Herbal drig technology

1. Study of following herbs as health food:
1.Alfa-alfa
2.Chicory
3.Ginger
4.Fenugreek
5.Garlic
6.Honey
7.Amla
8.Ginseng
9.Ashwagandha
10.Spirulina

2. INTRODUCTION
• Scientists and scholars are giving great attention to
discover the relation between dietary nutrients and
disease prevention
• A plant-based diet contains many non-nutritive
phytoconstituents, along with macro- and micro-
nutrients such as proteins, fats, carbohydrates,
vitamins or minerals necessary for normal
metabolism.

3. 1. Alfalfa
• Alfalfa (Medicago sativa and belongs to the family Fabaceae)
• Synonym- Buffalo Herb, Lucerne, Purple Medick, Purple Medical, and
Purple Medic
• Its dried leaf is sold as an herbal tea, tincture, tablet, or powder.
• Its leaves, sprouts, and seeds are used for treating various health
disorders.
• Alfalfa is native of South and Central Asia
• Fresh juice of alfalfa was used to treat kidney stones, and its root was
used in treating fevers and jaundice in traditional Chinese medicine
system

4. • USES –
• Kidney, Bladder, and Prostate Conditions: alfalfa acts as a diuretic, and
therefore is used for treating disorders of kidney, bladder, and prostate.
• Lowering Cholesterol: Alfalfa is a highly fibrous plant and also contains
saponins. Alfalfa reduces serum (blood) cholesterol levels due to the
presence of saponin which binds cholesterol with bile salts in the body.
• Neuroprotective Effects: In vitro studies performed in mice showed that
supplementation with alfalfa exert neuroprotective effects.
• Osteoarthritis and Rheumatoid Arthritis: alfalfa cures arthritis by reducing
inflammation and helping the body to maintain a healthy pH
• Diabetes: Alfalfa grass is highly fibrous, therefore it is believed to control
blood sugar levels
• Promotes Menstruation and Lactation: Alkaloids found in alfalfa seeds can
promote menstruation and lactation. Alfalfa is considered to be a
galactagogue.

5. • 2)Chicory
• Chicory (Cichorium intybus and belongs to family
Asteraceae) is herbaceous plant and is also known as Kasni
• It is grown all over the world, but Pakistan is the largest
producer
• Generally, it is grown along with some other plants like
lucerne (Medicago falcate) and berseem (Trifolium
alexandrinum).

6. • Chemical constituents:
• Major components of chicory are aliphatic compounds and
their derivatives, while terpenoids are the minor
constituents.
• Chicoric acid is the main chemical compound obtained from
methanolic extracts of chicory
• Its flowers contain saccharides, methoxycoumarincichorine,
flavonoids, and essential oils
• The blue colour of the perianth is due to the presence of
anthocyanins.
• Major volatile compounds of chicory are octane, n-
nonadecane, pentadecanone, and hexadecane

7. • Therapeutic properties:
• hepatoprotective, anti
inflammatory ,antioxidant,
sedative. immunological,
reproductive, cardiovascular,
hypolipidemic, anticancer, anti-
protozoal, gastro-protective,
• anti diabetic, analgesic,
anthelmintic, antimicrobial, wound
healing, and bitter tonic

8. 3.Ginger
• The generic name of ginger is Zingiber, which has
been derived from the Greek word Zingiberis
• Ginger is the rhizomes of Zingiber officinale
Roscoe (and belongs to family Zingiberaceae),
scrapped to remove the outer skin and dried in the
sun.
• It is known as Jamaica ginger in the market.
• Ginger has its origin in South East Asia
• More than 35% of the world's production of ginger
is from India.

9. • Chemical constituents:
• Ginger contains volatile oil (1-4%), starch (40-60%), fat (10%), fibre
(5%).inorganic material (6%), residual moisture (10%), and acrid
resinous matter (58%).
• Ginger oil is made up of monoterpenehydrocarbons, sesquiterpene
hydrocarbons,oxygenated mono and sesquiterpenes, and phenyl
propanoids.
• alpha-zingiberene, ẞ-bisabolene, alpha-farnesene, B-
sesquiphellandrene. and alpha-curcumene
• Its flavour, pungency and pharmacological action is inherited from the
phenolic ketones of oleo-resin (gingerols like shogaols, zingerone,
paradols, gingediols hexahydrocurcumin, and o-methyl ethers of
these compounds).

10. • Therapeutic uses:
• Used as a stomachic, aromatic, carminative, stimulant, and flavouring
agent
• Its powder is effective in motion sickness.
• Due to its adsorbent, aromatic, and carminative properties on GIT, it
enables adsorption of toxins and acid-enhanced gastric motility
• A methanolic extract of ginger has molluscicidal effects, and can also
control parasitic infections

11. 4.Fenugreek
• Fenugreek is an essential part of Indian spices and is used in food as taste
enhancer and also for various health benefits
• Fenugreek is dried seeds of Trigonellafoenum-graecum (and belongs to family
Fabaceae).
• Fenugreek has been grown in various parts of the world like India, Europe, Africa,
and United States
• Chemical constituents:
• Fenugreek seeds are steroidal saponinsTrigofocnoside A, B, C, D, E, F, and G,
trigonelloside C, and the other saponins found in fenugreek.
• Fenugreek seeds also contain glycosides of diosgeninFlavonoid compounds such
as quercetin, luteolin
• Fenugreek seeds are rich in 4-hydroxyisoleucine.
• Coumarin derivatives, such as trigocoumarin, trigoforin, 4-methyl-7
acetoxycoumarin, and p-coumaric acid, are also found in fenugreek seeds.

12. • Therapeutic uses:
• 1) Seeds and leaves of fenugreek show anticholesterolemic,
anti- inflammatory, antitumour, carminative, and
expectorant properties.
• 2) Leaves and seeds are also used as galactogogue,
hypoglycaemic, laxative, and uterine tonic.
• 3) From the fenugreek seeds a strong mucilaginous
substance is obtained, which is used for curing
inflammation and ulcers of stomach and intestines.
• 4) An alkaloid trigonelline, found anti cancerous properties.
• 5) A saponin, diosgenin, found in fenugreek seeds, is used in
the synthesis of oral contraceptives and sex hormones.

13. 5.Garlic
• Garlic is the fresh compound bulb of Allium sativum
(belongs to family Liliaceae).
• It is cultivated in India, Russia, USA, Italy, and Southern
Europe.
• Chemical constituents :-
• Minerals, vitamins, carbohydrates, amino acids, volatile
oils, and other trace elements are found in garlic bulbs.
• Garlic has the maximum sulphur content
• Diallyldisulphide, diallyltrisulphide, methylallyltrisulphide,
allyl propyl disulphide, alliin
• Concentration of volatile oils in garlic is about 0.1-0.5%.

14. • On crushing the garlic clove,
• Alliin (S-allyl-Il-cysteine sulfoxide) Alliinase 2-propene-2-sulfenic
• acid dimerization
• allicin (diallylthiosulfinate)
• Allicin (This compound imparts the pungent odour and also some of
the pharmacological activities to garlic
• Minerals like phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron,
selenium, germanium, etc. are also present in garlic, along with some
vitamins like B, A, C, etc.

15. • Therapeutic uses:
• 1) Analgesic, carminative, gastric stimulant, anticonvulsant,
antibacterial, aphrodisiac, and diuretic.
• 2) It aids in digestion and absorption of food.
• 3) It is used in the treatment of malignant tumors,
hypertension, atherosclerosis, tuberculosis, whooping cough,
piles, duodenal ulcer, epilepsy, diabetes, chronic bronchitis,
and bronchial asthma
• 4) It also prevents blood clotting, lowers cholesterol and
blood sugar levels, and boosts immunity.
• 5) Oil of garlic is used as an insecticide.

16. 6.Honey
• Honey is a highly nutritious product which is also used in
traditional medicine
• Honey is a sweet and viscid secretion of honey bee, which
is formed by various species of bees such as Apis dorsata,
Apis indica, Apis mellifera (and belongs the natural order
Hymenoptera and family Apideae) and is stored in the
honey comb.
• Honey is available in Africa, India, Jamaica, Australia,
California, Chile, Great Britain, and New Zealand
• In a honey comb, there is one queen or mother bee, under
whose command a large number of employees are
present, which are mostly sterile female bees
and some male bees.

17. • The main work of these employees is to collect nectar from sweet smelling
flowers from far and nearby places. The nectar mostly contains aqueous
solution of sucrose (around 25% sucrose and 75% water) and pollens
• Invertase found in the saliva of bees, converts the nectar into invert sugar.
Some part of this invert sugar is consumed by the bee for its survival and
the remaining enzyme, part is stored into the honey comb
• As time passes, the water in nectar gets evaporated, thereby producing
honey (i.e. around 80% invert sugar and 20% water). When the cell of the
comb fills up completely, the bees seal it using wax. Thus, bees preserve
honey for using it in off-season.
• Honey is collected by the removal of wax-seal using a sterilised sharp knife.
• The pure honey is obtained by centrifugation and filtering through a
moistened cheese-cloth.

18. • The professional honey collectors smoke away the bees at night,
drain-out honey, and warm the separated combs to recover the
beeswax.
• Honey contains moisture (14-24%), dextrose (23-36%), levulose
(fructose) (30-47%), sucrose (0.4-6%), dextrin and gums (0-7%), and
ash (0.1-0.8%).
• Small amounts of essential oil, beeswax, pollen grains, formic acid,
acetic acid, succinic acid, maltose, dextrin, colouring pigments,
vitamins, and an admixture of enzymes (e.g., diastase and invertase)
are also found in honey.
• However, the sugar concentration in honey differs from one country
to another as it depends on the source of nectar (i.e., availability of
fragment flowers in the particular region) and on the enzymatic
activity that controls the conversion of nectar into honey

19. • USES-
• It is used as a sweetening agent in confectionaries.
• Due to its demulcent properties, coughs, sore-throats, and
constipation.
• It is a good source of nutrient for infants, and convalescing patients

20. 7.Amla -
• This plant is mainly known for its fruit which is edible
• In India, amla is considered a sacred tree.
• Its fruit is very nourishing but it has Sour taste
• The fruits possess health benefits in both dried and fresh forms
• Amla consists of dried and fresh fruits of Emblica officinalis
(Phyllanthus emblica Linn and belongs to family Euphorbiaceae).

21. • Amla grows indigenously in tropical Southeast Asia, particularly in
Central and Southern India
• On a commercial scale, it is cultivated in northern states like Uttar
Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh
• The fruits of amla are a rich natural source of vitamin C, fat (about
0.5%), phyllemblin, and tannin (5%).
• They also contain mineral matters like phosphorus, iron, and
calcium
• Pectin is also found to be present significantly
• Around 75% moisture is present in fresh fruits.
• The fruits are dehydrated which do not affect the vitamin content
of dried fruits due to the retardation of vitamin C oxidation by the
tannins present.

23. 8.Ginseng
• The term ginseng is derived from the Chinese term
rénshen(Ren-person, shen- plant root).
• It is a type of herb, consisting of fork-shaped root,
resembling legs of a person Ginseng (belongs to family
Araliaceae) consists of dried roots of various Panax
species, such as:
• Panax ginseng (Korean ginseng),P. japonica (Japanese
ginseng)P. notoginseng (Chinese ginseng) and, P.
quinquefolium (American ginseng).
• Ginseng herbs are found in the forests of northern China
and North Korea. P. quinquefolium (American ginseng) is
grown in the woodlands of the eastern United States.
• This species requires humus soil and shade for best
growth

24. • Chemical constituents:
• Mixture of several saponin glycosides (belonging to triterpenoid group)are
found in ginseng which are grouped as follows:
• 1) Ginsenosides
• 2) Panaxosides
• 3) Chikusetsu saponin
• Therapeutic uses:
• 1) It acts as an immunomodulator
• 2) It is employed to enhance natural resistance (non-specific resistance)
and the power to fight the situation of illness or tiredness
• 3) It is enriched in stimulant and sedative properties
• 4) The extracts of ginseng are an aphrodisiac
• 5) The extracts are also used externally in cosmetics

25. • 9. Spirulina –
• Spirulina (or blue-green algae) is a cyanobacterium
• This is large and diverse group of simple, plant-like
organisms found in salt water and some large
fresh water lakes
• Spirulina can be consumed by humans and other animals
• Spirulina is a blue green algae, Spirulina platensis or
Spirulina maxima (family scillatoriaceae)
• Current world production of spirulina for human
consumption is more than 1 thousand metric tonnes
• Commercially it is cultivated in United States of America
• It is also cultivated in countries like Thailand, Mexico, India,
and China Net Protein Utilization (NPU) of spirulina is upto
62%

26. • Chemical constituents:
• Spirulina contains 50-70% of proteins, 11.36% of proteinous nitrogen, and
13.35% of total organic nitrogen (1.9% nitrogen from nucleic acids)
• Around 5-6% of lipid content is found in spirulina that mainly includes
essential fatty acids (vitamin F), composed of oleic, linoleic, gamma-
linoleic, palmitic, palmitoleic and heptadecanoic acids
• Around 40% of the fats have glycolipids including sulpholipids (2-5%) which
have significant anti-HIV activity
• Spirulina provides 8-14% of recommended daily Allowance (RDA) of fats In
spirulina, carbohydrates are mainly found in the form of glycogen and
rhamnose which are easily digestible and require less insulin
• Vitamin content of spirulina mainly includes natural B-carotene with 9- cis
carotenoid isomer having more anti-oxidant capacity

27. • Other vitamins present in the spirulina are B1, B2, B3, B6, B12 and Ex.
• Around 3-6% of spirulina is the mineral content in which iron is the
major element
• Iron present in spirulina can be absorbed easily
• A blue-green pigment, phycocyanin, boosts the general immunity and
used in lymphocytic activity against cancer
• In spirulina, enzymes are present in the form of Super
Oxide Dismutase (SOD)
• This enzyme gives free radical scavenging effects and plays an
essential role in pathophysiological conditions such as atherosclerosis,
arthritis, cataract, and diabetes.
• SOD enzyme is also used to relieve emotional stress and to slow down
ageing process.. Around 0.8% of crude fibres and 6% of ash are also
found in spirulina

28. • Therapeutic use of spirulina:
1) It shows immunostimulant activities as it stimulates the production
and activity of bone marrow stem cells, macrophages, and T-cells. It
also enhances the functioning of spleen and thymus gland.
2) In vitro studies on spirulina have shown that it increases cell nucleus
enzyme activity and DNA repair, and therefore shows anti-cancer
properties
3) Water extract of spirulina inhibits HIV-1 replication in human derived
T-cell lines and in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Calcium
salt of spirulina, i.e., calcium spirulan, inhibits in vitro replication of
various virus strains (e.g., HIV-1, Herpes simplex, Human
cytomegalovirus, Influenza virus. Mumps and Measles virus)
4) y-Linolenic acid of spirulina reduces cholesterol levels and also
shows appetite suppressing activity

29. 10.Ashwagandha
• It consist of dried roots and stem bases of the plant Withania somnifera belonging to the
family Solanaceae.
• The name “ashwagandha” is derived from two Sanskrit words: “ashwa” meaning “horse” and “gandha”
meaning “smell,” which roughly translates to “horse-like smell,” or “horse essence,” which could be a
reference to the traditional belief that the root provides the strength, character, essence, or stamina of a
stallion.
• Chemical Constituents –
• Withanolides (group of triterpene lactones)
• Crude fibre
• Starch
• Tannins
• Minerals such as K, Mn, Na, Fe, Zn, Cu, Al, Ca, Cd & Ni
• Total sugars
• Reducing sugars & non-reducing sugars
• Alkaloids such as isopelletierine, anaferine, cuseohygrine, anahygrine,etc.

30. • Therapeutic Uses -
• it controls cholesterol levels, increases fertility in men, reduces anxiety, relieves
stress, fights diabetes, controls hair fall, hinders, treat osteoporosis, rheumatic
arthritis, treats cancer, increases blood production, prevents seizures, aids in
muscle growth, stimulates the thyroid gland, reduces ocular diseases, anti-tumor,
anti- inflammatory and antibacterial properties etc.
• Ashwagandha supplements can prove beneficialfor those suffering with infertility.
• From improving your libido to facilitating the production of testosterone. Diseases
like Tuberculosis, Chronic upper respiratory diseases and HIV because of its
strong immune-stimulatory activity
• It is recognized as blood tonic, especially in gynecological disorders including
anemia and irregular menstruation.