Ayurveda Initiative For Global Health

Myrtaceae – Volatile oils, Fruits and Biopesticides Distinguishing characters gland-dotted, coriaceous leaves with intramarginal vein, large number of stamens (may be due ti splitting), gland-tipped anther connectives, inferior ovary with axile or deeply intruded parietal placenta and seed testa modified to wings or membraneous or horny. A tropical family of 129 genera containing 4620 species. Useful plants : Volatile oils, Fruits, Medicinals and Biopesticides A. Volatile oils 1. Eucalyptus (Gk: eu = well; calyptos = cover alluding to sepals which form a lid over flowers in bud-500) various species of this genus provide volatile oils used in medicine, industries and in perfumery. 1a. Medicinal oils are obtained from the leaves of E. elaeophora, E. globulus, E. leucoxylon and E. sideroxylon. These oils contain 45-75 %. Cineole and the rest of α-pinene, limonene, etc. They are used as antiseptics, mosquito and vermin repellants and expectorants. 1b. ...

Cucurbitacins, a group of the mightiest anticancer compounds Cucurbitacins are a group of steroid like triterpenes found in the members of Cucurbitaceae like Momordica Bryonia, Cucumis, Cucurbita, Luffa, Echinocystis, Lagenaria and Citrullusand a few members of Brassicaceae (seeds of Iberis and Lepidium sativum), Scrophulariaceae, Begoniaceae, Primulaceae, Liliaceae, Tropaeolaceae and Rosaceae. The diversity of cucurbitacins lies in variety of its side chain derivatives that contribute to their disparate pharmacological actions. They may be concentrated in fruits and roots of mature plants. Structure All cucurbitacins contain a basic 19-(10→9β)–abeo--10α–lanost–5--ene ring skeleton characterised by a double bond at 5, a methyl group at C-9 (rather than C-10) and numerous keto--, hydroxyl--, and acetoxy--groups. Most of the Cucurbitacins are tetracyclic, but some representatives have an extra ring due to formal cyclization between C--16 and C--24 as in cu...

Algae!!!! Many of our friends despise algae by calling them pond scum, seaweeds, and even frog spittle! But the fact is that it is the algae that give us the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the fuel for our cars (past and, perhaps, future), are also a source of active pharmaceutical compounds that can be used against drug-resistant bacterial strains, viruses (including Herpes Simplex and AIDS), and cancers. No other groups of “plants” have done so much, for so long, and, for so many as have the algae! Algae normally are scoffed at!!!! Indeed many people only experience algae in “bad situations” such as a big problem in local lakes, fishing holes, or even personal swimming pools, or as insect-covered seaweed litter on the beach or as contaminants in tropical fish tanks, or even worse, as red tides poisoning our seafood and/or us. In the English language, the common terms for algae include “pond scum,” “seaweeds,” “rockweed,” “ bladder wrack,” “sea wrack” an...

Last Universal Common Ancestor- LUCA,  the hypothetical ancestral organism from which to all living beings in earth evolved Based on molecular studies comparing Archaea, bacteria and Eukaryotes, it is proposed that a hypothetical microbe called LUCA:( the Last Universal Common Ancestor) lived Around 4 billion years ago. By looking for genes common to Archaea and bacteria, one can find out the genome of ancestor to all surviving descendants. Unfortunately, there are only about 355 such genes, mostly for ribosome proteins, proving that LUCA at least had the genetic code. Many other LUCA genes may have been lost in various later lineages over 4 billion years of evolution(A molecular clock model suggests that the LUCA may have lived 4.477 to 4.519 billion years ago, within the Hadean eon ) which can be considered an ancestor to all living organisms.They could have lived a somewhat 'alien' lifestyle, hidden away deep underground in iron-sulfur rich hydrothermal vents (- fissure...

Sapotaceae- the gutta family 30th Aug.2022, Vadodara Distinguishing features The family is identified by the peculiar medifixed hairs, milky latex, many sepals, petals & stamens and superior multilocular ovary containing a single ovule per locule. Useful plants A. General uses 1. Achras sapota Linn. is the source of the fruit Sapodilla. 2. Butyrospermum parkii Kotschy yields a fat from the seeds known as Shea butter containing 40 % stearic acid. It is used for manufacture of chocolates and soaps. The latex is the source of gutta-percha used for making chewing gum. 3. Madhuca: (Madhu = honey in Sanskrit, due to the sweet corolla) M. indica Gmel. and M. longifolia Macb. seeds yield Mowra fat containing upto 50 % palmitic and stearic acids. This edible oil is converted to margarines. M. butyracea yield Phulwara butter from seeds. The sweet flowers of Madhuca are used for the manufacture of alcohol by fermenting the same to prepare a beverage mowdi. 4. Calocarpu...

Epigenetics- the role of environment in gene expression. Epigenetics is the reason why different parts of a plant changes to stem, leaf, root or flowers cells, though they all have the same DNA, but their genes are expressed differently (turned "on" or "off"), and creates the different cell types. Epigenetics literally means "above" or "on top of" genetics. It refers to external modifications to DNA that turn genes "on" or "off." These modifications do not change the DNA sequence, but instead, they affect how cells "read" genes.In other words they are the non-genetic factors cause the organism's genes to behave (or "express themselves") differently. Epigenetics most often involves changes that affect gene activity and expression, but the term can also be used to describe any heritable phenotypic change. Such effects may be the result of environmental factors and cause cellular and, physiological or ph...

Discovery of resins in Pleurolobus gangeticus ( Desmodium gangeticum) roots, need for good anatomical studies in Pharmacognosy. 4th Oct., 2022, Vadodara When we study pharmacognosy of any root or stem in our lab. we used to take longitudinal sections (both TLS and RLS) to find out the dimensions of vessel segments and the nature of pitting, as well as the nature (shape and inclusions) of medullary rays (both in xylem and phloem) to get a complete picture of vascular architecture of the material. During a study on the roots of Pleurolobus gangeticus (L.) J.ST._ HIL (Desmodium gangeticum DC), one of the “Dasamoola”, we observed hard yellowish resinous material filling many of the vessel segments as well as yellow liquid resin in some others. In mature vessels these resins appeared granular. Masses of resins were observed in root powder also. This led to analysis of root resins of this plant and it’s active components. The resin from roots were extracted in ...

Synthetic X natural food and pharmaceutical dyes-1: Toxicity of added colors in our foods and medicines Many people, esp. children are attracted to brightly coloured foods like carbonated drinks, cakes, lozenges, cakes, ice creams or medicines. But we never bother about the fact that these colours are produced by adding some synthetic colours most of which are harmful in the long run especially in kids who are in their developing stages. Most synthetic food dyes are derived from petroleum, or crude oil. A review on the toxicity on these dyes lists 9 common food dyes. They are; 1.Blue 1 (Brilliant Blue), 2.Blue 2 (Indigo Carmine), 3.Citrus Red 2, 4.Green 3 (Fast Green FCF), 5. Orange B (No longer used in the U.S., but was never officially banned), 6. Red 3 (Erythrosine), 7.Red 40 (Allura Red), 8.Yellow 5 (Tartrazine) and 9.Yellow 6 (Sunset Yellow) Most of these are manufactured from coal tar, which comes from coal. Sunset Yellow (E110), Tartrazine (E102), Amaranth 43 (E123...