Physico-chemical analysis of some temperate Himalayan Swertia species (original) (raw)

Comparative thin layer chromatographic evaluation of some Western Himalayan Swertia species

2017

Swertia chirayita (family Gentianaceae), source of important Indian Ayurvedic drug “chirayita’’, is an imperative medicinal plant in Indian system of medicine known for its bitter principles. The bitterness in S. chirayita is due to presence of two secoiridoid glycosides amarogentin and amaroswerin. However, due to its high demand and scarcity, it is being frequently adulterated with other species of Swertia which are more readily available. Presently almost all the similar looking species of Swertia are marketed as ‘chirayita’ without any rationale which is affecting the potency of the drug. Present studies focused on evaluating Swertia chirayita along with its four common adulterants by developing TLC fingerprinting profile in petroleum ether, chloroform and methanol extracts employing amarogentin as a reference marker to distinguish genuine chirayita from its adulterants. The study revealed methanol soluble fraction of five Swertia species viz. Swertia chirayita, S. alata, S. ang...

Review on Swertia Chirata as Traditional Uses to Its Pyhtochemistry and Phrmacological Activity

Journal of Drug Delivery and Therapeutics, 2018

Swertia chirata (Gentianaceae), is a popular medicinal plant native to temperate Himalaya. The plant of Swertia chirata is found at an altitude of 1200-1300m, from Bhutan to Kashmir and in the Khasi hills at 1200-1500m. It also can be grown in sub-temperate territories between 1500-2100m altitudes. Chirata has an erect and about 2-3 ft long stem. Herbal medicinal plants are necessary for about for about 80% of the world population in developed and developing countries for their basic and primary health care required owing to better tolerability, superior empathy with human body and having lesser side effects. Herbal plants are considered as rich source of phytochemical ingredients. The main chemical ingredients are Swertiamarin, Amarogentin, Swechirin, Mangiferin, Sweroside, Gentianine, Amaroswerin, Oleanolic acid, Swertanoone, Ursolic acid. Phytochemical analysis divulges alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, glycosides, triterpenoids, saponins, xanthones and ascorbic acid in all sampl...

Chemical Composition and Pharmacology of a Medicinal Herb: Swertia Chirata

Internationale Pharmaceutica Sciencia, 2020

Swertia chirata is used as folkore medicine in the treatment of mental disorders ulcers, liver disorder, febrifuge, anthelmintic, antimalarial, skin diseases etc. Phytochemical screening of the extract prepared by soxhlet apparatus confirmed the presence of broader range of bioactive chemical constituents like steroids, tannins, phenolics, saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids, and glycosides. So, the present review based on whole literature available about the medicinal plant was designed to describe the whole work which is carried out about the Swertia chirata. We have also summarized the possibilities of carrying out of unexplored work on the plant in the future.

Pharmacognostic and Conservational Overview of Swertia chirata Buch.- Ham. ex Wall., A Critically Endangered Himalayan Herb

Background: Swertia chirata Buch.-Ham. ex Wall. is an endangered medicinal herb native to the temperate Himalayan region. The species holds immense ethnobotanical importance in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. The herb is known to host a plethora of bioactive phytoconstituents that imbue it with a wide variety of medicinal properties. Modern research has proven that extracts of S. chirata possess antioxidative, anticarcinogenic, antimalarial, anti-infl ammatory and hypoglycaemic activities. The present article aims at highlighting the medicinal importance of S. chirata along with a brief discussion about its bioactive phytoconstituents. The research work carried out for improving the germplasm conservation strategies for S. chirata have also been elucidated in this review. Methods: In-depth analyses of S. chirata have been performed to outline its phytochemical profi le in order to gain a better understanding about its medicinal attributes. Various techniques have also been applied for in vitro germplasm conservation of S. chirata. Result: S. chirata contains numerous potent bioactive compounds that contribute to its medicinal value. The unsupervised exploitation of natural reserves of S. chirata by pharmaceutical companies has driven the species on the verge of extinction, thus making in vitro germplasm conservation of the same essential. Conclusion: The importance of S. chirata as a cure for numerous ailments and health disorders has been welldocumented in traditional and modern medicine. The application of various modern techniques has not only allowed scientists to identify numerous medicinally important compounds present in S. chirata, but also created a platform for maintaining adequate production of this versatile medicinal plant species.

Medicinal importance of Swertia chirayita in Unani system of medicine

Background: Herbs orchestrate resurgence and vegetal awakening is supervened everywhere in the world. Medicinal plants always played an important role in the health development of mankind. Chirayita provides us new lead molecules for the development of drugs against various pharmacological targets. Plants included in this family are annual and persistent herbs or shrubs, indigenous to northern moderate stretch of the world. Objectives: Swertia Chirayita is well known for its medicinal and pharmaceutical importance. In this review studies I will wanted to explore the various pharmacological properties of Chirayta in Unani system of medicine. Methods: I searched Unani Pharmacopeia of India, Publication of National Herbarium Bangladesh, Bangladesh National Unani Formulary, ND Health facts & PubMed, internet data from inception up to 31March 2018 observational data relating to Chirayta with Unani system of medicine. Results: Evidence suggests that various listed of Unani Medicine formulated with the Swertia Chirayita among these few are tablet, capsule, syrup and semi-solid etc. Conclusions: Basically, Swertia chiretta is a conventional medicinal plant that used in Unani system of medicine. Farming of this very essential and endangered medicinal species should be promoted.

Phytochemical investigation of crude methanol extracts of different species of Swertia from Nepal

BMC Research Notes, 2015

Background: The genus Swertia is reported to contain potent bitter compounds like iridoids, xanthones and c-glucoflavones that are known to heal many human disorders. In contrast to high ethnomedicinally valued Swertia chirayita, its other species have not been studied extensively, in spite of their common use in traditional medicinal system in Nepalese communities. So, the present study attempts to investigate the content of total polyphenols, flavonoids, antioxidant activity and estimate the rough content of amarogentin, swertiamarin and mangiferin from different species of Swertia from Nepalese Himalayas. Methods: Whole plant parts of S. chirayita (SCH), S. angustifolia (SAN), S. paniculata (SPA), S. racemosa (SRA), S. nervosa (SNE), S. ciliata (SCI) and S. dilatata (SDI) were collected; total phenolic and flavonoid contents were quantified spectrophotometrically and in vitro DPPH free radical scavenging assay was measured. Thin layer chromatography was performed on TLC aluminium plates pre-coated with silica gel for identification of swertiamarin, amarogentin and mangiferin from those species and semi quantitative estimation was done using GelQuant.NET software using their standard compounds. Results: The phenolic content was highest in the methanol extract of SCH (67.49 ± 0.5 mg GAE/g) followed by SDI, SRA, SNE, SCI, SPA and SAN. The contents of flavonoids were found in the order of SCH, SPA, SRA, SNE, SDI, SCI and SAN. Promising concentration of phenolics and flavonoids produced promising DPPH free radical scavenging values. The IC50 values for the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging test was lowest in SCH (23.35 ± 0.6 μg/ml), even lower than the standard ascorbic acid among the seven studied species. A significant correlation of 0.977 was observed between the polyphenol content and antioxidant values. The TLC profile showed the presence of all three major phytochemicals; amarogentin, swertiamarin and mangiferin in all of the plant samples. Conclusion: Among the seven studied species, SCH showed anticipating results in total phenol content, flavonoid content and DPPH radical scavenging test. The less considered species of Swertia can be a potential source of bioactive amarogentin, and other useful therapeutic compounds in the alarming status of Swertia chirayita as shown by the phytochemical analysis.

HPTLC Fingerprinting of Swertia chirayita (Roxb. ex Fleming) Karsten from High Altitude Area of Western Himalaya

2015

To establish the fingerprint profile of Swertia chirayita (Roxb. ex Fleming) Karsten from the high altitude area of the western Himalaya using high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) technique. Dried and powdered plant material of S. chirayita was successively extracted with petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and methanol in the order of increasing polarity. The extracts so obtained were subjected to qualitative phytochemical screening and based on the presence and/or absence of phytochemical constituents HPTLC fingerprinting analysis of ethyl acetate and methanol extract were carried out using CAMAG HPTLC system. Preliminary phytochemical screening of the extracts showed the presence of alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolics, flavonoids, carbohydrates, glycosides, tannins, saponins and lipids in various extracts. Methanol and ethyl acetate extracts contained the maximum number of phytochemicals. HPTLC phytochemical fingerprinting led to the detection of altogether 21 compounds in ethyl acetate and methanol extracts. However, greater numbers of compounds were detected in methanol extracts as compared to ethyl acetate extract. The chromatographic fingerprinting revealed the presence and variation in the phytochemical constituents with change in the polarity of the solvents. Further studies are required for the quantification of the compounds in various extracts and evaluation of their medicinal activities.