        ◘    Database on Ethnomedicinal Plants of Western Ghats
        ◘    Survey on Usage, Availability and Utility of Traditional Medicines/ Formulations in Belgaum Region
        ◘    Museum for Ethnomedicinal Plants of Western Ghats
        ◘    Herbal Garden for Medicinal Plants of the Western Ghats Region
        ◘    Disease Survey in Belgaum Region: Hospital-based Study
        ◘    Herbal Care for Reproductive Health
        ◘    Screening of Antibacterial Activities of Medicinal Plants used as Antiseptic in Traditional Medicine

Database on Ethnomedicinal Plants of Western Ghats

Funded by: Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi

The present project is continuation of ‘MULTICENTRIC PROJECT ON SURVEY OF MEDICINAL PLANTS OF WESTERN GHATS’ funded by Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi. The extensive study of the Western Ghats was taken up by 5 centres each in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. All the centres followed uniform protocol and data collection sheets for this purpose. The participating Centres were:

● Survey of Medicinal Plants of Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu.
        P. I.                             : Dr. S. Ignacimuthu,
                                             Loyola College, Chennai
        Co-Investigator        : Dr. V.S. Manickam

● Survey of Medicinal Plants of Western Ghats in Maharashtra.
P. I. : Dr. (Mrs.) Usha Mukundan,
Ram Narayan Jhunjhunwala College, Mumbai

● Survey of Medicinal Plants of Western Ghats of Karnataka.
        P. I.                             : Dr. F.V. Manvi,
                                             College of Pharmacy, Belgaum
        Co-Investigator        : Shri B.C. Hatapakki

● Survey of Medicinal Plants of Western Ghats of Kerala.
        P. I.                             : Dr. A. Banarji,
                                             Regional Research Lab. Tiruvanthapuram
        Co-Investigator        : Mr. K.G. Sreekumar

● Survey of Medicinal Plants of Western Ghats of Goa and Gujarat.
P. I. : Dr. B.F. Rodrigues,
Dept. of Botany, Goa University

The Council designated Regional Medical Research Centre, Belgaum as the Co-ordinating unit. It was proposed to develop a ‘Database of Medicinal Plants". This survey documents 500 species of medicinal plants used by Traditional practitioners/healers in the Western Ghats regions to facilitate easier and proper retrieval of the available data.

This database gives exhaustive information for 500 medicinal plants used by traditional folklore practitioners of the Western ghats. The search options are based on botanical and vernacular names, diseases, parts of medicinal value and distribution. The primary information such as synonyms, family, description, parts used, medicinal uses, formulations, habitat, distribution, location, source and occurrence are given for each plant. The photographs of plants in the field as well as herbarium specimens are also included. Further, information on chemical composition, pharmacological activities, clinical trials and toxicology, if available, has been provided for each plant along with references. The database has been designed in such a way that, it is useful to common man, students, academicians, researchers, traditional healers and scientific community.

Database Structure:

Plants incorporated : 500

Search options based on:

Botanical Name
Vernacular Names
Diseases
Parts of medicinal value
Distribution

The Database has been released by Dr. V. M. Katoch Secretary, Dept. of Health Research and DG (ICMR), New Delhi on 5th Sep 2009. Efforts are on to bring this database to public domain by hosting it in the official website of the Council.

Survey on Usage, Availability and Utility of Traditional Medicines/ Formulations in Belgaum Region

Funded by: Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi.

Objectives of the study are:
1. Compilation of information on formulations prescribed by the registered practitioners of Ayurvedic systems and other Traditional Medicine in Belgaum district for primary health care as well as for treatment / prevention of some of the chronic diseases.
2. Collection of information from Traditional practitioners (non-codified system) of Belgaum district on all aspects like type of diseases treated by them, mode of diagnosis and method of treatment.
3. Collection and analysis of OPD records from Ayurvedic teaching hospitals and Ayurvedic dispensaries for generating baseline data from user’s perspective.

The survey is mainly based on three components:
♦ Data collected from two Ayurvedic teaching hospitals and from two Ayurvedic dispensaries
♦ Information collected from qualified and registered Ayurvedic practitioners
♦ Information collected from traditional practitioners in Belgaum district

About 200 prescriptions are being collected from patients attending two Ayurvedic teaching hospitals in around Belgaum.

For the second component, names and addresses of Ayurvedic practitioners in Belgaum region have been collected from various sources. These practitioners are being contacted personally for maximum compliance. Questionnaires are also posted to those practitioners, who cannot be contacted personally.

Information regarding traditional practitioners is being collected from various sources. These practitioners are contacted personally to collect information regarding the herbal medicines they are using for treatment / prevention of various diseases using the pre tested questionnaire.

Museum for Ethnomedicinal Plants of Western Ghats

        In collaboration with and funded by: Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha,
                                                                         Department of AYUSH, NEW DELHI.
    Objectives:

1.To provide scientific information on medicinal plants of Western Ghats and their usages
2.To create awareness on importance of medicinal plants/ ethnomedicobotany in health care and drug development
3.To improve knowledge on importance of Western Ghats as a biodiversity hot spot and conservation of medicinal plants
4.To disseminate scientific information on ethno- medicinal plants of Western Ghats

RMRC Initiatives:

A small museum has already been established in which a poster depicting the biodiversity of Western Ghats, other posters on importance of traditional medicine, more than 100 laminated photographs and herbaria have been displayed.

Activities of the proposed Museum:

* Collection of medicinal plants/ parts of medicinal value
Dry Drug Wet Drug Herbaria
* Authentication of medicinal plants/ parts
* Preparation of Digital Herbarium
* Display of photographs, herbaria and parts of medicinal value of important medicinal plants of Western Ghats with information on their traditional medicinal uses
* Collection and display of poisonous plants of the Western Ghats
*    Display of Charts:
        - Biodiversity of Western Ghats
        - Formulations/ plants used in ethnomedicine from Western Ghats
        - RET medicinal plants of the Western Ghats
        - Tribes of Western Ghats and their traditional medical practices
* Dissemination of Information
* Regular meets of native Vaidyas/ Traditional healers
*    Training courses/ Workshops:
        - Scientific identification of plants
        - Herbarium techniques
        - Propagation methods
♣    Museum of Western Ghats Photographs
        Plants have been used for prevention and treatment of diseases since time immemorial. Over the centuries, India had a fascination and respect for the natural heritage, traditional plant ethics and herbal medicine has become a part of our culture. This wealth of traditional herbal knowledge is diminishing with the advancement of modern medicine and due to rapid industrialization & deforestation. However, these traditional practices are still followed in deep woods and interior tribal areas of India. One such area is the Western Ghats, which runs majestically parallel to the west coast of India covering an area approximately equal to160,000 sq. km. It is amongst the 25 biodiversity hot-spots identified in the world, due to its rich and unique assemblage of flora and fauna. Among approximately 4000 flowering plant species of Western Ghats, more than 2000 plants are reported to be of medicinal value. Medicinal plants still play an important role in the primary health care of about 80% of World population in developing countries.

          However, the detailed information on ethnomedicinal plants of the Western Ghats is not available in one place. In view of this, a museum is established at RMRC, Belgaum, dedicated to the medicinal plant wealth of Western Ghats a step towards fulfilling this lacuna. The museum is established in collaboration with Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Sidhha, New Delhi. Primary goal of the museum is to illustrate and document the use of medicinal plants/formulations used by the local healers/ ethnomedicinal practitioners of Western Ghats, and to provide scientific information for each plant. The museum opens the portals of medicinal plant culture, one of the rich heritages of India and shall help in creating awareness about utility and conservation of medicinal plants. The museum shall serve as:

# Source of information for scientific community
# Authentication centre of medicinal plants of regional importance
# Nodal centre for traditional healers, public and herbal industry
# Place of knowledge to graduate and postgraduate students
# Centre of interest/ awareness for society and public interested in medicinal plants

        As a Coordinating Unit of Council's Multi-centric project on Medicinal Plants of Western Ghats, Regional Medical Research Centre, Belgaum, has already collated detailed data on 500 medicinal plants of Western Ghats from Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The Herbaria of 332 plant species and photographs of 318 medicinal plants have been collected and efforts are on to collect information on other medicinal plants of the region. A central poster depicting the biodiversity of Western Ghats, other posters, herbaria and more than 100 laminated photographs have already been displayed in the museum. Collection of plant parts of medicinal importance is under progress to develop crude drug depository. Work on establishing a database on “Ethnomedicinal Plants of Western Ghats” is also in progress.

Herbal Garden for Medicinal Plants of the Western Ghats Region

        In collaboration with: Kittur Rani Chennamma College of Horticulture, Arabhavi
                                               Funded by: National Medicinal Plants Board
                                               Department of AYUSH, NEW DELHI.

Objectives:

1.Cultivation and ex situ conservation of rare, endangered, threatened, endemic and important medicinal plants of the Western Ghats region
2.Create awareness and educate public about importance of medicinal plants and their conservation
3.Establishment of sustainable medicinal plants resource base
4.Developing propagation protocol for important medicinal plants

Work initiated:

Land development/ landscaping
Construction of Green House
Collection/ Cultivation of medicinal plants
Standardization of propagation/ cultivation techniques

Expected Outcome:

Ex situ conservation of rare, endangered, threatened, endemic and important medicinal plants of the Western Ghats region.
Supporting research activities of the Centre and neighboring institutes.
Create awareness and educate public by providing information on usage, cultivation and conservation of medicinal plants especially from Western Ghats region.

Work of Demo Herbal Garden in Progress

Disease Survey in Belgaum Region: Hospital-Based Study

Hospital records provides important information on health status of the population in a given region. Furthermore, careful evaluation of hospital records serves as an essential tool for decision making, early warning of impending health problems and for proper preventive measures.

One of the objectives of RMRC, is to study various diseases of regional importance. In keeping with this philosophy, a hospital-based study was initiated in collaboration with K.L.E.S Hospital and District Civil Hospital, Belgaum. Hospital records were evaluated from 2001 to 2004 and various diseases recorded were classified into various codes as per the International Statistical Classification. Data from KLES Hospital indicated that diseases of the circulatory system was maximum (20%) while for District Civil Hospital, code for certain infectious/parasitic diseases was maximum (11.1%).

Further, this study was also extended to evaluate the burden of infectious diseases on hospital services at District Civil Hospital, Belgaum based on hospital discharge records from 2001-2004. The results indicated that 5 sub-classification under infectious diseases contribute 93% of disease burden on hospital bed. Intestinal infectious diseases (44%) followed by TB (35%) were leading. Among intestinal infectious diseases, diarrhea and gastroenteritis contributed to 83%. Further, intestinal infections were leading cause of hospital admission for 0-4 years children. Study suggests that proper sanitary measures, supply of proper drinking water and proper awareness about DOTS can considerably reduce burden on hospitals.

It is decided to extend these studies in nearby regions to determine the pattern of diseases in neighboring areas.

Herbal Care for Reproductive Health

In collaboration with: Prof. G.R. Hegde, Department of Botany, Karnataka University, Dharwad.
Ethnomedicobotanical inventories are usually the first phase of studies on traditional uses of plants. This scientific documentation of herbal remedies has proved to be beneficial in the further multidirectional research including herbal drug development. The search of newer herbal drugs from natural plant resources especially from the tropical rain forest is the primary area of focus due to its rich biodiversity. The tropical rain forest in India, Western Ghats, is one of the 25 biodiversity hot-spots identified in the world. About four thousand species of flowering plants are known from the Western Ghats, 40% of which are claimed to be of medicinal value. However only 700 species of these are documented and few have been further investigated for their pharmacological activities. Thus to meet the urgent need of scientific documentation of plant wealth from Western Ghats of India and to facilitate their utility in drug development, the study was undertaken in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka state to document the plants useful in treating various reproductive disorders.

In all, 92 traditional healers, mostly from rural areas, were consulted for the study. Their localities were selected in such a way so as to represent the entire district, covering rural and tribal pockets of the study area. Each locality was visited in different seasons to collect the information about the seasonal plants. The data was collected through personal interviews and discussions with the local traditional healers based on pre tested standardized questionnaire. The plants mentioned were collected with the help of healer, authentically identified and their herbarium specimens were deposited in P.G. Department of Botany, Karnataka University, Dharwad for future reference and study.

During the study, 6 formulations, consisting of 9 plant species were documented for 3 male reproductive ailments. Similarly, 12 formulations incorporating 17 plant species were utilized for treatment of female reproductive disorders, mainly associated with menstruation. A total of 25 plant species have been reported for their curative properties in the area of reproductive health. Among these, 8 species are used to treat male reproductive disorders, 16 are used to treat females, while Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. is useful in both the genders. The usage of Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal to increase potency, Evolvulus alsinoides (L.) L. and Ocimum sanctum L. to increase sperm count has been reported. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis L. is used to treat spermaturia. The utility of this plant in the preparation along with Centella asiatica (L.) Urb and Hemidesmus indicus (L.) R. Br. is probably due to its cooling properties. The utility of other plants like Dracaena terniflora Roxb, Phyllanthes fraternus Webster and Cuminum cyminum L. in the treatment of spermaturia were also reported. Celastrus paniculatus Willd., Clerodendrum viscosum Vent, Gardenia gummifera L.f., Hibiscus rosa sinensis L., Ocimum basilicum L., Saraca asoca (Roxb.) Willd., Erythrina indica Lamk, Ixora coccinea L., Tabernamontana divaricata (L.) R. Br., Wrightia tinctoria R. Br., Ensete superbum (Roxb.) Cheesm., Mirabiblis jalapa L., Premna latifolia Dalz., Securinega leucopyrus (Willd.) Muell.- Arg., Zizyphus aenoplia (L.) Mill. and Diospyros montana Roxb. were reported for the treatment of female reproductive disorders.

The study demonstrated the higher utility of shrubs (11 species) than herbs (6 species), trees (6 species) and twiners (2 species). Roots were the major ingredients of herbal formulations in the treatment of reproductive disorders (14 formulations), followed by bark and leaf (4 formulations each). The utilization of seeds and whole plant was comparatively less (3 formulations each). Hence, cultivation and conservation priorities should be taken up for those plants in which roots are the main sources of herbal drugs, as the unscientific collection and exploitation may lead to their decline and eventually to their extinction.

Improvement of reproductive health is one of the thrust areas of Biomedical and Health Services research as well as of the Council. The present research will hopefully provide alternative treatment modalities in form of new herbal formulations(s) and may lead to identification of novel bioactive molecules for treatment of various reproductive disorders.

Screening for Antibacterial Activities of Medicinal Plants Used as Antiseptic in Traditional Medicine

During the ethnobotanical survey of Uttara Kannada district in Karnataka, more than 380 plant species/formulations were reported in traditional medical practices. Four plants namely Holigarna arnottiana Hook.f. (Anacardiacece), Ocimum gratissimum L. (Lamiaceae), Allophylus cobbe (L.) Raeusch. (Sapindaceae) and Centratherum anthelminticum (L.) O.Kurz. (Asteraceae) are widely used as antiseptic in treating cuts and wounds by the local healers. Hence these four plants were screened for their antibacterial activity. Solvent extracts (Chloroform, Acetone, Ethanol and Aqueous) of the plants were tested against four bacterial strains namely Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus faecalis in three different concentrations (150, 200 and 250 µg/Disk) by standard disk diffusion method. All the plant extracts showed antibacterial activity, among which extracts of Ocimum gratissimum showed highest antibacterial activity. Further efforts are on to find out the active constituent(s) responsible for the activity. This will help in finding effective herbal formulations with potential antibacterial activity and development of novel molecules for therapy.

Research Publications

1. Mesta, D.K., H.V. Hegde, V. Upadhya, G.R. Rao, G.R. Hegde & S.D. Kholkute (2009). Cassipourea ceylanica (Gardn.) Alston (1925) (Rhizophoraceae) in Karnataka. Journal of Threatened Taxa 1 (10): 530-532.

2. Rajesh K. Joshi, Chitra Pande, Mohd. H.K. Mujawar and Sanjiva D. Kholkute 2009. Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Acitivity of the Essential Oil of Anaphalis nubigena var. monocephala. Natural Product Communication Vol. 4, No.7: 993-996.

3. Vinayak Upadhya, Divakar Mesta, H.V. Hegde, Shripad Bhat and S.D. Kholkute. 2009 Ethnomedicinal Plants of Belgaum Region, Karnataka. J. Econ. Taxon. Bot. Vol.33 (Suppl.): 300-308.

4. Rajesh K. Joshi and Chitra Pande 2008. Essential Oil Composition of the Aerial Parts of Bupleurum candollii. Natural Product Communication Vol. 3, No.11: 1919-1920.

5. A.C. Naik, S. Bhat, S.D. Kholkute. 2008 Hospitalisation due to Infectious and Parasitic Diseases in District Civil Hospital, Belgaum, Karnataka. Indian Journal of Public Health Vol.52, No.3 July-September, 161-163.

6. Hegde H.V., Hegde G.R. and Kholkute S.D. 2008 Antibacterial Activities of Traditional Medicinal Plants Used as Antiseptic in Uttara Kannada District, Karnataka, India. Indian Drugs 45(6) June: 479-482.

7. H.V. Hegde, G.R. Hegde, S.D. Kholkute. 2007 Herbal Care for Reproductive Health: Ethno Medicobotany from Uttara Kannada District in Karnataka, India. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice 13, 38-45.

8. Hegde HV, Hegde GR and Kholkute SD. 2007. Screening for antibacterial activities of medicinal plants used as antiseptic in traditional medicine of Uttara Kannada district, Karnataka, India. Indian Drugs