Melanoma skin cancer (MSC) is considered the most aggressive among all skin cancers due to its tendency to fast growth, metastasis, and high relapse rate. Although MSC is treatable if identified early, several side effects and aesthetic issues associated with its treatment impose a psychological burden and compromise patients’ quality of life. Thus, there is a dire need for primary prevention by adopting alternative remedies, which are accessible, safe, and cost-effective. The present review emphasizes the role of selected Ayurveda herbs, viz., Azadirachta indica A. Juss, Ocimum tenuiflorum L., Phyllanthus emblica L., Santalum album L., Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Hook. F. and Thoms., and Withania somnifera L. Dunal, which are long being utilized in the Indian traditional system to tackle diverse health problems in preventing MSCs. PubMed and Google Scholar were used to search various research articles on the anti-oncogenic and chemopreventive roles of Ayurveda herbs. This review emphasizes the beneficial effects of Ayurveda herbs so that the ordinary public includes these herbs in their routine to prevent MSC and other cancers. The available literature clearly states that these herbs are beneficial in preventing MSCs. However, the scarcity of clinical trials on these herbs warrants extensive research in this area to obtain an efficacious drug.

Melanoma skin cancer (MSC) is considered the most aggressive among all skin cancers due to its tendency to fast growth, metastasis, and high relapse rate. Although MSC is treatable if identified early, several side effects and aesthetic issues associated with its treatment impose a psychological burden and compromise patients’ quality of life. Thus, there is a dire need for primary prevention by adopting alternative remedies, which are accessible, safe, and cost-effective. The present review emphasizes the role of selected Ayurveda herbs, viz., Azadirachta indica A. Juss, Ocimum tenuiflorum L., Phyllanthus emblica L., Santalum album L., Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Hook. F. and Thoms., and Withania somnifera L. Dunal, which are long being utilized in the Indian traditional system to tackle diverse health problems in preventing MSCs. PubMed and Google Scholar were used to search various research articles on the anti-oncogenic and chemopreventive roles of Ayurveda herbs. This review emphasizes the beneficial effects of Ayurveda herbs so that the ordinary public includes these herbs in their routine to prevent MSC and other cancers. The available literature clearly states that these herbs are beneficial in preventing MSCs. However, the scarcity of clinical trials on these herbs warrants extensive research in this area to obtain an efficacious drug.

BACKGROUND: The documentation of ethno-medicinal claims is of significant value in drug research. The present study was conducted to document and validate the information related to the traditional uses of medicinal plants used by the local health practitioners of Hassan district. METHODS: In the present study, different local health traditions prevalent in Hassan district of Karnataka, documented during the medico-ethno-botanical survey program during October 2017 and March 2018, were presented systematically. The data were collected from traditional healers of the survey area through personal interviews using a prescribed format, and the collected information is validated by referring 22 books related to the classical literature, recent compilations from the classical literature, published literature listing home remedies, Sangraha grantha (compendium), and Nighantu (lexicons) related to medicinal plants. RESULTS: During the survey, a total of 16 folklore claims frequently used in treating 12 different disease conditions were documented. Among the 16 folk claims, two are used as veterinary medicines, and two are food preparations. Sarpa visha (snakebite), Vrana (wound), Raktarsha (bleeding piles), Bhagna (fracture), Jvara (fever), etc. are the most frequently treated disease conditions. About eight formulations are indicated internally seven are used externally, and one formulation is being used for both internal and external purposes. Leaves are the frequently used in different dosage forms such as paste, powder, juice, and poultice. CONCLUSIONS: Since the documentation of indigenous knowledge about medicinal plants is the need of the time, this article could serve as baseline data regarding the traditional claims in treating different disease conditions. The documented data can also serve as a base for developing new medicines by scientific studies.

BACKGROUND: Medico-ethnobotanical exploration is an important part of drug research, which provides information on the distribution, availability, and natural habitat of medicinal plants. The collection of specimens and photographs during the survey tours acts as the reference materials for the description and characterization of raw drugs and their botanical source to avoid adulteration and substitution. The present study aimed to explore the potential of the medicinal plants of the Almora forest division and their present status in the natural habitat. METHODS: Medico-ethnobotanical exploration was carried out in the Almora forest division of Kumaun Himalayan region in Uttarakhand, India, from July 2018 to February 2019. Almora, Someshwar, Mohan, and Jaurasi ranges of the Almora forest division were explored in different seasons during these surveys. During exploration, herbarium specimens and photographs of medicinal plants, preferably flowering or fruiting twigs, were collected with locality and GPS data. Plants were identified and also referred to the herbarium of the Regional Ayurveda Research Institute, Ranikhet, Uttarakhand, and the published literature. RESULTS: During these surveys, 204 medicinal plant species were documented with their local name and locality(s) with GPS location showing their distribution. Among the 204 identified medicinal plant species of this region, six species are found under the endangered and threatened category. CONCLUSIONS: There is an urgent need for the conservation of medicinal plants and their natural habitat for their perpetual existence. Further, medicinal plants having commercial potential should be cultivated by local inhabitants for their socioeconomic development.

BACKGROUND: The local villagers residing at Sadasivakona sacred grove are associated with medicinal plants and utilize many medicinal plants to cure ailments. Because of this, the present study was intended to document the traditional uses of medicinal plants used by local villagers residing at Sadasivakona—a sacred grove of Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, India. METHODS: The documentation of indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants used by local villagers of Sadasivakona sacred grove was carried out with a structured questionnaire. The documentation of indigenous knowledge was made by conducting several tours and personal interviews with their local dialect from 2019 to 2020. RESULTS: Sixty-seven potential medicinal plants belonging to 59 genera and 36 families were documented from Sadasivakona—a sacred grove of Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, India. For the preparation of medicine, leaves (49%) among the plant parts, paste (36%) among the form of medicine, internal administration (53%) among the intake of medicine, and cough (16%) among the ailment treatment were noticed as the highest percentages. Altogether, 41 types of ailments were successfully documented from the herbal practitioners of Sadasivakona sacred grove. CONCLUSIONS: There is no documentation on the indigenous knowledge of local villagers of Sadasivakona sacred grove so far. Hence the present study focuses on the documentation of perishing knowledge of this sacred grove. Among the documented plants, the therapeutic uses of 28 medicinal plants were matched with Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical database and 10 medicinal plants with Foundation for Revitalization of Local Health Traditions database. The documented information may be helpful to the pharmaceutical industries in the preparation of novel drugs.

BACKGROUND: Rasayana Vati (RV) is an herbal preparation containing Amalaki (Phyllanthus emblica L.), Haridra (Curcuma longa L.), and Guduchi (Tinospora cordifolia (Willd.) Miers) in an equal proportion. It is a useful formulation in Beejadushtijanya Pandu (thalassemia). Till date, analytical data are not available for this herbal preparation. The present study was aimed to generate analytical data of the RV for its quality assurance. METHODS: Pharmacognostical, physicochemical, and high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC) analysis was carried out at Pharmacognosy and Pharmaceutical laboratory, ITRA, Jamnagar. RESULTS: The presence of cork cells, starch grains, parenchymal cells, stone cells, pitted vessels, and collenchyma cells was the characteristic features observed in the microscopy of drug. Physicochemical analysis showed 3.7 kg/cm² hardness, 0.15% w/w loss on drying, 25.19% w/w water soluble extract, and pH was 6. HPTLC showed five spots at 254 and four spots at 366 nm. CONCLUSION: The results of pharmacognostical and pharmaceutical parameters have generated preliminary data, which could be used as fingerprinting of RV for future researchers.

BACKGROUND: The development of novel anticancer medications has been the most pressing necessity in recent years because cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. For more than 50 years, natural remedies have been acknowledged as powerful in the fight against many illnesses, including cancer. So in the current study, different similarity-based approaches were used to discover whether the bioactive present in Adansonia digitata has anticancer potential through similarity analysis and in silico docking study. METHODS: The chemotype similarity searching was done using KNIME using Tanimoto and dice (substructure) similarity measures against the molecules present in the CHEMBEL database having activity on the HepG2 cell line. After that, docking was performed against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2, which is responsible for hepatic cancer, using Pyrx AutoDock wizard with MGL tools 1.5.6 by using a genetic algorithm, and visualization was done using UCSF chimera. RESULTS: The study has shown that the bioactives present in Adansonia digitata have similarity with the anticancer molecules having activity against the HepG2 cell lines and the docking study revealed that the binding energy ranges from -0.72 to -10.32 (Kcal/mol). Smaller binding energies represent the stronger interaction of the molecules. CONCLUSION: Adansonia digitata has bioactives that may be an effective inhibitor against the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 and may possess anticancer properties.

BACKGROUND: In the present study, neuropharmacological effect of Sida acuta root extract was investigated by in vitro and in vivo experimental models. METHODS: In in vitro electrophysiological study, hippocampal slices of the albino rats’ brain were treated with three different concentrations of the extract (0.25, 0.5, and 1 mg/mL). Field excitatory postsynaptic potential slope (mV/ms) was assessed. In in vivo study, plant extract was given at three different doses (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg b.w., p.o.). Piracetam (200 mg/kg i.p.) was used as a standard drug and scopolamine (1 mg/kg, i.p.) was used to induce dementia in rats. The effect of extract was assessed using elevated plus maze and Barnes maze model. RESULTS: The in vitro result showed reduction in the amplitude of field excitatory postsynaptic potential slope after wash in the extract at 0.25 mg/mL, 0.5 mg/mL, and 1 mg/mL due to the partial blockage of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor. In vivo study reveals that scopolamine-treated rats exhibited delayed latency time in elevated plus maze and Barnes maze, as well as numbers of error were also increased in Barnes maze as compared to the control. Animals treated with piracetam and root extract (200 mg/kg) reduced the effect of scopolamine-induced dementia to a great extent. CONCLUSION: This finding reveals that Sida acuta root extract has cognitive enhancing activity.

BACKGROUND: Bhallataka Rasayana (BR), an Ayurvedic formulation, contains Bhallataka (Semecarpus anacardium L.f.) as the main ingredient. This ingredient is well-known for its anti-oxidant, anti-atherogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-reproductive, CNS stimulant, hypoglycemic, and anti-carcinogenic activities. Although it is an effective classical formulation, yet no published data is available on its stability. Therefore, it is the need of the hour to evaluate the shelf life of each formulation following parameters predominant in the concerned scenario. Here, an attempt has been made to determine the shelf life of BR through an accelerated stability study. METHODS: Following classical reference, BR was prepared in the Pharmaceutical Laboratory, All India Institute of Ayurveda, New Delhi. The samples were subjected to an accelerated stability study maintaining temperature and humidity of 40°C ± 2°C, and 75% ± 5% respectively. Relevant analytical parameters were performed at an interval of 0, 1, 3, and 6 months to check the degradation levels in the formulation. RESULT: Insignificant changes were observed in the organoleptic parameters, while significant changes were observed in some of the physico-chemical constants at different stages of analysis. Also, microbial contamination and heavy metals examination tests were found within the permissible limits. On extrapolation of the observations, the shelf life of BR is found to be 4 years and 4 months. CONCLUSION: The shelf life of BR exceeds the classical standards for confectionary preparations. Increased shelf life may be due to minimal ingredients and strict following of standard manufacturing procedures with proper hygiene maintenance.

Traditional food systems are well-adapted to local ecological, sociocultural, and economic conditions, making them well-suited for maintaining widespread food and health security. Indian Government has taken significant steps for providing food security and combating malnutrition over the past five decades. The Government of India has launched an Integrated Nutritional Support Programme (INSP) with a focus on practices that promote health, well-being, and immunity against disease and malnutrition. Poshan Vatika (Nutri-Gardens) proposed at the Anganwadi centers under INSP is an initiative toward the eradication of malnutrition and significantly contributes toward achieving the sustainable development goals.

Globally, traditional systems have experienced a resurgence in recent times. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 88% (170 of 194) of WHO member states report the use of traditional medicine (TM) among all WHO regions. Both in the governmental and private sectors, the Ayush system has grown significantly in recent years. However, there is substantial potential for further development and expansion in the Ayush sector. To promote growth and address difficulties that impede further growth, the Ayush sector needs innovations and research. This paper attempts to highlight the innovations that are necessary for the various potential fields of Ayush. It is essential to strengthen the Ayush systems further and increase opportunities and standards of various domains under Ayush to meet the current health needs. Essential areas for promoting innovations in Ayush include Education, Research, Clinical Practice, Health and Wellness, Public Health, Digital innovations and technologies, and pharmacovigilance. It is essential to create an ecosystem for innovation in these areas. There is a need for Ayush human resources capacity building, identifying young talents, and supporting them for innovations. Innovative ways that bring together Ayush systems and modern medicine can accomplish the promise of futuristic integrative health systems.