Antioxidant and antifungal activity were determined for the essential oil of Alpinia calcarata Roscoe (Zingiberaceae) rhizomes. Its antioxidant properties were investigated by the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical scavenging assay and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay. Butylated hydroxy toluene (BHT) and vitamin E served as positive controls. Antifungal activ...

India has rich history of using plants for medicinal purposes. Curcuma species are well-known indigenous medicine. They are used for the treatment of various ailments and metabolic disorders. In Manipur, traditionally the rhizomes of Curcuma caesia Roxb. is used in treating leucoderma, asthma, tumours, piles, bronchitis etc. The paste is applied on bruises, contusions and rheumatic pains. Essen...

Aim : To study the curative effect of Sapindus mukorossi and Rheum emodi extracts in CCl4 induced liver cirrhosis in male rats. Methods : The dried powder of S. mukorossi & R. emodi was extracted successively with petroleum ether, benzene, chloroform and ethanol and concentrated in vacuum. The curative effect of the extracts of the fruit pericarp of S. mukorossi and rhizomes of R. emodi was stu...

Genus Iris is well known rhizomatous herb belonging to family Iridaceae and is represented by 260 species [1]. Iris species have immense medical importance in indigenous systems of medicine and are used in the treatment of liver dysfunction, inflammation, bacterial and viral infections [2,3]. Externally root in powder or poultice is used as an application to sores and pimples [2]. Rhizomes of I...

Turmeric is a spice derived from the rhizomes of Curcuma longa, which is a member of the ginger family (Zingiberaceae). Rhizomes are horizontal underground stems that send out shoots as well as roots. The bright yellow color of turmeric comes mainly from fat-soluble, polyphenolic pigments known as curcuminoids. Curcumin, the principal curcuminoid found in turmeric, is generally considered its m...

Athyrium haleakalae K.R. Wood & W.L. Wagner (Athyriaceae), a small lithophytic fern from East Maui, Hawaiian Islands, is described and illustrated. Notes on its distribution, ecology, and conservation status are also presented. The new species appears to be an obligate rheophyte, preferring sites of fast moving water along concave walls of streams and waterfalls. Athyrium haleakalae differs fro...

Lygeum spartum is a native species in semiarid Mediterranean areas that grows spontaneously on acid mine tailings. We aimed to study the suitability of this plant for phytostabilization. L. spartum was grown from both seeds and rhizomes in acid mine tailings with various fertilizer and lime treatments. Untreated soils had a solution pH of 2.9 with high concentrations of dissolved salts (Electri...

Two new species of Curcuma, C. sattayasaii A. Chaveerach & R. Sudmoon and C. zedoaroides A. Chaveerach & T. Tanee with rhizomes traditionally used for many decades as cobra-bite antidotes are described and illustrated. Curcuma sattayasaii is similar to C. longa L., but differs in rhizome horizontally branching on ground; coma bracts pinkish-white or pinkish-pale green; corolla pale yellow with ...

The current study was undertaken to evaluate the rhizomes of Polygonatum verticillatum against various pathogenic bacteria and fungi. Broad spectrum antibacterial activity was demonstrated by the crude extract of the plant and its subsequent solvent fractions; predominantly against Gram-negative bacteria. MICs of the extracts against Escherchia coli, Salmonella typhi and Shigella flexeneri were...

Progesterone was extracted from leaves and subterranean parts o f Convallaria majalis L. and quantified by radioimmunoassay. During the stage o f flowering the content o f progesterone in rhizomes was by a factor o f four higher than in leaves and by a factor o f ten higher than in roots, whereas five weeks later the level o f progesterone was unchanged in rhizomes and roots but was elevated in...