Pharmacognostical Phytochemical and Pharmacological Screening for Bambusa Vulgaris Gramineae and Pandanus Odoratissimus Pandanaceae

Abstract

Despite the recent interest in molecular modeling, combinatorial chemistry, and other synthetic chemistry techniques by pharmaceutical companies and funding organizations, natural products, particularly medicinal plants, remains an important source of new drugs, new drug leads, and new chemical entities. It is evident that, natural products have played a vital role in drug discovery, by contributing a wide variety of phytochemicals for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, infections related with viral and microbial origin and other health disorders. After collection and authentication of the plant material, the plant materials were analysed for pharmacognostic and physiochemical parameters. Both Bambusa vulgaris leaf and Pandanus odoratissimus root material were studied for extractive value and found to be nearly equal. The alcohol soluble extractives for Bambusa vulgaris leaf and Pandanus odoratissimus root found to be 8 and 10 % respectively. Similarly the water soluble extractives found to be 11.1 and 12% respectively. For phytochemical study the dry leaf powder of Bambusa vulgaris and root powder of Pandanus odoratissimus extracted with different solvents was dried under reduced pressure and the average newlineextractive value was found to be 1.4% (hexane), 0.6% (benzene), 3% (chloroform), 1.4% (ethyl newlineacetate) and 6% (methanol) for Bambusa vulgaris and 2% (hexane), 1.8% (benzene), 3.5% (chloroform), 2% (ethyl acetate) and 8% (methanol) for Pandanus odoratissimus. In conclusion, methanolic extracts of Pandanus odoratissimus and Bambusa vulgaris were evaluated for different biological activities. Methanolic extract of Bambusa vulgaris was found to have significant antipyretic properties. Whereas, Pandanus odoratissimus exhibited potent venom neutralizing and antidiabetic properties. Its venom neutralizing activity confirms its traditional claim as an anti-dote. Whereas, its anti-diabetic activity was observed for the first time and good finding of present study. newline newline