EUCALYPTUS
Eucalyptus globulus is a shrubby plant or a flowering tree belonging to the family Myrtaceae. It is repeatedly well known as southern blue gum; it is a very huge and indestructible tree.
Genus eucalyptus is known to contain more than 700 species and has widely been used for various purposes since thousands of years in the history of mankind. Eucalyptus globulus can be grown in a variety of climatic conditions and environmental modifications but the best-known optimum conditions are evident to be found in countries having warmer climates. Eucalyptus is preferably found in Albania, Tunisia, Argentina, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Brunei, Eritrea, Greece, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Italy, Israel, Laos, Kenya, Malaysia, Myanmar, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Nepal, Pakistan, Spain, Philippines, Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania, Thailand, Malta and United Kingdom. Eucalyptus is basically native to Tunisia and Australia but has also been evident to be found in Africa and from tropical to southern temperate regions of America. The soil type grows best on deep, silty or loamy soils with a clay base and accessible water table. It is one of the species found to be most tolerated to acid soils and soils optimum pH ranges from 5.5 to 6.5.
Genus eucalyptus further consists of four subspecies which are Eucalyptus bicostata, Eucalyptus pseudoglobulus, Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus maidenii among which Eucalyptus globulus is a medium to large sized evergreen and broadleaf tree that can grow upto the height of 70 m and its diameter can be about 4 to 7 feet.
The appearance of eucalyptus bark varies with the age of the plant, the manner of the bark shed, the length of the bark fibers, the degree of furrowing, the thickness, the hardness and the colour. All mature trees put on an annual layer of bark, which contributes to the increasing diameter of the stems. Bark consists of long fibers and can be pulled off in long pieces, is hard rough and deeply furrowed, bark is broken up into many distinct flakes, has short fibers, this has the bark coming off in long thin pieces but still loosely attached in some places. The bark of the tree is hard, rough and deeply furrowed. It is soaked with dried sap exuded by the tree which gives it a dark red or black coloration.
The fruit looks like cone shaped woody capsules called “gum nuts”, distinctive for the genus and fruiting period of autumn and winter. The seed morphology of Eucalyptus globulus is extremely variable. Shape, size, colour and surface ornamentation are strongly inherited traits and indicative of taxonomic groups. The primitive cotyledon shape is reniform and this form of cotyledon occurs widely in the genus. The extreme modification is the bisected cotyledon formed by emargination, resulting in a Y-shaped structure. A large number of species have cotyledons shaped between these extremes and are usually described as bilobed, although the distinction between the bilobed and the reniform is often blurred.
The smell of the eucalyptus globulus leaf has a mint like smell; it has vibrant, spicy and a cooling taste. There are various concentrations of minerals. The essential oil which is secreted from the eucalyptus they are colourless it has distinctive taste and odour. They are also highly flammable and these oils contain compounds which are natural disinfectants and pest deterrents.
Different parts of this plant are nutritionally very important and therapeutically highly valuable due to specific chemical composition as its essential oil contains esters, ethers, carboxylic acids, ketones, aldehydes, alcohols and hydrocarbons along with monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes.
Phytochemical analysis of eucalyptus:
Phytochemical analysis of this plant has revealed that leaf oil contain 1,8-cineole, α-pinene, p-cymene, cryptone and spathulenol. In contrast, essential oil extracted from buds, branches and fruits constitutes α-thujene, 1,8-cineole and aromadendrene as major components. Due to these chemical compounds, Eucalyptus glabrous is found to be a potential antimicrobial, anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anti-nociceptive and anti-oxidant agent of nature.
HONEY
Honey is the natural sweet, viscous substance produced by honeybees from the nectar of blossoms or from the secretion of living parts of plants or excretions of plant sucking insects on the living parts of plants, which honey bees collect, transform and combine with specific substances of their own, store and leave in the honeycomb to ripen and mature.
It is the simplest and often the best way to soothe a sore throat and it can be taken at any time. Much of the therapeutic properties of honey are due to the high sugar concentration and the resulting osmotic effect, low PH and acidity, and due to hydrogen peroxide generated from the oxidative conversion of glucose to gluconic acid by glucose oxidase upon dilution. Studies indicate that hydrogen peroxide takes the biggest credit for the medicinal value of honey. Honey contains vitamins and phenolic compounds in trace quantities. Some of the phenolic compounds in honey responsible for antioxidant effect are flavonols, flavones, flavonones, benzoic and cinnamic acids. The fact that honey is naturally a concentrated sugar solution gives its characteristic physical properties such as high grade viscosity, stickiness, sweetness, relatively high density, tendency to absorb moisture from the air, and immunity from spoilage.
Biological Source; Honey is a viscid and sweet secretion stored in the honey comb by various species of bees, such as Apismellifera, Apisdorsata, Apisflorea, Apisindica and other species of Apis, belonging to family Apideae (Order: Hymenotera).
Geographical Source; Honey is available in abundance in Africa, India, Jamaica, Australia, California, Chili, Great Britain and New Zealand. Collection and Preparation; The nectar of the flowers is a watery solution containing 25% sucrose and 75% water. The worker bee sucks this nectar through its hollow tube of mouth (proboscis) and deposits in honey-sac located in abdomen. The enzyme invertase present in saliva of the bee converts nectar into invert sugar, which is partially utilized by the bee and the remaining is deposited into honey comb. Honey comb is smoked to remove the bees and honey is obtained by applying the pressure to it or allowing it to drain naturally. The honey of commerce is heated to 80°C and allowed to stand.
The impurities which float over the surface are skimmed off and the liquid is diluted with water to produce honey of 1.35 density. Natural honey has the density of 1.47. Many-a-time, honey is extracted from the comb by centrifugation. It must be free from foreign substances. Honey is liable to fermentation, unless it is suitably processed. Honey is heated to 80°C before it is sent to the market, so as to avoid fermentation. It should be cooled rapidly or else it darkens in colour on keeping. If necessary (and if not prepared by centrifugation method), honey is required to be filtered through wet cloth or funnel.
Chemical Constituents; The average composition of honey is as follows: 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%. Besides, it is found to contain small amounts of essential oil, beeswax, pollen grains, formic acid, acetic acid, succinic acid, maltose, dextrin, colouring pigments, vitamins and an admixture of enzymes, for example, diastase, invertase and inulase. Interestingly, the sugar contents in honey varies widely from one country to another as it is exclusively governed by the source of the nectar (availability of frag-ment flowers in the region) and also the enzymatic activity solely controlling the conversion into honey.
Uses; Honey shows mild laxative, bactericidal, sedative, antiseptic and alkaline characters. It is used for cold, cough, fever, sore eye and throat, tongue and duodenal ulcers, liver disorders, constipation, diarrhoea, kidney and other urinary disorders, pulmonary tuberculosis, marasmus, rickets, scurvy and insomnia. It is applied as a remedy on open wounds after surgery. It prevents infection and promotes healing. Honey works quicker than many antibiotics because it is easily absorbed into the blood stream. It is also useful in healing of carbuncles, chaps, scalds, whitlows and skin inflammation; as vermicide; locally as an excipient, in the treatment of aphthae and other infection of the oral mucous membrane. It is recommended in the treatment of preoperative cancer.
Adulterant and Substitutes; Due to the relatively high price of pure honey, it is invariably adulterated ether with artificial invert sugar or simply with cane sugar syrup. These adulterants or cheaper substituents not only alter the optical property of honey but also its natural aroma and fragrance.
LIME
Scientifically, Lime is named Citrus aurantifolia. The term “Lime” in English comes from Arabic, namely lemonade and Persian, namely limou. Compound leaf plants with a smooth (laevis) and shiny (nitidus) surface. The upper leaf surface is shiny dark green, and the lower surface is light green. The edge of the leaf is ringed (crenatus). The leaf blade is oval, the tip is slightly blunt, and the leaf legs fail to be rounded. The leaves are 2.5-9 cm long and 2.5 cm wide. The petioles are pinnate with green-winged stalks and 5-25 mm wide. The flowers are compound/single-sized, growing at the end of the stalk with a 1.5-2.5 cm diameter. The flower shape is relatively small, and the stem is very short. The petals are like a bowl, four to five in number, oval or oval in shape and yellowish-white. Lime fruit is oval, the size of a ping pong ball with a diameter of 3.5-5 cm, has a thin surface and has thin skin. When young, the fruit’s skin is green, but when it is old and ripe, the skin colour turns yellow. Seeds ovoid, flat, greenish-white.
The flesh of the fruit is greenish-yellow, and the seeds are numerous. Lime leaves are also used as an ingredient in herbs and traditional medicine because they treat influenza.
Lime contains elements of beneficial chemical compounds such as 7% citric acid, citric acid, amino acids, 24 mg vitamin C, 11 mg calcium, 9 mg phosphorus, 0.2 mg iron, 0.6 g carbohydrates, 0.1 g fat, 0.4 g protein, 1 g fibre, 44 g water.
The leaves also contain bioactive compounds such as flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponins, tannins, steroids, and essential oils. These compounds have the ability to be an antibacterial. It is well known that the dominant compounds in the lime leaf are tannins and saponins are important plant metabolites that are responsible for the activity against various microorganisms.
GARLIC (Allium sativum)
Synonyms Allium; Lasan (Hindi).
Biological Source; Garlic is the ripe bulb of Allium sativumLinn., belonging to the family Liliaceae.
Geographical Source; Garlic occurs in central Asia, southern Europe, Africa and United States. It is widely cultivated in India.
Cultivation and Collection; the cultivation of Garlic is similar to that of onion. It is generally grown as an irrigated crop throughout the year. It can be grown under a wide range of climatic conditions but it succeeds best in mild climates without extremes of heat and cold. It is grown on a wide variety of soils. It requires a rich well-drained clay loam to grow well. The land is well ploughed to a fine tilth, beds, and channels are made. Garlic is planted during October–November in plains and during February–March in the hills. The cloves are separated and pressed lightly into the soil. Garlic requires heavy manuring.
Characteristics; It is a perennial herb having bulbs with several cloves, enclosed in a silky white or pink membraneous envelope.
Chemical Constituents; Allicin, a yellow liquid responsible for the odour of garlic, is the active principle of the drug. It is miscible with alcohol, ether, and benzene and decomposes on distilling. The other constituents reported in Garlic are alliin, volatile and fatty oils, mucilage and albumin. Alliin, another active principle, is odourless, crystallized from water acetone and practically insoluble in absolute alcohol, chloroform, acetone, ether, and benzene. Upon cleavage by the specific enzyme alliinase, an odour of garlic develops, and the fission products show antibacterial action similar to allicin. Essential oil (0.06–0.1%) contains allyl propyl disulphide, diallyldisulphide, and allicin. γ-Glutamyl peptides are isolated from the Garlic. The amino acids present in the bulb are leucine, methionine, S-propyl-L-cysteine, S-propenyl-L-cysteine, S-methyl cysteine, S-allyl cysteine sulphoxide (alliin), S-ethyl cysteine sulphoxide, and S-butyl-cysteine sulphoxide.
Uses; Garlic is carminative, aphrodisiac, expectorant, stimulant, and used in fevers, coughs, febrifuge in intermittent fevers, respiratory diseases such as chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma, whooping cough, and tuberculosis. It is also used in atherosclerosis and hypertension.
CITRON (LEMON TREE)
Citrus medica Linn. Commonly known as a Citron in English is a member of the Rutaceae family. It is a slow-growing shrub reaching up to 15 ft (4.5 m) in height with rigid branches, twigs and spines in the leaf axils. Its leaflets are 3-6 inch long, ovate lanceolate with short, wingless or nearly wingless petioles;The flower buds are white or purplish and large. The peel is yellow, usually uneven, rough and very thick. The pulp is greenish or pale-yellow divided into as many as 14 or 15 segments, hard, not very juicy, acidic or sweet and contains many seeds. Microscopic Characters of the Fruit; Transverse section of Citrus medica fruit shows the following tissue arrangement;
Pericarp: It shows single layer of epidermis covered with thick cuticle, occasionally paracytic stomata present
Hypodermis: Below the pericarp 2-3 rows of small sized compactly arranged parenchymatous cells of the hypodermis.
Mesocarp: it contain large and porous cells with big oval to sphericallysigenous oil cavities.
Vascular bundle: present in mesocarp.
Endocarp: cells of the endocarp layer are thin walled and elongated .Few simple starch grains and small prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate are scattered throughout the parenchymatous tissue of the section.
GINGER
Is an herbaceous perennial flowering plant whose root or rhizome has been widely used as a spice in cooking and medicine since ancient days. Its classified as follows;
Family: Zingiberaceae
Species: Z. officinale
Genus: Zingiber
Kingdom: Plantae
Ginger has been used as remedy for nausea, stomach pain, and it has a great effect on colds and flus. Its medicinal properties may reduce inflammation and soothe a sore throat. Fresh ginger is beneficial against respiratory viruses since it appears to stop the reproduction of a virus.
Ginger can reduce pharyngitis, which is inflammation at the back of the throat. It has high antibacterial effect against Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pyogenes which is the bacterium responsible for streptococcal pharyngitis, ginger has high antioxidant effect, and anti-inflammatory activity.
Phyto chemical analysis of ginger:
Ginger contains abundant active constituents, such as phenolic and terpene compounds. The phenolic compounds in ginger are, gingerols are the major polyphenols, such as 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, and 10-gingerol.
