ISSN: 2349-8889 International Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology Volume-8, Issue-2 (March 2021) www.ijrasb.com https://doi.org/10.31033/ijrasb.8.2.30 Terminalia arjuna: A Potential Ayurvedic Cardio Tonic Shifali Thakur1, Hemlata Kaurav2 and Gitika Chaudhary3 1Research and Development Department, Shuddhi Ayurveda, Jeena Sikho Life care Pvt. Ltd., Zirakpur Punjab 140603, INDIA 2Research and Development Department, Shuddhi Ayurveda, Jeena Sikho Life care Pvt. Ltd., Zirakpur Punjab 140603, INDIA 3Shuddhi Ayurveda, Jeena Sikho Life care Pvt. Ltd., Zirakpur Punjab 140603, INDIA 3Corresponding Author: [email protected] ABSTRACT cough, excessive perspiration, asthma, ulcer, tumor, Herbal plants have been a significant source of inflammation, skin and many more [9,10]. According to therapeutic agents to cure human diseases. Plants are being "Atharva Veda" several medicinal plants have been in use for treating various kinds of diseases across the prescribed for the treatment of cardiac diseases like world. Terminalia arjuna is a widely used herbal plant since Allium sativum L. (garlic), Cicer arietinum L. ancient times. The ancient indian practitioners utilized the (Bengalgram), Commiphoramukul Engl. (guggul), powdered tree bark of arjuna for the treatment of "hritshool" (angina) and other cardiovascular problems. Curcuma longa L. (turmeric), Eugenia jambolana Terminalia arjuna is regionally called as arjuna which (Jamun), Emblica Officinalis (gooseberry), Ocimum belongs to the combretaceae family. The plant is utilized as sanctum L. (tulsi), Terminalia arjuna (Arjuna) and a medicine in the various indigenous system like ayurveda, Trigonellafoenum-graecum L. (fenugreek) [11,12]. siddha and unani. Arjunic acid, arjunolic acid, arjungenin, Terminalia arjuna showed the most promising and arjunone, arjunolone and luteolin, gallic acid, ellagic acid, distinct results among all these plants. Terminalia oligomeric proanthocyanidins (opcs), phytosterols are the arjuna, locally known as arjuna. It belongs to the major phytoconstituents of Terminalia arjuna that Combretaceae family. It is an evergreen tree that is possesses many useful biological properties like anti- native to India. The bark stem powder of the Arjuna has microbial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antifeedant, cardio protective, etc. Various clinical evidence of been utilized in the case of "hritshool" i.e. severe pain in Terminalia arjuna and its beneficial effects on the the chest caused by not enough blood supply and other cardiovascular system. The present review is summarizing cardiac ailments by the ancient physicians [13,14]. the phytomedicinal value of Terminalia arjuna in ayurveda Arjunic acid, arjunolic acid, arjungenin, arjunone, and the folk system of medicine. arjunolone and luteolin, gallic acid, ellagic acid, oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs), phytosterols are Keywords- Arjuna, Hritshool, Cardio protective, the major phytoconstituents of Terminalia arjuna Arjunone. [15,16]. Various clinical trials have been done on this plant for cardiovascular diseases including ischaemic heart disease [17], hypertension [18], mitral I. INTRODUCTION regurgitation [19], endothelial dysfunction [20], and heart failure [21]. Several reviews have been describing Medicinal plants play chief role in the health the other effect of "Terminalia arjuna". This review is to care industry. It is also used as a raw material for both compile overall information on various aspects of the traditional drug formulation and modern formulation [1]. Terminalia arjuna plant. The vernacular names and Medicinal plants used in the drug formulation due to taxonomical classification of Terminalia arjuna is their effectiveness, cultural preferences and increasing shown in table no. 1 and table no. 2 respectively. cost of modern medicine [2,3]. Ethno botanical studies [22,23]. are most essential to uncover the past times and current culture about plants in the world and reserving original Table 1: Vernacular Names of Terminalia arjuna knowledge of medicinal plants. Ethno botanical studies were important to recognize the plant uses as food [4], English Arjun human healthcare medicine [5] and veterinary medicine Hindi Arjuna, Arjun [6]. The use of herbal drugs increases from 2.5% to 12% Assamese Arjun in present times. Nanoparticles are derived from Irula Mathi medicinal plants also increased due to their wide Aatumaruthu, Nirmatti, applications in drug industries [7,8]. Numerous Kannada medicinal plants have been utilized in the therapeutic Neermaruthu NeerMarudhu, Aatumaruthu, system as well as a modern medicinal system to treat Malayalam most diseases like cardiovascular diseases like diabetes, Nirmarutu, Vellamathi 227 This work is under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. ISSN: 2349-8889 International Journal for Research in Applied Sciences and Biotechnology Volume-8, Issue-2 (March 2021) www.ijrasb.com https://doi.org/10.31033/ijrasb.8.2.30 Manipuri Maiyokpha II. GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION Vella Maruda, Vella maruthu, Tamil Kula maruthu, Marutu T. arjuna is distributed throughout Indo-sub- Himalayan regions of Uttar Pradesh, South Bihar, Table 2: Taxonomical classification of Terminalia Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Deccan [26]. The plant is arjuna cultivated near ponds and rivers. It is widely distributed in the forests of Sri-Lanka, Burma and Mauritius [27]. Kingdom Plantae Indian immigrants were introducing Terminalia arjuna Division Magnoliophyta in Mauritius [28]. Class Magnoliopsida Phytochemical Constituents of Terminalia arjuna The bark was known to be the most important Order Myrtales part of the plant Arjuna from a medicinal point of view. Family Combretaceae Initially, it was recorded that the bark had 34% ash Genus Terminalia content consisting entirely of pure calcium carbonate. The aqueous extract contained 23% calcium salts and Species Terminalia arjuna 16% tannins, whereas the alcoholic extract contained Common Name Arjuna tannins and little coloring matter [29]. Other researches on Arjuna bark also showed the presence of sugar, Botanical description of Terminalia arjuna tannins (12%), coloring matter, a glycoside, and T. arjuna(Figure 1) is a large size deciduous carbonates of calcium, sodium and traces of chloride of plant that belongs to the Combretaceae family. The alkali metals [30]. Ghosh et al., investigated that the length of the plant is up to 100 feet. It has a buttressed glycosides. That was capable of increasing the force of trunk and horizontally spreading branches. The branches contraction of the frog heart. Organic compounds of T. are dropped downwards. The smooth grey bark of the arjuna bark were also prepared using sequential methods plant shows the presence of a single-layered epidermis with some organic solvents such as hexane, benzene, with hair-like projections and few scattered lenticels. chloroform, acetone, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, Periderm and secondary phloem are present in the old butanol, ethanol, methanol and ether, etc. to isolate bark. Leaves are conical. oblong or elliptic. It measures various phytochemical constituents. The major 10-15cm long and 4-7cm broad. Their upper side is pale constituents of T. arjuna are polyphenols, flavonoids, or dark green and the lower side is pale brown. Petioles tannins, triterpenoids, saponins, sterols and minerals. are arranged with one or two prominent glands at the 1. Terpenoids and glycosides: Arjunin is an oleanane top, immediately below the leaf. The flowers are white triterpenoid and a lactone arjunetin was isolated from the with short axillary spikes. They are bisexual. Each benzene and alcoholic extracts of its bark. Arjunic acid flower consists of 10 stamens and an ovary which is and arjungenin is reported in the bark stem of the plant. disk-clothed with yellow or reddish hair. The calyx is Arjunglucoside I and Arjunglucoside II are two more glabrous. Fruit is 2.5-3.5 cm long, glabrous with 5 hard glycosidesisolated from the bark stem of the plant arjuna angles or wings. The wings lines are oblique and curved [31]. After that a triterpene carboxylic acid, terminic upwards. Fruit is a drupe and is often notched near the acid, and arjunoside III and arjuno-side IV were isolated top, marked with oblique upward curving from the ethyl acetate extract of its root [32]. Terminic striations[24,25]. acid was also isolated from the n-hexane extract of arjuna heartwood. Isolation of terminic acid was a very significant finding since it was for the first time that a lup-20(29)-en derivative was isolated from nature with a hydroxyl free at the rare C-13 position. Anjaneyulu et al., reported the presence of lupine derivative in any Terminalia species. Ali et al., was investigated another oleanane type triterpene, terminoside A isolated from the acetone fraction of the ethanolic extract of stem bark [33]. It was also studied that terminoside A inhibits nitric oxide production and decreases inducible nitric oxide synthase levels in lipopolysaccharide stimulated macrophages [34]. Arjunaphthanoloside is a naphthanolycoside (2,3,6,7,8,9-hexahydroxynaphthaline-2-O-α-L (-) rhamnoside) possessing antioxidant activity that has been isolated from its bark. 2α,19α-dihydroxy-3-oxo- Olean-12-en28-oic acid 28-O-β-D-glucopyranoside has Figure 1: Terminalia arjuna been detected from its root [35]. Alam et al., was 228 This work is under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. ISSN: 2349-8889 International