However, roughly 300,000 verses covering diverse it is also influenced by other practices of aspects of medicine such as anatomy, sex Indonesian, Chinese, Indian and orang asli ("kokokam" is the sexual treatise of par (indigenous people) Malaysia has great excellence), herbal, mineral and metallic potential to compositions to cure many diseases that are develop her abundant natural resources to relevant even to-day. Ayurveda is in increase the market based on herbal Sanskrit, but Sanskrit was not generally used products. This is evident from a 1935 report as a mother tongue and hence its medicines that in peninsular Malaysia alone there are are mostly taken from Siddha and other about 550 genera of tropical plants, local traditions.[13] In addition there are containing over 1,300 species possessing more modern theories of herbal combination medicinal values. Of these, several are like William LeSassier's triune formula medicinal plants yielding clinically useful which combined Pythagorean imagery with drugs, Chinese medicine ideas and resulted in 9 herb formulas which supplemented, drained So considering the overall aspects of or neutrally nourished the main organ exploration of phytomedicine in modern systems affected and three associated medicine and their probable future aspects systems. His system has been taught to we tried to get and communicate thousands of influential American herbalists information about both that is known as well through his own apprenticeship programs as unknown traditional drugs, .Most during his lifetime, the William LeSassier importantly we focused on the various Archive[14] and the David Winston Center therapeutic uses of those drugs which is till for Herbal Studies.[15] Different chemicals now not claimed in any journals or in herbs are more abundant than in a single literatures, and hence, this might be helpful drug. Some chemicals in herbs may work as for the researchers for further exploration of growth hormones or antibiotics, nutrients, these traditional drugs. and toxin neutralizers. Many traditional African remedies have performed well in MATERIAL & METHOD initial laboratory tests to ensure they are not toxic and in tests on animals. Gawo, a herb We had collected few plants on the basis of used in traditional treatments, has been literature review and prepare a questionnaire tested in rats by researchers from Nigeria's accordingly and tried to focus on their ethno University of Jos and the National Institute medicinal uses in common diseases or for Pharmaceutical Research and symptoms, and categories the same as Development. According to research in the claimed (through literature review) and African Journal of Biotechnology, Gawo unclaimed (on the basis of verbal passed tests for toxicity and reduced induced questionnaire) The information and datas fevers, diarrhea and inflammation. The were collected from traditional peoples (asli principles of Malay traditional medicine are people), herbal garden and Chinese www.earthjournals.org Volume 2 Issue 3 2012 28 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHYTOTHEARPY RESEARCH ISSN 2278 – 5701 herbalist, and notify the claimed and Common name: ginger flower (bunga unclaimed uses. The process was done on kantan) the basis of random selection of samples Binomial name: Etlingera elator from particular places of Malaysia. Habitat: RECENT RESEARCH AND REVIEWS • Indoor Habitat A number of reviews have been published in the last three decades on plants screened for Ginger can be grown indoors. These plants various activity in India [15-31] and are used to shady environments and elsewhere[27-29]. Very recently, two therefore can do well in spots that