Costus speciosus (Koen) J.E. Sm. plant and its extracts are used for treatment of fever, snake bites, jaundice, and as a purgative, astringent and antibacterial agent. In the present study, an attempt has been made to evaluate in vitro antioxidant activity of different extracts of this plant by DPPH radical scavenging activity, total antioxidant capacity, nitric oxide scavenging activity, ion c...

There are 300 known Saussurea species. Among them, Saussurea lappa (S. lappa) is a representative perennial herb, globally distributed across Himalaya region. S. lappa has been traditionally used in medicines without obvious adverse effects. Despite significant progress in phytochemical and biological analyses of S. lappa over the past few years, inclusive and critical reviews of this plant are...

Powdered leaves (500 mg/kg body weight) of medicinal plants M. indica and C. igneus known to possess therapeutic effect were supplemented to streptozotocin induced diabetic rats. Leaf powders of both the plants were able to reduce blood glucose levels in the animals by 38 and 21% respectively after 15 days of supplementation. The preliminary results suggest that both the plants possess potent h...

New megafossil and microfossil data indicate four episodes in the diversification of Silurian-Early Carboniferous land plants of South China, a relatively continuous regional record. Plant diversity increased throughout, but the rising curve was punctuated by three major falls. There were peaks of origination in the Ludlow-Pragian, Givetian, late Famennian and Visean and peaks of extinction in ...

The title compound, C(7)H(7)NO(3)·H(2)O, which crystallized as a hydrate, was obtained from an extraction of the plant species Saussurea atkinsonii of the asteraceae family collected from the hilly area (Ayubia) of Pakistan during the flowering season. The dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the carboxyl-ate group is 25.64 (5)°. In the crystal, the packing is consolidated by N-H⋯O and O...

The isolation of four novel acylated flavonoid glycosides from the roots of Saussurea lappa and their identification using a combination of 1D and 2D NMR and mass spectrometry is described. The in vitro antifungal and antibacterial activities of the isolated compounds and their mixture were tested on nine fungal and four bacterial strains, using the microdilution method. The compounds and mixtu...

The antidiabetic effect of ethanolic extract of Costus speciosus rhizome was determined. Various secondary metabolites were also identified and quantified by HPLC analysis. The antioxidant activity is determined by hydrogen peroxide and phosphomolybdate method. The animals were divided into four groups such as normal, diabetic untreated, diabetic treated with ethanolic extract and diabetic trea...

Costus spicatus (Jacq.) Sw. and Costus spiralis (Jacq.) Roscoe var. spiralis (Costaceae) are economically important plants due to their pharmacological and medicinal properties and ornamental value. These plants are natives from the Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest and are fed upon by Agaraea minuta Schaus, 1892 (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae). This study describes the damage done by A. minuta on C. spic...

Endophytic fungi are rich in species diversity and may play an important role in the fitness of their host plants. This study investigated the diversity and antimicrobial potential of endophytic fungi obtained from Saussurea involucrata KAR. et KIR. A total of 49 endophytic fungi were isolated from S. involucrata and identified using morphological and molecular techniques. Extracts of fermentat...