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Morphology:
Large shrub, tender parts grey pubescent. Leaf: Opposite, digitately 3-5
foliolate, leaflets lanceolate, acuminate tip, entire margin, green
above, grey pubescent beneath. Flower: Blue in terminal thyrosoid, grey
pubescent panicle; Fruit: Ovoid drupes, 1 cm long black when ripe. |
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Ayurvedic
Pharmacodynamic properties: |
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Rasa |
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Katu (pungent), Tikta (bitter) |
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Guna |
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Laghu (Ruksha), Ruksha (dry) |
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Virya |
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Ushna (Hot) |
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Vipaka |
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Katu (pungent) |
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Doshakarma |
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Kapha-Vata Shamaka |
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Useful parts |
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Leaves, seeds and root bark. |
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Medicinal uses |
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It is acrid, bitter, heating, astringent,
stomachic, cephalic, anthelmintic and useful in treatment of leucoderma,
consumption, inflammations, eye diseases, spleen enlargement,
bronchitis, asthma, biliousness, painful teething of children etc.
It has germicidal properties. It is easily digestible and can cure
morbid vata and kapha and used in arthritis, cephalgia, otalgia,
inflammatory, glandular and rheumatic swellings, intestinal worms,
fever, ulcers, skin diseases, nervous disorders and leprosy. |
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Dose |
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Swarasa (juice) 10-20 ml; churna (powder) 3-6 gm |
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Important formulations |
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Nirgundi Taila. |
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Home remedies:
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In cold, its decoction 20ml should be used along with 1 gm Pippali and
250 mg Vacha.
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In pneumonitis, Swarasa of its leaves 10 ml is so beneficial along
with gm Pippali.
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Its paste on affected site is painkiller and anti-inflammatory.
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Recent studies:
1:
Indian J Med Res. 2006
Oct;124(4):447-50.
Vitex negundo Linn (VN)
leaf extract as an adjuvant therapy to standard anti-inflammatory drugs.
Tandon VR, Gupta RK. Postgraduate Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics,
Government Medical College, Jammu, India.
The sub-effective dose
of VN potentiated anti-inflammatory activity of phenlbutazone and ibuprofen
significantly in carrageenin induced hind paw oedema and cotton pellet
granuloma models. The potentiation of anti-inflammatory activities
phenlbutazone and ibuprofen by VN indicates that it may be useful as an
adjuvant therapy along with standard antiinflammatory drugs. PMID: 17159267
[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
2: Bioorg Med
Chem Lett. 2007 Jan 1;17(1):239-42. Epub 2006 Oct 5.
New antifungal flavonoid
glycoside from Vitex negundo.
Sathiamoorthy B, Gupta P, Kumar M, Chaturvedi AK, Shukla PK, Maurya R.
Medicinal and Process Chemistry Division, Central Drug Research Institute,
Lucknow 226 001, India.
Flavonoids are ubiquitous in photosynthesizing cells and are common part of
human diet. For centuries, preparations containing these compounds as the
principal physiologically active constituents have been used to treat human
diseases. Increasingly, this class of natural products is becoming the
subject of anti-infective research. Our bioactivity guided fractionation of
ethanolic extract of leaves of Vitex negundo resulted in the isolation of
new flavone glycoside (4) along with five known compounds 1-3, 5 and 6. All
the isolated compounds were evaluated for their antimicrobial activities.
The new flavone glycoside 4 and compound 5 were found to have significant
antifungal activity against Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Cryptococcus
neoformans at MIC 6.25 microg/ml. PMID: 17027268 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
3: J
Ethnopharmacol. 2006 Mar 8;104(1-2):129-31. Epub 2005 Oct 25.
Comparative
anti-hyperglycemic potentials of medicinal plants.
Villasenor IM, Lamadrid MR. Natural Products Research Laboratory, Institute
of Chemistry, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City 1101,
Philippines. irene.villasenor@up.edu.ph
Validation of the ethnobotanical use of the leaves of Artemisia vulgaris
Linn. (Compositae), Eucalyptus tereticornis Sm. (Myrtaceae), Solanum nigrum
Linn. (Solanaceae), and Vitex negundo Linn. (Verbenaceae); stems of Nopalea
cochinellifera (Linn.) Salm-Dyck (Cactaceae); roots of Imperata cylindrica
Beauv. (Gramineae); dried bark of Syzygium cumini (Linn.) Skeels (Myrtaceae)
as anti-diabetic agents using the oral glucose tolerance test showed that
only the bark of Syzygium cumini and the leaves of Vitex negundo and
Eucalyptus tereticornis exhibited anti-hyperglycemic activities when fed
simultaneously with glucose. At the same dosages of 5 mg/20 g mouse,
Syzygium cumini-treated mice showed a significant decrease in blood glucose
levels (BGLs) at 30 min (alpha=0.10) and from 45 min onwards at alpha=0.05.
Vitex negundo exhibited greater anti-hyperglycemic activity than Eucalyptus
tereticornis. Both showed a significant decrease in BGLs at 60 min but at
alpha=0.05 for Vitex negundo and at alpha=0.07 for Eucalyptus tereticornis.
There was no significant lowering in BGLs for Imperata cylindrica and
Solanum nigrum while there was even an increase in BGLs for Nopalea
cochinellifera and Artemisia vulgaris. PMID: 16253452 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
4: Indian J
Physiol Pharmacol. 2005 Apr;49(2):199-205.
An experimental
evaluation of anticonvulsant activity of Vitex-negundo.
Tandon VR, Gupta RK. Post Graduate Department of Pharmacology &
Therapeutics, Govt. Medical College, Jammu 180 001. dr_vishaltandon@yahoo.com
Maximal electroshock
seizures (MES) in albino rats and pentylenetetarazole (PTZ) induced seizures
in albino mice were used to study anticonvulsant activity of Vitex-negundo
leaf extract. The ethanolic leaf extract of Vitex-negundo was administered
orally in graded doses (250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg p.o) in both the
experimental models and the effects were compared with diphenylhydantoin in
MES method and valporic acid in PTZ induced seizures method as standard
control respectively. The Vitex-negundo in the doses (250, 500 and 1000
mg/kg, p.o) did not show protection against MES to any significant extent
but significant post-ictal depression was observed in the dose of 1000 mg/kg
body weight in comparison to control. However, sub-protective dose of test
drug (100 mg/ kg, p.o) potentiated the anticonvulsant action of
diphenylhydantoin. The test drug in the dose (1000 mg/kg, po) showed 50%
protection in clonic seizures and 24-hour mortality against PTZ induced
seizures. It also decreased number and duration of convulsions
significantly. Vitex-negundo potentiated anticonvulsant activity of valporic
acid. The anticonvulsant activity of Vitex-negundo has not been found equi-effective
with standard drugs. These findings suggest that Vitex-negundo possesses
anticonvulsant activity particularly against PTZ induced convulsions.
Moreover, the potentiation of diphenylhydantoin and valporic acid by
Vitex-negundo indicates that it may be useful as an adjuvant therapy along
with standard anticonvulsants and can possibly lower the requirement of
diphenylhydantoin and valporic acid. PMID: 16170989 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
5: Indian J
Physiol Pharmacol. 2005 Apr;49(2):163-70.
Antinociceptive activity
of Vitex-negundo Linn
leaf extract. Gupta RK,
Tandon VR. Department of Pharmacology, M.G.I.M.S. (Sevagram), Wardha
442 102.
Tail flick test in rats
and acetic acid induced writhing in mice were employed to study the
antinociceptive activity of ethanolic leaf extract of Vitex-negundo (VN)
(100, 250 and 500 mg/kg, p.o). The effect was compared with meperidine (40
mg/kg, sc) in tail flick method and aspirin (50 mg/kg, p.o) in writhing test
as a standard control respectively. An interaction with naloxone
hydrochloride was also studied in tail flick method for its mechanism of
central analgesic action. The test drug showed significant analgesic
activity in dose dependant manner in both the experimental models. In
comparison to standard drug (meperidine), more than ten times dose of VN
extract was required to produce comparable significant antinociceptive
activity. The sub-effective dose (5 mg/kg, po) of VN potentiated the
analgesic activity of meperidine (4 mg/kg, sc) and aspirin (25 mg/kg, po).
Naloxone (1 mg/kg, sc) did not reverse the analgesic effect of VN extract.
Our observations suggest that VN possesses both central and peripheral
analgesic activity. The central analgesic action does not seem to be
mediated through opioid receptors. It, may prove to be a useful adjuvant
therapy along with standard analgesic drug. PMID: 16170984 [PubMed - indexed
for MEDLINE]
6:
Phytother Res. 2004
Jan;18(1):8-13.
Reproduction in male
rats is vulnerable to treatment with the flavonoid-rich seed extracts of
Vitex negundo.
Das S, Parveen S, Kundra CP, Pereira BM. Department of Biotechnology, Indian
Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee - 247 667, Uttaranchal, India.
A partially purified
flavonoid-rich extract was prepared from the seed of Vitex negundo. The
effect of this extract on the reproductive system of male rats was
investigated at four different concentrations. All the major accessory sex
organs shed weight when the preparation was administered at doses of >or=15
mg/rat/day after 15 days of treatment. The drop in weight was also reflected
in disturbed tissue biochemistry. Secretory products such as citric acid in
the prostate, fructose in seminal vesicles and epididymal alpha-glucosidase
activity, indices of accessory sex organ function in males, diminished.
Microscopic examination of the sperm derived from the cauda epididymides of
treated animals showed only a marginal change in vitality. However, sperm
numbers dwindled and slackness in their motility was observed, factors that
may impede fertility. Toxicity testing in blood did not point to distress in
any of the vital organs. Taken together, it is inferred that the seed
extracts of V. negundo interfere with male reproductive function without
producing adverse toxicity in other vital organs. Copyright 2004 John Wiley
& Sons, Ltd. PMID: 14750193 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Summary:
Recent studies show that nirgundi has thermogenic, anthelmithitic,
expectorant, carminative, anticonvulsant, anti-hyperglycemic and analgesic
properties. It is also evaluated for its anitinflammatory activity and the
potentiation of anti-inflammatory activities phenlbutazone and ibuprofen by
V. Negundo indicates that it may be useful as an adjuvant therapy along with
standard antiinflammatory drugs. In other study the new flavone glycosides
were found to have significant antifungal activity.
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