Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies

1 Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies Year: 2013, Volume: 1, Issue: 3. First page: (56) Last page: (74). ISSN: 2320-3862. Online Available at Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies Traditionally Used Anticancer Herbs In India M. Umadevi1, Kumar2, Debjit Bhowmik 3*, S. Duraivel4. 1. Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, India. 2. Coimbatore medical college, Coimbatore, India. 3. Karpagam University, Coimbatore, India. [E-mail: 4. Nimra Pharmacy College,Vijayawada, India. India is the largest producer of Medicinal Plants and is rightly called the "Botanical garden of the World". The Medicinal Plants , besides having natural therapeutic values against various diseases, also provide high quality of food and raw materials for livelihood.]

2 Considerable works have been done on these Plants to treat cancer, and some plant products have been marketed as anticancer drugs, based on the traditional uses and scientific reports. These Plants may promote host resistance against infection by re-stabilizing body equilibrium and conditioning the body tissues. Several reports describe that the anticancer activity of Medicinal Plants is due to the presence of antioxidants in them. In fact, the Medicinal Plants are easily available, cheaper and possess no toxicity as compared to the modern (allopathic) drugs. Thus, the various combinations of the active components of these Plants after isolation and identification can be made and have to be further assessed for their synergistic effects.

3 Preparation of standardized dose and dosage regimen may play a critical role in the remedy of cancer. The rate with which cancer is progressing, it seems to have an urgent and effective effort for making good health of humans as well as animals. There is a broad scope to derive the potent anticancer agents from Medicinal Plants , which need thorough research. Keyword: Wound healing, Wounds, Burns, Indian Medicinal Plants , Ayurveda. 1. Introduction situations including higher doses of Plants used in traditional medicine have mutagenic UV-radiation, physiological stood up to the test of time and contributed drought, desiccation and strong winds. many novel compounds for preventive and Plants interact with stressful environments curative medicine to modern science.

4 India by physiological adaptation and altering the is sitting on a gold mine of well recorded biochemical profile of plant tissues and and traditionally well practiced knowledge producing a spectrum of secondary of herbal medicine. Specially, Plants metabolites. Secondary metabolites are of growing at high altitude in Himalayan special interest to scientists because of their pastures are time-honored sources of health unique pharmacophores and Medicinal and general well-being of local inhabitants. properties. Secondary metabolites like As of today, Himalayan Plants are a major polyphenols, terpenes and alkaloids have contributor to the herbal pharmaceutical been reported to possess antimutagenic and industry both of India and other countries.

5 Anticancer properties in many Studies . The Plants growing at higher altitudes are fundamental aspiration of the current review subjected to an assault of diverse testing is to divulge the antimutagenic/anticancer Vol. 1 Issue. 3 2013 Page | 56. Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies potential of five alpine Plants used as food an important role in the life of humans and or medicine by the populations living at high animals. India is the largest producer of altitudesIndia is the largest producer of Medicinal Plants and is rightly called the Medicinal Plants and is rightly called the "Botanical garden of the World". Medicinal "Botanical garden of the World". The Plants have been stated[4] to comprise about Medicinal Plants , besides having natural 8000 species and account for approximately therapeutic values against various diseases, 50% of all the higher flowering plant species also provide high quality of food and raw of India.

6 In other words, there are about 400. materials for livelihood. Considerable works families of the flowering Plants ; at least 315. have been done on these Plants to treat are represented by India. Medicinal cancer, and some plant products have been properties of few such Plants have been marketed as anticancer drugs, based on the reported but a good number of Plants still traditional uses and scientific reports. These used by local folklore are yet to be explored. Plants may promote host resistance against Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems of infection by re-stabilizing body equilibrium medicine provide good base for scientific and conditioning the body tissues. Several exploration of medicinally important reports describe that the anticancer activity molecules from nature.

7 The rediscovery of of Medicinal Plants is due to the presence of Ayurveda is a sense of redefining it is antioxidants in them. In fact, the Medicinal modern medicines. Emerging concept of Plants are easily available, cheaper and combining Ayurveda with advanced drug possess no toxicity as compared to the discovery programme is globally acceptable. modern (allopathic) drugs. Hence, this Traditional medicine has a long history of review article contains 66 Medicinal Plants , serving peoples all over the world. The which are the natural sources of anticancer ethnobotany provides a rich resource for (malignant tumour) is an natural drug research and development. In abnormal growth and proliferation of cells.

8 Recent years, the use of traditional medicine It is a frightful disease because the patient information on plant research has again suffers pain, disfigurement and loss of many received considerable interest. The Western physiological processes. Cancer may be use of such information has also come under uncontrollable and incurable, and may occur increasing scrutiny and the national and at any time at any age in any part of the indigenous rights on these resources have body. It is caused by a complex, poorly become acknowledged by most academic understood interplay of genetic and and industrial to the environmental factors. It continues to World Health Organization (WHO), about represent the largest cause of mortality in three quarters of the world's population the world and claims over 6 million.

9 Cancer currently use herbs and other forms of kills annually about 3500 per million traditional medicines to treat diseases. population around the world. A large Traditional medicines are widely used in number of chemopreventive agents are used India. Even in USA, use of Plants and to cure various cancers, but they produce phytomedicines has increased dramatically side effects that prevent their extensive in the last two decades[6] . It has been also usage. Although more than 1500 anticancer reported [7] that more than 50% of all modern drugs are in active development with over drugs in clinical use are of natural products, 500 of the drugs under clinical trials, there is many of which have been recognized to an urgent need to develop much effective have the ability to include apoptosis in and less toxic drugs the plant kingdom plays various cancer cells of human origin.

10 Vol. 1 Issue. 3 2013 Page | 57. Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies Natural Products have long been a fertile the world to seek out effective treatments for source of cure for cancer, which is projected cancer, including the use of Plants to relieve to become the major causes of death in this and treat cancer patients. This treatment century. However, there is a continuing need makes use of the compounds naturally for development of new anticancer drugs, present in Plants that are known to inhibit or drug combinations and chemotherapy kill carcinogenic cells. An alternative to strategies, by methodical and scientific chemotherapy, which is the most common exploration of enormous pool of synthetic, means by which doctors and specialists treat biological and natural products.