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Traditional herbs Rare Herb of Patalkot: Tylophora indica - Tylophora asthmaticaBy Dr Deepak Acharya, Dr Anshu Shrivastava, Dr Sanjay Pawar and Garima Sancheti - 2006-04-05 Find more articles like this in our Traditional herbs category. This sequence of popular articles contains detailed information of 50 herbs that are seen rarely in Patalkot these days. We have already discussed about 4 rare herbs of Patalkot in our previous columns, “Rare Herbs of Patalkot”.
Tylophora indica: Proving Ancient Healing in Modern Age This sequence of popular articles contains detailed information of 50 herbs that are seen rarely in Patalkot these days. We have already discussed about 4 rare herbs of Patalkot in our previous columns, “Rare Herbs of Patalkot”. In the following article, we would discuss the enumeration, medicinal value and conservation strategy for Tylophora indica. The medicinal values of the plant are based on the information obtained from the tribals. We have added information that we retrieved from Internet and also by accessing various libraries.
Most of the people in Patalkot belong to 'Bharia' and 'Gond' tribes. This valley is situated on the Satpura Plateau in the Southern Central part of the Madhya Pradesh, India.
Plant profile Tylophora indica (Burm. f.) Merill. in Philip. J. Sci. 19 : 373. 1921; Jagtap & Singh in Fl. India Fasc. 24. 1999. Cynanchum indicum Burm. f. Fl. Ind. 70. 1768. Tylophora asthmatica Wight & Arn. in Wight Contrib. 51. 1834; Hook. f. Fl. Brit. India 4 : 44. 1883. Family: Asclepiadaceae English name: Indian ipecac Sanskrit names: Anntmool, Anthrapachaka Vernacular names: Bengali- Antamul; Hindi- Antmool, Jangli pikvan;, Kannada- Adumuttada, Nepala; Malayalam- Vallippala; Marathi- Kharaki-rasna, Anthamul, Pitmari; Oriya- Mendi, Mulini; Tamil- Koorinja, Peyppalainadu; Telugu- Verripala, Kukka-pala. Taxonomic description: Perennial, small, slender, much branched pubescent twining or climbing herbs or under shrubs; sap yellowish,. found in the sub-himalayan tract from Uttar Pradesh to Meghalaya and in the central and peninsular India, ascending up to 1,260 m. Rootstock 2.5-5 cm. thick, rRoots long, fleshy, with longitudinally fissured light brown, corky bark;; lLeaves 6.0-10.5 x 3.8-6.0 cm, ovate-oblong to elliptic-oblong, acute to acuminate, cordate at base, thick, pubescent beneath when young, glabrous above; petioles up to 12 mm long.; fFlowers minute, 1-1.5 cm across, in 2 to 3-flowered fascicles in axillary umbellate cymes.; Calyx divided nearly to the base, densely hairy outside; segments lanceolate, acute. Corolla greenish-yellow or greenish-purple; lobes oblong, acute. Fruit a follicle, .up to 7 x 1 cm,; ovoid-lanceolate, tapering at apex forming fine mucro, finally striate, glabrous. sSeeds 0.6-0.8 x 0.3-0.4 cm, broadly ovate or ovate-oblong, flat, brown, dark coloured in centre; coma 2.0-2.5 cm long.. Fl. & Fr.: August-December (Kirtikar & Basu, 1935; Chopra et al., 1956; Jagtap & Singh, 1999). Habitat: Found in the plains, forests, and hilly slopes and outskirts of the forest (Vitacost, 2004; Truestarhealth, 2005). Forms dense patches in the forest in moist and humid conditions in open hill slopes and narrow valleys, also cultivated for its medicinal uses. The plant Gshows stunted growth in the areas with lesser rainfall. According to Nadkarni (1976), it will on a wide range of well drained soilsprefers sandy localities.. Distribution: It is indigenous to India (Aurorahealthcare, 2005). The plant inhabits up to an elevation of 1,260 m in the sub-Himalayan tract and in the central and peninsular India. It also Gmet with in Eastern, North-East and Central India, Bengal and, parts of South India (Nadkarni, 1976). Except throughout plains of India, it also harbor in Ceylon, Malay island and Borneo (Kirtikar & Basu, 1935). Distribution in Patalkot: Gaildubbha, Kareyam, Rathed, Karrapani, Sajkui, Karrapani, Sidhouli, Chhindi, Jaitpur, Chimtipur and Harra-ka-Char. Medicinal Importance: It is traditionally used as a folk remedy in certain regions of India for the treatment of bronchial asthma (Bielory & Lupoli, 1999), inflammation (Exoticnatural. 2005), bronchitis, allergies, rheumatism and dermatitis (Gupta & Bal, 1956; Shivpuri et al., 1969; Dhananjayan et al., 1974; Mathew and & Shivpuri, 1974; Haranath & Shyamalakumari, 1975; Thiruvengadam et al., 1978; Gupta et al., 1979; Karnick and & Jopat, 1979; and Gore et al., 1980; Truestarhealth, 2005; Remedyfind, 2005). Apart from the above, it also seems to be a good remedy in traditional medicine as anti-psoriasis, seborrheic, anaphylactic, leucopenia and as an inhibitor of the Schultz-Dale reaction (Sarma, 1978, Sarma & Misra, 1995). The leaves and roots are used medicinally (Bhavan, 1992). It is said to have laxative, expectorant, diaphoretic and purgative properties. It has also been used for the treatment of allergies, cold, dysentery, hay fever and arthritis (CSIR, 1948-1976). It has reputation as an alterative and as a blood purifier, often used in rheumatism and syphilitic rheumatism. Root or leaf powder is used in diarrhoea, dysentery and intermittent fever. It is an expectorant and administered in respiratory affections, bronchitis and whooping cough (Nadkarni, 1976). Dried leaves are emetic diaphoretic and expectorant. It is regarded as one of the best indigenous substitute for ipecacuanha (Kirtikar & Basu, 1935), so it was considered as Indian ipecacuahna in the latter half of the 19th century (Food4less1, 2005). The roots and leaves possess stimulant, emetic, cathartic and purgative properties (Shah and & Kapoor, 1976; Sharma and & Sharma, 1977; Vasudevan Nair et al., 1982; Nair et al., 1984 ). The roots and leaves are also reported to be used in hydrophobia. The leaves are employed to destroy vermin. The leaf extract ,acts as it is anti tumour (Chitnis et al., 1972; Stephen & Vijayammal, 2000). Other uses: The roots are suggested to be a good natural preservative of food. Toxic effect: According to Gupta et al. (1979), it may produce some side effects like drowsiness or giddiness. Loss of taste for salt, mouth pain, upset stomach, temporary nausea and vomiting are some other side effects (Shivpuri et al., 1969, 1972; Bone, 1996). Tightness in throat or chest, chest pain, skin hives, rash, or itchy or swollen skin may occur in some cases (Healthtouch, 2005). Preliminary studies shows that extract of Tylophora is toxic only in extremely high doses; these extracts were apparently safe in the far smaller doses needed to produce a therapeutic effect (Dikshith et al., 1990). Chemical Components: The major constituent in this plant is alkaloid Tylophorine that is responsible for a strong anti-inflammatory action (Gopalakrishnan et al., 1979) and Tylophorininepresent. The other alkaloids include Tylophorinidine, Septicine and Isotylocrebrine. Pharmacology: Test tube studies suggest that tylophorine is able to interfere with the action of mast cells, which are key components in the process of inflammation action (Gopalakrishnan et al., 1980). These actions seem to support its traditional use as an anti-asthmatic and anti-allergic medication by traditional healers. According to Bone (1996), the dose should not exceed 200-400 mg dried leaf powder per day or 1 to 2 ml of tincture per day for the treatment of asthma. The plant shows inhibitory effect on cellular immune response (Ganguly & Sainis, 2001) and antiallergic activity (Nayampalli & Sheth, 1979). Weak preliminary evidence hints that Tylophora might have anti-inflammatory, antiallergic, and antispasmodic actions (Gopalakrishnan et al., 1980; Wagner, 1989; Udupa et al., 1991; Nandi, 1999). In tests with tTylophora extract, both adrenal weight and plasma steroid levels were found increased (Vitasentials, 2005). These historical and laboratory findings have been supported by several human clinical trials using differing preparations of Tylophora, including the crude leaf, tincture, and capsule. Clinical trial against asthma shows that Tylophora leaf chewed and swallowed daily in the early morning for six days reduces asthma symptoms (Shivpuri et al., 1969). An alcoholic extract of crude Tylophora leaves in 1 gram of glucose had comparable effects to that of chewing the crude leaf (Shivpuri et al., 1972). Another trial found similar success in reducing asthma symptoms (Thiruvengadam et al., 1978). However, the Tylophora was not as effective as a standard asthma drug combination. One double-blind trial failed to show any effect on asthma for Tylophora (Gupta et al., 1979). Conclusion With the discovery of herbal wealth of Patalkot's treasures, many people are attracted towards the valley and herbs. The natives are generous with their knowledge and offer their medicinal secrets with open hearts. This is how the people have always survived, by sharing information and supplies with each other. People who came to the forest, however, saw a way to profit from this. They brought in teams of harvesters to strip the forest clean of valuable herbs. They sold these herbs outside the district for great profit. It is thus, need of the hour is to save this virgin land. People of Patalkot should be involved in forest management programmes. Biotic pressure should be reduced and responsible authorities should come forward to save the vegetation of this beautiful place. Tylophora is believed as one of the most important herbs. The whole series of traditional medicine plants, which have been in use for thousands of years, will be threatened if plants like T. indica will not be saved from excessive collection. It is, therefore, need of the hour is to come forward and save this important herb of Patalkot. Active contribution from everyone is highly desired specially people from Chhindwara district. Acknowledgement: Authors are grateful to tribals of Patalkot and Tamia for their knowledge sharing and hospitality during the work. Thanks are due to various workers of ECO- Campus and Friends Nature Club, Chhindwara for their help during the expedition. Author’s Profile: Dr Deepak Acharya – He is the Head of Pistiss Herbal Research Lab Pvt Ltd more about him on http://dracharya.tripod.com. He can be contacted on deepak@pistissorganics.com. Dr Sanjay Pawar- He is a Botanist from Chhindwara, currently involved in scouting and documentation of herbal wealth in the district. His email address is: drpawar@rediffmail.com. Garima Sancheti: She is a research scholar, working at Department of Zoology, Radiation and Cancer Biology Laboratory, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur, India. She is currently working on herbs and their efficacy against cancer and radiation. She has to her credit various research papers in scientific journals as well as articles on web. Contact her on garimasancheti@rediffmail.com Do Visit Patalkot on: http://dracharya.tripod.com/patal/ Meet Dr Deepak Acharya on: http://dracharya.tripod.com
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