Indi an Jo urn al o f Traditional Kn ow ledg e Vol. I (I) , October 2002, pp. 26-39 Evaluation of phytomedicines from street herbal vendors in Tamil Nadu, South India S. Karuppusam/, K.M. Rajas eka ran 2 and N. Karmega m J * I Depart ment of Botany, Arulmi gu Andavar Co ll ege of Arts and Culture, Palani - 624 602, Tamil Nad u, Indi a;2 Department of Botany, Mad ura Co ll ege, Madurai - 625 01 L Tamil Nadu , Departme nt of Biology, Gandhigram Rural Institute, Gandhigram - 624 302, Tamil Nadu, India e- mail : nkarmegam@rediffmail .com Received 2 lul y 2001 A survey was conducted among th e street he rb al ve nd ors during 19 97-2000 in e ig ht dis- tri cts of Tamil Nad u. South In dia to hi g hli gh t th e use of medi ci nal plants used for th e prepara- ti on of va ri ous traditional medicines. More th an 100 medi cinal pl ant s are used by the herbal ve nd ors for th e preparation of different types of medi c in es for th e trea tm e nt of abo ut 25 ail- me nt s. The paper al so di sc usses antim icrob ial activity of different street herbal formulations against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Ps eudo/l/ onas aeruginoso and Ca ndida albicans. Keywords: Traditional medi c in e, Street herbal vendors, Med icinal plants of Tamil Nadu, Anti bacterial activity of herbal formulati ons There ha s be en a s truggle betw ee n man and sickness s ince time immemorial. Howeve r, man has acquired met hod s of trea tin g sickness using hi s local bio- cultural env ironment. In eve ry soc iety, whether technologically primitive or ad- vanced, there exist some sort of curative reci pes for the health maladies J. The term ethnomedicine is recently defined as "medical sys tem of the primitive that has been evolved in their own cultural milieu and recognised as the method s of diagno- sis and treatment which are natural or *Co rrcspo nd e nt author. not,,2. Mo st of the ancient kn ow ledge systems hav e continued to survive o nl y by oral communication from generation to ge neration in rural as well as in tribal communities. The ethnic communiti es that have been using the same medicinal plants for many generations are more likely to have identified plants with use ful bioactivity. Also these ancient cultures should have resided in an area with a di - verse flora. The high availability of plant di versity has increa sed the probabi lity of discovering plant s with useful bioa c tive principles. Because of the rapid intrusion of modern civilization into these remo te
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Indian Journ al o f Traditional Knowledge Vol. I (I) , October 2002, pp. 26-39
Evaluation of phytomedicines from street herbal vendors in Tamil Nadu, South India
S. Karuppusam/, K.M. Rajasekaran2 and N. Karmega mJ*
I Department of Botany, Arulmigu Pal~lI1i Andavar College of Arts and Culture, Palani - 624 602, Tamil Nadu, Indi a;2 Department of Botany, Mad ura Co llege, Madurai - 625 01 L Tamil Nadu, Indi a ; ~ Department of Biology, Gandhigram Rural Institute, Gandhigram - 624 302,
Tamil Nadu , India
e- mail : nkarmegam@rediffmail .com
Received 2 luly 2001
A survey was conducted among the street herbal vendors during 1997-2000 in eight distri cts of Tamil Nadu. South India to highligh t the use of medici nal plants used for the preparation of va ri ous traditional medicines. More than 100 medicinal pl ants are used by the herbal vendors for the preparation of different types of medicines for the treatment of about 25 ailments. The paper also di sc usses antim icrobial activity of different street herbal formulations against Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudo/l/onas aeruginoso and Candida albicans.
Keywords: Traditional medicine, Street herbal vendors, Med icinal plants of Tamil Nadu, Anti bacterial activity o f herbal formulati ons
There has been a struggle between man and sickness since time immemorial. However, man has acquired methods of treating sickness using hi s local biocultural environment. In every society, whether technologically primitive or advanced, there exist some sort of curative reci pes for the health maladies J. The term ethnomedicine is recently defined as "medical system of the primitive that has been evolved in their own cultural milieu and recognised as the methods of diagnosis and treatment which are natural or
*Corrcspondent author.
not,,2. Most of the ancient know ledge
systems have continued to survive only by oral communication from generation to generation in rural as well as in tribal communities. The ethnic communities that have been using the same medicinal plants for many generations are more likely to have identified plants with useful bioactivity. Also these ancient cultures should have resided in an area with a di verse flora. The high availability of plant di versity has increased the probabi lity of di scovering plants with useful bioactive principles. Because of the rapid intrusio n of modern civilization into these remote
S KARUPPUSAMY el al.: PHYTOMEDICINES FROM HERBAL VENDORS IN TAMIL NADU 27
areas, tribal traditions and culture of
no mad ic folks are now slowly disappearing.
In India, Ayurvedic system evolved over 5,000 years ago and is still in practice. The Rig Veda and Atlwrva Veda have included more than 700 medic inal prescriptions3
.
Other systems of medicine such as the Chinese, Unani and Siddha traditions have the ir roots in Ayurveda. All the medici nal systems mentioned above are mostly based on the plants and plant prod ucts that are available in Indian region.
It is inte res ting to note that most of the drugs derived or o rigi na lly isolated from hi gher pl ants were di scovered in an ethnobotanical contex t. For example, reserpine derived fro m Rauvolfia serpelltilla, was di scovered by analysing Indi an Ayurvedic remedi es . Herbal medici nes are be ing used by about 80 percent of the world populati on mai nly in the develo ping countries for primary health care. They have stood the tes t of time for their safety, effi cacy, cultural acceptabi lity and lesser side effects4
. There is no previous record and research work availab le o n street herbal vendors, their medicina l formulations, method of preparati on and the activity of vari ous traditional medicinal fo rmulations in Ta mil Nadu . The present study is intended to document the med ic ina l plant resources and med ic inal formulations as sold by the street herbal vendors and the ir efficacy with reference to antimi crobial acti vity.
Materials and methods Study period
The phytomedicinal survey was conducted in various parts of Tamil Nadu
(Coimbatore, Dindigul , Erode, Karur, Madurai, Namakkal, Theni and Tri chy Di stricts) mainl y from the s treet herbal vendors during the yea r 1997-2000.
Collection oj illjormatioll The phyto medi c ina l info rmati o n was
collec ted from 37 street herbal vendors fro m vari ous parts of Tamil Nadu by s tandard schedul e5
-7
. The present study recorded names o f fo rmul ations, components of various medic ina l formulations , methods of preparation , details of dosage and ai lments treated.
Collectioll oj phytollledicilles All the phytomedic ina l material s and
pl ant drugs sold by the he rbal vendors were co llec ted . The bit noti ces that had a ll the details of medic inal preparat ions and the ir uses were also collected from the stree t herba l vendors ( if available). The names of all the raw drugs, formulati ons and the ir properties were also collected carefully for further evaluatio n.
Idelltification The plant materi als were identi fied
with the he lp of s tandard local floras8-9
.
Pre liminary identificati on was done by examining fresh plants procured from the herbal vendors . The corresponding raw drug materials were collected and the mo rphological characters were compared with the fresh plants and vernacular names. Few respondents were more inform ative and co-operative; they have shown fresh plants in the habitat, which was lI seful for the final identi fication . The identificatio n of plant materials was confinned at the regional herbarium at
28 INDIAN J TRADIT IONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL I , No. I , OCTOBER 2002
Botanical Survey of India, Southern C ircle, Coimbatore,
Preservation The collected material s were preserved
in ai rtight containers and labelled individually. Various medicinal plant parts co llected were broadly ca tegori zed as leaves, stem, bark, roo t, fl ower, fruit, seed, rhizome, bulb, tuber and res in . The medicinal form ulations were also c lassi fied and preserved as such for labelled medicinal oils, o intments and herbal powders.
Evaluation ofphytolll edicilles Extraction:
The medicinal fo rmulations of kalimbugal (ointments) and podirnarulldhugal (herbal medicinal powders) were extracted with petroleum ether, hexane and ethano l by Soxhlet 's apparatus. ]n the case of water extracts, 1 ~Og of material was mixed with 500 ml of distilled water, boi led for one hour, fi !tered and finally cooled to room temperature, Extracts thus obtained were concentrated by using rotary vacuum evaporator and kept at 20°C
± 2°C. The test ex trac ts (1000 ppm) were prepared with respective solvents separate ly for each ex tract. Similarly the tes t extracts o f medicinal o ils (muligai el1lwi) were also prepared with one ml of herbal medicinal oil in 10 ml of Hexane ( 1:10 V IV), The obtained hexane ex tracts were used directly for further study' D.
Antimicrobial screening Microorganisms used
Four selected bacterial species namely Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus,
Escherichia coli and Pseudoll1onas aeruginosa and one fungal species Calldida albicans were collected from the microbial type culture collec tio n (MTCC) of Institute of Mi crobial Technology (IMTECH), C handi garh , Indi a.
Activity analysed The Durham's tube slant method was
used for hexane ex tract of medicinal o il s and the activity was calculated in percentage of inhibition " . Hexane (95 %) was used as control. Solvent extracts of ointments and herbal powders were used against selected microorgani sms in preculture plates by disc (5 mm) diffusion method. The activity was measured by zone of inhibition in mm l2
,
Results The street herbal vendo rs intervi ewed
for the present study belonged to d ifferen t cmegories, but most of them were scheduled tribes, The respondents of thi s study belo ng to the communiti es of Nari kuravas, Valayas, Pulayas and Malayal ies. They are the descendan ts of tribal folkhealers from adjoining hilly areas of Western Ghats, The present study revealed that 133 medicinal plant species belonging to 66 families are sold as raw drugs by street herbal vendors and they were prescribed for more than 2S ailments (Table 1). Among various parts of the plants used for different ailments , barks, leaves, seeds and roots accounted for 30, 15, 33 and 24 plant species, respectively, A total of IS medicinal formulatio ns were collected and classified based o n the local names such as medicinal oils (muligai ell/wi), o intments
S KARUPPUSAM Y el 01.: PHYTOMEDICINES FROM HERBAL VEN DORS IN TAMI L NAD U 29
Table I- Medi cinal pl alll parts so ld raw by the herbal vendors
Parts Botanica l name Vern acular name Famil y Propert i es!c u res sold (Tami l)
Leaves All drogmpliis panicllia/(l Nees. Nil avaembu Acanth aceae Alll idote Arlelll isia sieversialla Ehrh . ex Marikkolulldhu Asteraceae Aphrod isiac Will d. Clerodendrulll phlolllidis Willd. Thaluthalai Verbenaceae Flatu lence Colclenia proclllllbens L. Seruppadai Boragillaceae Dermatiti s Debregeasia longifo lia Wedd. Kattunochi Urticaceae Stomachic Eclipla proslrata L. Mant. Kari salai Asteraceae Skin di seases GYl/111 ellla svlveslre R. Br. Sirukurinjan Asc lepi adaceae Antidi abetic lllsl icia adlialocla L. Adathodai Acalllhaceae Haemorrhoid Lobelia nicoliallaefolia Roth . ex Kattupuhai yilai Lobeli aceae Ex pectorant Schultes Majoranll liortensis Moench. Marugu La m i aceae Stimu lant Pentalropis capensis Bull. Uppukkolli Asclepiadaceae Antiulcerous Pogoslelllon li eYlleanus Benth . Kathirpachai Lami aceae Diaphoreti c SOla1l/1I 1I Irilobalwn L. Thuthu val ai Solanaceae Bronchit is 7),lopliorrl indica MelT. Na nj aruppan Asclepi adaceae Alll iasthmatic Vilex Irifolia L. Karunochi Ve rbenaceae Alllimalari al
Stem Coscinilllll feneslrallllll Colebr. Maramanjal Meni spennaceae Antiinflammatory EnicoSlellla axillare (Lam. ) Ray. Vell arugu Gellli anaceae Anthelminti c l asll1inlllll angllslij'olilllll (L. ) Kuru vilangodi Oleaceae Alterant Wi lld. Sanlallllll albwn L. Sallthanam Salltalaceae Ant itumorous
Bark Al(1I lgilllll salvifolil/ l11 Wang. Alingil ai Alangiaceae Antiinfl ammatory Bixa orellana L. Japh ra manjal Bixaceae Astringent Cadaba/i-wicosa Druce. Kattakat i Capparaceae Carminati ve Callic([I ]H1lOlllenlosa (L. ) MUIT. Vetri lai patt i Verbenaceae Dropsy Capparis :eylanica Wall. Aatanday Capparaceae Antitumorous Ceriscoides wrgida (Roth .) Nanj undam Ru biaceae Emollient Tri ven. Cinllal//Ol/l/lIlllllacroC(// ]J1I11l Hk. Periya lavangam Lauraceae Stimu lant F. Clerodendrwn ViSCOSUlIl Vent. Perungil ai Verbenaceae Demu lcent COCCI/ IllS pelldllills Diels. Sarangothini Meni spermaceae Carminati ve Cra/aeva magna (Lour. ) DC. Mavalingam Capparaceae Hepatopathy Croton rigliulII L. Naervalam Euphorbiaceae Vermifuge Dolichandrone arcuata Clarke Rampalai Bignoni aceae Constipati on Elaeagnl/s conferta Rox b. Kuliri Eleaeagnaceae Helmithias is ElIlbelia ribes Burm. Voy uvilanga m Myrsinaceae Bronchiti s ErythroxylulI1l1lonogynlll1l Rox b. Sempul i nchan Erythroxylaceae Leucoderma GlIlelina asialica L. Ku malamaram Verbenaceae Astringent Holarrhena anlidysenrerica Wall. Vepalai Apocy naceae Antidysenteric Hydnocarplls laurifolia Sleumer. Sothukala Flacourtiaceae Diuretic Litsea gllllinosa Robinson Elumburuki Lauraceae Disinfectant Maerua ape tala Jacob Iru valli Capparaceae Expectorant
Comd ..
30 INDI AN J TRADIT IONAL KNOWL EDGE, VOL I. No. I. OCTOBER 2002
Tab le I- Medicinal plan t pariS so ld raw by the herbal vendors---Col/ld.
Parts Botanical namc Vernacular nallic Famil y Propert ics/cu res sold (Tam il )
Oro.rI'//(1II il/(/ic/(III l3enth. Ve nga m Bignoni aceae Demulcent Prelll l/a C(lrYIII /;osa ROll I. & Minnai Verbenaceac Bronchiti s Willd. R//(Is lIIy.wrens is G.Don Mullu veclm hi Anacarcliaccae Cephalalgia Sa /parlura persico L. Kunnimaram Sa lvadoraceae Cox iti s Shorea rox /; /( rghi i G. Don Thal ura Dipterocarpaceae Eczema S.I" lIphor !! lIIa il/ \'o//(cral /( II I Roxb. Pongurungu Verbenaceae Arthrit is Til/ospura cordi/ii / ia Miers. ex Chinti l Meni spermacee Alex ipharm ic Hook. f. Vel/ Ii /ago lIIatieraspalw/{/ Gaerl n. Vcmbaclam Rhamnaceae Astringe nt Vi l!!x lI eg /(l/do L. Vennochi Verbenaceae Bronchiti s Wrighlia lillcluria R. 13 r. Iru palai Apocynaceae Gonorrhoea
Root Achvrallfhes aspera L. Nayuru vi Amaranthaceae Anti infl ammatory AI/isochi//(s ca m oslIs Wall. Karpurava ll i Lami aceae Stimulalll All isollle/es lIIa/abarica R. 13 r. Pey mi ralli Lami aceae Astri ngent Allf ia r is loxicar ia Lesch. Marauri Moraceae Dyspepsia Aphal/al/ lhe cl/sp ida/a Planch. Kocli tancli Ulmaceae Flatulence A rislO/ochia il/d ica L. Aclaga m Aristolochiaceae Febrifu ge Barleria sl r igosu Willcl . Nil ambaram Acanthaceae Antidote Breyl/ ia vi li.I·-itiaea Fisch. Karunell i Eu phorbiaceae Emeti c Casear ia escll/el/la Roxb. KOllargovai F1acourliaceae Leucoderma Cissalllpe/os pareira L. Appata Meni spermaceae Bronchiti s C/eruriel/dn il l/ il/ enl/e Gaerln. Peenari sangu Verbenaceae Aill ipyretic C/erudel l(/m lll serra/ /( III (L. ) Angarava ll i Verbenaceae Digestive Moon. Coral/ocOIplls epigaells Hook. f. Akashakarudan Cucurbitaceae Antirabies CrvplO /ep is bll chw /(/I/ii R. & s. Nagathalec Periplocaceae Ailliclote Deca/epi.l· hall/i/lol/ii W. & A. Mahalikil angu Peri p I ocaceae Laxative Cel/dam ssa vulgaris Nees. Karunochi Acanthaceae Ulcerosis C /ycyrrhiza g /abra L. Athimathuram Fabaceae Refri gerent H elllide.I·lI/lIs il/diclIS R. 13 r. Nannari Peri plocaceae Diges ti ve Hygruphi/a all r iclI/ala Heine. Ncermu ll i Acanth aceae Emolli elll /clll lOcOIpllsji·lllescel/s R. 13 r. Parava lli Apocy naceae Febrifuge / ildigufera cassiuides Rottl. ex Sivanarvaembu Fabaceae Aillhelmintic DC. K/eil/ ia gralldi/lora (Wall. ex Muyalkathu Asteraceae Depurati ve DC.) Rani Lellcas aspera Link. Thumbai Lam i aceae Verminos is P/lll11bago zey /al/ ica L. Chitrarnu lam Plumbag inaceae Astringent Poeci/ul/ell l"Ol/ il/d iClI1II l3edd . Puthanko lli C1 usiaceae Anthelmintic Rall volfia se ipel/IiI/a l3elllh. ex Parnbu kad iver Apocynaceae Aillido te Kurz Rhi l/oCallfhlls IWS llfllS (L. ) Kurz Nagamall i Acanthaceae Anticlote
COI:td ..
S KARUPPUSAM Y el a/.: PHYTOM EDICINES FROM HERB AL VENDORS IN TAMIL NADU 31
Table I- Medicinal plant parts sold raw by the herbal vendors--Col/ld.
Parts Botan ical name Vernac ular name Fam ily Properties/cures sold (Tamil)
Fruit Ba/al/iles aegypliaca Rox b. Nanjunda i Balanitaceae Ant itumorous Cadaba Irifo/iala W. & A. Vilut i Capparacee Laxative Cell is phi/ippel/sis Blanco. Venkkottai Ulmaceae Stomachic He/ecleres isora L. Valamburi Stereu li aeeae Refrigerent Myrislica dacty/oides Gaertn. Kattujathikka Myrist icaceae Carmi nati ve Myrislica fragrans Houtt. Jathikay M yristicaceae Anthelmintic So/al/ulII slIrallel/Se Burm. f Mullukathri Solanaceae Aphrodisiac So/allllll/ vianlll/ Dunal. Kandangathri Solanaceae Haemoptysis Terlllil/alia bellirica Roxb. Thanrikay Combretaceae Refri gerent Terlllil/a/ia cllebll/a Retz. Kadukay Combretaceae Laxative
Seed Abrusfrwicli/oSIIS Wall. Pachaikundumani Fabaceae Alexiteric Abrus pII/chelllls Wall. Karuppukunduman i Fabaceae Aphrodisiac Ardisia so/al/acea Roxb. Kol ikottai Myrsinaceae Carminati ve Cassia abslls L. Mulaipa lvirai Caesa lpi ni aceae Haemostat ic Ce/aslms pal/iell/allis Willd . Valuluva i Celas traceae Stimulant Coch/ospennlllll re/igioslIIlI (L.) Kongilav u Cochlosper- Sedative Alston. maceae E/aeocarplIs wbercII /allls Roxb. Ruthraksham Elaeocarpaceae Cephalalgia Ellfada pllrsaelha DC. Malai thellu Mimosaceae Laxative Carcil/ia spiCUla (W.& A.) Hook. f. Thamarathai Clusiaceae Digestive Harpllllia arborea Rad lk. Neikkottai Sapindaceae Anthelmintic Jalropha 1Il 1l /lifida L. Malaiamanakku Euphorbi aceae Laxative Lophopeta/1I111 wiglllial/wlI Am. Venkkottai Celastraceae Stomachic MadllllCli lOl/gifo/ia Machr. Nattueluppai Sapotaeeae Anthelmint ic Mllclilla pmriells (L.) DC. Poonaykali Fabaceae Antipark insonian Pedalilll/1l11urex L. Yanainerunjil Pedaliaceae Febrifuge Psora/eel cory fllolia L. Karboga ari si Fabaceae Haemotactic Rederlllachera xy/ocarpa Schum. Vedanguruni Bignoniaceae Leucoderma ReinwardliodendrOlI al/alllallay- Santhanavirai Meliaceae Dermatitis allUIIl Saldanha SelllicarplIs allacardilllll L. f. Senkotta i Anacardiaceae Digestive SeSa1ll1l11l /al/ceolawlII Klein. ex Kattuyell u Pedaliaceae Laxative Willd.
Collfd.
32 IND IAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL I. No. I. OCTOB ER 2002
Table I- Medicinal plant parts sold raw by the herbal vendors-Collld.
Parts Botanica l name Vernacular name Family Propcrti es/cures sold (Tam il )
S,r vc!II/os lIux-l'olllica L. Yelli Loganiaceae Antidote SlrW:/lIws pOialO/"lll1l L. r. Thcthamkottai Loganiaceae Haematuria Tracliyspenlllllli ro.rburgliiallullI Ashamatagam Apiaceae Carminati ve (L. ) Spra , Zi~iplius xylopyros Wi lid . Mullukoltai Rhamnaceae Antidiabetic
Rhi zome Alpill ia galallga Sw. Ch i tharathai Zi ngiberaceac Stimulant Acoms calalllus L. Vasambu Araceae Expectorant Curculigo orcliioides Gac rtn . Nil appanai Amaryllidaceae Antipyretic Curcullla al'OlIIarica Sa l. Kasturimanjal Zi ngi beraceae Appe ti zer
Bulb Urgell ia illdica L. Nari vengayam Lil iaceae Haemotactic Tuber Asparagus racelllo.\'US Willd. Thanneermuttan Liliaceae Diureti c
ki lang u Dioscorea bulbifera L. Siruvalli Dioscoreaceae Card iotonic
Resin Bos\I'ellia sen oIa Rox b. Kurangu chambrani Burseraceae Antidysenteri c COllllllipliora CCludaf{t Engl. Kilu vai B u rseraceae Carminati ve FemIa asafoelida W. & A. Perungaya m Apiaceae Anti spasmod ic Gardellia gUl/lIl1ilera L. f. Kumbilpicin Rubiaceae Leprosy Lallllea coralllallilelica MelT. Uthianpicin Anacardi aceac Ast ringent Morillga cOllcallell sis Nimmo. ex Kattumurungai Moringaceae Bruises Gibs.
Table 2- Some herbal medicinal form ulati ons sold by street herbal vendors. their compos ition and ailments
Herbal formulations (Med ium)
1. Med icinal oils (Muliga i ellllai) Vadha el/lwi (Castor oil + neem oil in 2: I ratio)
Mega ellllai (Castor oil + Sesame oil in 2: I ratio)
Plants used
Allellilllll g raveolells
A lliulII salil'lIIl1 Bacopa 1II01lllieri Caesalp illia bOlldu(' CarriiospemlulII /wlic([cabulII CrolOlI liglilllll D eloll ix alala Phyla lIodijlo/'{/ Piper IOllgUIII Arlelllisia vulgaris
Cellielia as ia/ica
Parts used
Seed
Bulb Lea f extract Leaf extract Lea f extract
Seed Leaf extract Leaf extract Seed Leaf extract
Leaf extrac t
Ailments
Paralysis and displacement of bones
Li ver. heart and stomach problems
Mode of application
Ex ternally on the part(s)
applied affected
Orally administered ( 10 ml/day for 48 days)
COIlld.
S KARUPPUSAMY et at.: PHYTOMEDICINES FROM HERBAL VENDORS IN TAMIL NADU 33
Table 2-Some herbal medicinal formu lations sold by street herbal vendors, their composi tion and ailments--Contd.
Herbal formu- Plants used Parts used Ailments Mode of application lations (Medium)
OCill l ll1ll sallCllIl1I I 'erg illo r ia daelllill SOI!llIIlIll Irilo/;1II11111 T l' lophorti zevlllllicil
Cellfella asillliCil
EC! ipra proslrtllil Hygmphila ull ric lliara Rilla g raveolells
Bulb
Rhi zo me Stem Flower Bark Leaf Seed Seed
Rhi zome
Bul b
Stem Lca f Leaf Leaf Leaf Lea f
Lea f
Leaf Root Root
Ai lment s
Antido te for snake bite and scorpion sting
Gas troub le and sto mach problems
Nasobronchial di seases
Stomach proble ms
Mode of app li ca ti o n
Oral ly ad mini ste red (50 g/day fo r 3 days)
Ora ll y adm ini ste red (2 5 g/day for 5 days)
Ora lly ad mini ste red (25 g/day for 5 days)
Ora lly ad mini ste red ( lO g/day for only one day)
Conrd.
36 INDIAN J TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, VOL I, No. I, OCTOBER 2002
Table 2-So me herbal medicinal formulation s sold by street herba l vendors, their composition and ailments-Contd.
Herbal formu lations (M edium)
Plants used Parts used Ailments Mode of application
Wilhania sOlllnifera
Zingiber ojficinale
Root
Rhizome
Pedhi marundhu Acalypha indica Root
CardiosperlllLllll halica- Root cabum
C/erodendrum inerme Leaf
Croton tig/iLlIll Seed
Debregaesia elongata Bark
PoeciioneLlron indiculII Bark
Shorea roxbLlrghii Bark
Sida cordata Leaf
StlychllOS lIux-vomica Seeds
Pulllkkolli lIIarundhll
Cassia obtLlsa
Cassia selina
Chenopodium ambrosioides
Root
Root
Leaf
(kalimbugal) and herbal medicinal powders (podimarundhugal). The components of medicinal formulations, parts of the plants used for the preparation with media and ailments treated are shown in Table 2. The results on the antimicrobial activity of medicinal formulations showed that all the formulations were effective against tested microorganisms with different zones of inhibition (Tables 3 and 4) . The hexane extracts and water extracts of ka-
Dysentery, diarrhoea and cholera
Expelling intestinal worms
Orally admini stered (100 g/day for only one day)
Orally admini stered (50 g/day for only one day)
linzbugal and podimarundhugal showed least antimicrobial activity when compared with ethanol and petroleum-ether extracts.
Discussion It is evident from the findings that the
street herbal vendors have good knowledge about phytomedicines and they are continuing the preservation of vast useful folk knowledge on nature-cure even
Table >-Antimicrobial screening (zone of inhibition in mm*) of herbal oinunents (kalilllbllgal) and herbal powders (Podilllarlllulhugal) collected from street herbal vendors
Medicinal Ethanol extract Petroleum-ether extract Hexane extract Water extract formulations BS SA PA EC CA BS SA PA EC CA BS SA PA EC CA BS SA PA EC
·Va1ues are mean of three replicates; BS=Bacjflus subtilis; SA=Staphylococcus aureus; PA=Pseudol1wnas aerugillOsa; EC=Escherichia coli; CA=Candida albicans
CA
22.1
27.3
19.3
2.1
11.2
7.4
12.8
15.2
7.4
VJ
~ ::0 c: '1:1
;:§ VJ
~ -< ~ ~ :-
'1:1 ::c ~ o s:: tTl o B ~ VJ
;2 o s:: ::c tTl
(;5 » r < tTl Z o o ::0 VJ
Z -l » s:: r z » o c:
W -..l
38 IND IAN J TRADITION AL KNOWLEDG E, VOL I, No . I. OCTOBER 2002
Table 4--Antimierobia l scree ning of herbal medicinal oils (Illulig({i ellllui) collected from strect herbal vendors
SI. Na ille of the mcdic inal oil Perce ntage of acti vity in hexa nc ex tract'" No BS SA PA EC CA
" Va lucs arc mcan of three repli catcs; I3S = 8 ocil/lls subrilis; SA = Swpilv/oc()cCUS (Iureus;
PA = Pseuc/ollwllos aemgill oso; EC = Escilericflio coli ; CA '" Calldido a/bi("(/lls
today . They were we ll versed with different types o f illness and could diagnose only by observing the sy mptoms of the patients. The herbal remedies have been developed and formulated by their forefa thers and these pract ices arc traditionally followed and communica ted by verbalized means from generati on to generation. The herbal vendors often exhibit their folk medicines on the roads ide sta ll s in busy streets of towns and the medic inal formulati ons are kept in glass jars and the raw plant parts in dried form . The plant products and plant parts sold by the herbal vendors are very common inmost of the localiti es of T amil Nadu but some are rare and endangered species such as Lobelia flicoliollaejolia, COSCillill1ll f elleslrallllll, Elllada pllrsaelllO, Urgenia in dica and Curcllligo orchioides_ In the present study, the roots and seeds were found collec ted from a large number of plant species. Thi s may lead to the depletion of rootstock of important ethnomedi cinal plants. Due to over exploitation and indi scriminate collection of rare and en-
dangered plants from the wild habitat, their populati on may decrease rapidl y .
The phytomedicinal therapy is cheaper, easy to procure and adm' nister. H istorica lly wes tern scienti fic i nvesligation o f plant based medici ne began wi th 0 servat ions on the trad i tional usage, foll owed by extracti on, identi fication of acti ve constituents and finally the formulation and clinical trial sl}. Majority of the peop le in the wor ld are rely ing on the plants rather than commercial products developed from the pl ant materi als I~. Tami I adu has a great f loral di versi ty and comprehensive traditi on in the use of med icinal plants for both an tibacter ial and anti fun-
I ... 15- 18 I h I ga activities . n t e present stu c y also, the herba l formulations of the vendors showed considerab le anti microb ial acti viti es. Some of the plants used by the street vendors for the preparation o f herbal medicine were already invest igated for the active principles and for thei r pharmacological activities and these investigation s coincide w ith the resul t of the present study. Thus, the collecti on and
S KARUPPUSAMY et al.: PHYTOMEDICINES FROM HERBAL VENDORS IN TAMIL NA DU 39
documentation o f traditional knowledge on the ethnomedic ines is important for finding out new, effec ti ve and safe drugs fo r vario us ailments. However, to g ive more support to the above findings, furthe r inves ti gations are needed for the isolation of acti ve princ iples and pharmacological evaluation of diffe rent medic inal pl ant speci es reported in thi s study.
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