@article {362, title = {Review on Polygonum minus. Huds, a commonly used food additive in Southeast Asia}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {7}, year = {2015}, month = {December 2014}, pages = {1-6}, type = {Review article}, chapter = {1}, abstract = {

Polygonum minus (Polygonaceae), generally known as {\textquoteleft}kesum{\textquoteright} in Malaysia is among the most commonly used food additive, flavoring agent and traditionally used to treat stomach and body aches. Raw or cooked leaves of P. minus are used in digestive disorders in the form of a decoction and the oil is used for dandruff. The pharmacological studies on P. minus have demonstrated antioxidant, in vitro LDL oxidation inhibition, antiulcer activity, analgesic activity, anti-inflammatory activity, in vitro antiplatelet aggregation activity, antimicrobial activity, digestive enhancing property and cytotoxic activity. The spectroscopic studies of essential oil of P. minus showed the presence of about 69 compounds, which are responsible for the aroma. The phytochemical studies showed presence of flavonoids and essential oils. This review is an effort to update the botanical, phytochemical, pharmacological and toxicological data of the plant P. minus.

}, keywords = {Antioxidant, Antiulcer, Phytoconstituents, Polygonum.}, doi = {10.4103/0974-8490.147125}, author = {Parayil Varghese Christapher and Subramani Parasuraman and Josephine Maria Arokiaswamy Christina and Mohd. Zaini Asmawi and Murugaiyah Vikneswaran} } @article {737, title = {The Effect of Extracts of Andrographis paniculata Aerial Parts on Rat Thoracic Aorta}, journal = {Pharmacognosy Research}, volume = {1}, year = {2009}, month = {January 2010 }, pages = {60-65}, type = {Original Article}, chapter = {60}, abstract = {

Andrographis paniculata (AP), (Burf.) Nees. of Acanthaceae, has been used for centuries in Asia to treat GI tract and upper respiratory tract infections, fever, herpes, sore throat, and a variety of other chronic and infectious diseases. AP has cardio protective property and is familiarly known as "King of Bitters". The present study was aimed to investigate the vasorelaxant effect of different solvent extracts of AP on rat thoracic aorta. Petroleum ether, chloroform, and methanol extracts of AP are used in this study. Experiments are performed on male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats for possible vasorelaxing activity of AP. Cumulative dose response curves are recorded by using isometric force displacement transducer Model FT-03 and it is connected to Grass Polygraph Model 79D. Additionally, HPLC study of chloroform extract of AP is conducted and compared with commercially available standard andrographolide. Petroleum ether and chloroform extract of AP is first suspended in 1\% (v/v) DMSO then volume made up with Krebs solution. The average of responses to each concentration of the agonist is plotted on the ordinate the logarithm of the concentration of the agonist on the abscissa. Among all these extracts of AP, chloroform extract 80 and 160 9g/mL is found to be the highly significant (P\<0.001) vasorelaxant effect on norepinephrine induced contraction on rat thoracic aortic ring preparations.

}, keywords = {Andrographis paniculata, Norepinephrine, Rat aorta, Vasorelaxant}, doi = {Nil}, author = {S. Raghava Naidu and Amirin Sadikun and Mohd. Zaini Asmawi} }