Scientific investigations over the years have indicated herbal preparations to be effective against wide range of diseases with little or no side effects associated with their use. Herbal preparations have very special features that differentiate them from other chemicals. The present study was carried out to investigate the anti-proliferative activities of ethanolic extracts of Sarcocephalus latifoluis fruit and Paulina pinnata leaf on radicle length of fast growing Sorghum bicolor seeds. The extracts were prepared at three concentrations of 1000, 2000 and 3000 µg/ml. The radicle lengths of seeds were measured at 24th and 48th hours of the experiment. The extracts produced significant anti-proliferative activity against the radicle length of the Sorghum bicolor seeds. The anti-proliferative activity of the extracts do not follow concentration dependent pattern. The extracts significantly slowed down the proliferation of the Sorghum bicolor at the applied concentrations. The anti-proliferative activities of the extracts were significant (P < 0.001) at the 48th hours of the experiment. The standard reference methotrexate produced significant (P < 0.01) anti-proliferative activity at the 24th and 48th hours compared to the extracts groups. The results of the experiment elucidate the anti-proliferative activity of ethanolic extracts of Sarcocephalus latifoluisfruit and Paullina pinnata leaf.

Simple, precise and economical UV spectrophotometric method has been developed for the estimation of Rosuvastatin in pharmaceutical dosage form and bulk. Method applied was area under curve (AUC) in which area under curve was integrated in the wavelength range of 234.60-251.00 nm. Calibration curves were plotted for method by using instrumental response at selected wavelength and concentrations of analyte in the solution. Linearity for the detector response was observed in the concentration range of 2-12 µg/ml for the method. Tablet formulation was analyzed and % assay determined was 98.35%-102.07%. Accuracy and precision studies were carried out and results were satisfactory. The results of the analysis were validated statistically. Limit of detection and limit of quantitation was determined for methods. The methods were validated by following the analytical performance parameters suggested by the International Conference on Harmonization. All validation parameters were within the acceptable range. The developed methods were successfully applied to estimate the amount of Rosuvastatin in pharmaceutical formulation and bulk.

The present study deals with the preliminary physico-chemical, qualitative and quantitative phytochemical investigation of three samples of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers from different geographical areas. The dried flowers were extracted successively with various solvents with increasing polarity and all the extracts were subjected to phytochemical screening for the identification of phytoconstituents. The results of qualitative examination revealed the presence of carbohydrates, proteins and amino acids, glycosides, alkaloids, polyphenols, saponins, phytosterols, fixed oils, gums and mucilage, flavonoids and resins. The quantitative analyses further substantiated the findings that alkaloids, saponins and polyphenols are present in the drug. Of significance was the total polyphenol content. The results obtained can be used for the genuine identification of the plant from its adulterants and subsequent screening for potent bioactivity.

Swertia chirata and Hemidesmus indicus have been used in traditional and folklore medicine for the treatment of several critical diseases and disorders. The present study was themed to preliminary pharmacognostic and phytochemical investigationsfor determining and establishing the identity, purity and quality of these plants. This will provide an appropriate guidance for future exploration. The plants were subjected to determination of various physicochemical parameters including ash values (total ash, water soluble ash) and extractive values (alcohol soluble extractive, water soluble extractive). The powdered crude drugs were extracted successively with various solvents with increasing polarity and the methanolic extracts were subjected to phytochemical screening for the identification of various phytoconstituents. The results of these phytochemical examinations revealed the presence of carbohydrates, glycosides, alkaloids, phenols, flavonoids and tannins. Thus various pharmacognostic and phytochemical characters observed in this study may help in standardization, identification and for carrying out further research on these medicinally valuable plants.

Toxicity testing is paramount in the screening of newly developed drugs before it can be used on humans. The essence of toxicity testing is not just to check how safe a test substance is; but to characterize the possible toxic effects it can produce. The guiding principles of toxicity testing is to check the effect of the test substances on laboratory animals and its direct toxic effect on human and secondly, the exposure of laboratory animals to high doses in order to evaluate its possible hazard on human that are exposed to much lower dose. The present article seeks to highlight the importance of toxicity testing in the development of therapeutic agents. Toxicity testing is of the following types: acute toxicity studies, sub-acute toxicity studies and chronic toxicity studies. Toxicity testing employed wide range of test in different species of animals with long term administration of drug, regular monitoring of physiological, biochemical abnormalities and detailed post mortem examination at the end of the trial to detect gross or histological abnormalities. Toxic effect of drug can range from negligible to severe as to preclude further development of the compound. The use of animal in toxicity testing is most likely to continue for the foreseeable future because of the benefits they offer in examining a whole functioning organism.

Extensive studies have been done to understand the patho-phyisology of epilepsy. Inspite of large number of antiepileptic drugs being available in the market, 30% of patients still suffer from epilepsy. Various experiments have been done to explore the association of dietary supplements in relieving symptoms of epilepsy and it suggests that dietary therapy shows important adjunct to the available antiepileptic drugs (AEDs). Therefore, this review discusses current status of various dietary supplements (amino acids, minerals, antioxidants, vitamins, ketogenic diet, Atkin diet and herbal therapy) and the probable mechanisms of their efficacies. This would be helpful in their development as future nutritional therapy for the treatment of intractable epileptic disorders

Pre-diabetes is a condition that comes before diabetes. Blood glucose levels gets higher than the normal (= 110 and < 126 mg/dl) but are not to be termed as diabetes. Management of pre-diabetes can be done effectively with the help of combination therapies. There are various features which are involved directly or indirectly as etiological factors for it such as heredity, age, obesity, sex, diet, physical inactivity, hypertension, socio-economic status, sedentary lifestyle and various stresses. For prevalence and treatment there are many ways such as drugs (modern medications), alternative systems like ayurvedic, diet, lifestyle intervention and recently spice therapies are seen useful and effective. Along with proper diet which contains variety of spices which proved as antidiabetic can be effective. In India Ayurveda (sanskrit word for “knowledge of life or living”) and other Indian literature mentions the use of various plants and spices. Spices used in day-to-day life as food, can also be used in the treatment of various human ailments. Spices also possess hypoglycemic effects besides their taste, flavor, colour and preservative property. Spices in diet are useful as they play role in the various body systems such as gastrointestinal, cardiovascular and nervous also. This review is focused mainly on the beneficial effects of spices in the management of diabetes. It utilizes the traditional knowledge and experimental scientific studies to support the use of spices in diabetes.