pharmacognostic and phytopharmacological investigations on wild edible plants of north east india

Abstract

Baccaurea ramiflora Lour. and Elaeagnus latifolia Linn., both these plant species are newlinefound growing wild in Northeast India and have been used in indigenous medicine for the newlinetreatment of various ailments. The proposed work was to investigate the wild edible newlineplants which are native to Northeast India. Till today no activity has been proved so far newlineon the purgative/laxative activity of the bark of Baccaurea ramiflora and on the cardiac newlineactivity of the flower of Elaeagnus latifolia. Even no written records are available on the newlinePharmacognostic and Phytochemical studies of both the plants parts. newlineThe morphology and microscopic examination of the plants parts, showed various newlinecharacteristics. On proximate analyses of the powdered drugs of Baccaurea ramiflora newlineand Elaeagnus latifolia, the total ash, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash, sulphated ash, newlineextractive values and moisture content were reported. Phytochemicals reported are newlineglycoside, phytosterols, terpenoids, carbohydrate, gums and mucilage from Baccaurea newlineramiflora bark and glycoside, phytosterols and saponins from Elaeagnus latifolia newlineflowers. TLC and HPTLC fingerprinting studies gave information regarding various newlinephytoconstituents present in acetone, methanol and aqueous extracts when scanned at newline254nm, 366nm and 410nm. The isolation and purification of the compounds resulted in newlinewhite crystals with melting point 140-146oC. The isolated compounds were further newlinecharacterized by UV, FT-IR, MS, 1H NMR and 13C NMR. Based on the spectral data newlineanalysis and chemical reaction, the isolated compounds were concluded as and#946;-sitosterol. newlineThis compound has not been previously isolated from the bark of Baccaurea ramiflora newlineand flowers of Elaeagnus latifolia. The pharmacological evaluation of the aqueous newlineextracts includes laxative activity of the bark of Baccaurea ramiflora and cardio newlineprotective activity of the flower of Elaeagnus latifolia. The findings revealed that oral newlineadministration of the aqueous extract of the bark of Baccaurea ramiflora produce a newlineVI newlinesignificant increase in fec