RECENT ADVANCES ON THE PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL PROFILE OF PLANT HELICTERES ISORA LINN.

Abstract

In India, use of different parts of several medicinal plants to cure specific ailments has been in vogue from ancient times and inherited traditionally. The fruits of Helicteres isora Linn (Sterculiaceae) have been used in the indigenous system of medicine in India for the treatment of griping bowels and diarrheal diseases. The roots and the bark are expectorant, demulcent, hypoglycemic and useful in colic, scabies, gastropathy, diabetes, diarrhoea and dysentery. The fruits are astringents, refrigerant, stomachic, vulnerary and useful in griping of bowels, flatulence of children and antispasmodic. The barks of H.isora showed prominent antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli and fruits against Candida albicans. The presence of flavones, triterpenoids, cucurbitacin, phytosterols, saponins, sugars and phlobatannins were demonstrated in roots and barks H.isora

1. The use of medicinal plants in India contributes significantly in primary health care and it is interesting to determine whether actual pharmacological effects support the traditional uses or merely based on folklore. The review revealed that the fruits of H.isora L. were used in diarrhoeal infection and it is anti- candidial but so far no information on antibacterial activities of fruits of H. isora is available hence, attempt was made to find out phytochemical contents and antibacterial potentials of fruits of H.isora against diarrhoeal/enteric bacterial pathogens.