Quantification of toxic heavy metals, trace elements and essential minerals contents in traditional herbal medicines commonly utilized in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

Traditional herbal medicines and health supplements have been empirically used to treat various disorders but most of them are not standardized and have not been experimentally validated for safety and efficacy. In the present study, various dosage forms of traditional herbal medicines prescribed for specific diseases were collected from local practitioners at different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The collected samples were analyzed for heavy metal, trace elements, and minerals using atomic absorption spectroscopy. All the tested samples contained heavy metals, trace elements and minerals in different concentrations. All the samples were tested positive for the presence of toxic heavy metals such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb). The trace elements like cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn) and chromium (Cr) were also detected in acceptable range. Similarly, the samples analyzed were rich in some of the essential minerals such as sodium (Na), magnesium (Mg) and calcium (Ca) which are necessary for the proper functioning of the body. The hazard quotient (HQ) values were measured for toxic heavy metals to determine their safe ranges for human body. The HQ values were above the permissible range for arsenic (As) in all detected samples while for cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb), the values ware above in 50 % of the analyzed samples. The detection of toxic metals and their HQ values beyond the permissible limits in different dosage forms raised questions about their quality. This study suggests that evaluation of traditional herbal remedies for the metals contents and their standardization are strongly recommended for quality assurance and protection of public health.

A PROSPECTIVE PHARMACOLOGICAL REVIEW OF MEDICINAL HERBS, CUCUMIS MELO AND BERBERIS VULGARIS, COMMONLY USED IN THE TREATMENT OF RENAL DISEASES IN PAKISTAN.

The kidneys are important organs which have many functions in the body, including the production of hormones, absorbtion of minerals and the filtration of blood, producing urine. Their failure can be fatal, therefore, to focus the study of such herbs which may be useful in treating renal disease is the need of hour. In Pakistan, Cucumis melo and Berberis vulgaris has been commonly used for renal problems. In both of these plants were found flavonoids, alkaloids and terpenes, which may stand for their renal protective properties. Their reported vitamin E contents and antioxidant potentials also provide a base for their defensive mechanism, may be due to their free radical scavenging properties. Further, their diuretic and urinary tract anti-ulcer properties also support their traditional use in renal diseases. Their anti-histaminic and anti-cholinergic properties also provide symptomatic treatment by decreasing prostaglandin level and due to antispasmodic properties. Concluding, both of these plants can be used for renal problems, especially Cucumis melo, which have both the nutritive and medicinal properties. Therefore, the renal disease patients are advised to take much of this particular fruit, especially their seeds to make their kidneys healthy.

Report: Antibacterial and antifungal activities of leaf extract of Achyranthes aspera (Amaranthaceae) from Pakistan.

Alcoholic extract and various fractions of Achyranthes aspera leaves, traditionally used in Pakistan for treatment of infectious diseases was screened for in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activity. The chloroform and butanol fractions were found to be the most active among the fractions, showing considerable antibacterial activity against Shigella flexneri and Escherichia coli. The highest activity was found in the ethylacetate fraction (17 mm zone of inhibition) against gram-negative (Salmonella typhi) bacteria, with MIC value as 0.29 mg/mL. In antifungal screening, moderate activity was shown by the chloroform fraction (50 % inhibition) against Microsporum canis, with MIC value as 0.25mg/mL. Considerable level of antifungal activity was depicted by crude extract, hexane and butanol fractions against Aspergillus flavus and Microsporum canis. The ability of various extracts of Achyranthes aspera to inhibit different strains of fungi and bacteria indicates its potential use for the treatment of microbial infections.

Evaluation of anti-inflammatory activity of selected medicinal plants of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

In present study, the anti-inflammatory potential of three medicinal plants, Xanthium strumarium, Achyranthes aspera and Duchesnea indica were evaluated, using both in vitro and in vivo assays. Carrageenan induced hind paw edema model was used to carry out the in vivo anti-inflammatory activity, while for in vitro screening lipoxygenase inhibition assay was used. Crude extract of all the selected plants depicted significant (plt;0.001) anti-inflammatory activity, at late phase of inflammation. Achyranthes aspera also showed considerable anti-inflammatory activity (47%) at relatively lower concentration (200 mg/ml), at the initial phase of inflammation. Similarly the ethyl acetate fraction of all the selected plants showed significant lipoxygenase inhibition activity when compared with the standard drug (Baicalein). The results obtained from both in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory activity suggest that the ethyl acetate fraction of the crude extract of all the selected plants can be used for the isolation of new lead compounds with better anti-inflammatory activity.