Centella Asiatica

Terminalia arjuna, Centella asiatica and Curcuma longa are reported to possess wound healing, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-bacterial activities. The carbopol 934 gel formulations containing different concentrations of extract of the above mentioned herbs were formulated and their wound healing activity was studied on experimentally induced open wounds in albino rats. The individual herbs were evaluated for their standard specification according to the Herbal Pharmacopoeia of India. Extracts were obtained by established procedures. HPTLC analysis for the extracts was carried out for identification of some known active constituents present in these herbs. Formulations containing 1% and 2% herbal extracts were prepared and applied topically three times a day to open wounds for 24 days post-operatively and compared with base control. The treated wounds showed a faster rate of wound contraction compared with controls. The wound contraction studies revealed that the wound contractions increase with an increase in the herbal extract concentration.

Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) locally known as yahong-yahong promotes several medicinal benefits and one of these is for healthy kidney functions. The plant contains saponins, which have diuretic effect that eventually cleanses the kidneys of the afflicted patients by dissolving gradually the kidney stones. Guto Kola was known to local users due to its potential pharmaceutical attributes.

Objective: The present study was carried out in order to study the hair growth activity of some traditional herbal medicinal plants. Herbal traditional drugs are used frequently in therapeutics; more often their chief principles are employed in a more specific manner. Method: Centella asiatica, Cyperus rotundus & Emblica officinalis alcoholic and aqueous extract were prepared and evaluated for the hair growth properties using albino rats. The hair growth formulation was formulated as hair oil and applied topically on shaved skin of rats. Primary skin irritation test, hair length, hair density test were performed. The hair growth-promoting efficacies were evaluated at 0 day, 10 days, 15 days, and 20 days after the application through the hair re-growth area significant hair growth was observed and the hair growth was compared with the standard drug used 2% solution of minoxidil. Result: The result revealed that the hair growth activity of each drug was found proportional to the concentration range tested and compared with standard (2% minoxidil ethanolic solution) by an enlargement of follicular size and prolongation of the anagen phase. It holds the promise of potent herbal alternative for minoxidil. Conclusion: Excellent results of hair growth were observed in formulations prepared by cloth pouch decoction method for preparation of hair oils.

The chemical composition of the essential oil obtained by hydro-distillation of Centella asiatica (Apiaceae) collected in three different habitats (shady grassland, open grassland, and open agricultural land) of Nepal were analyzed by GC/FID and GC/MS.. The oil had pale yellow color and intensive odor. Fifty two compounds were identified from the three different oils, accounting from 94.01 % to 95.98 % of the oil contents. The oils were characterized by a high amount of sesquiterpenoid hydrocarbons ranging from 70.25 to 82.09% among which γ-caryophyllene (9.24-32.3%), β-caryophyllene (7.5-24.2%), β-farnesene (1.7-18.89%), α-humulene (0.05-17.09%). Oxygenated sesquiterpenoids such as caryophyllene oxide (0.56-8.46%) were also present as well as monoterpenoids even though in very low amount (0.50-2.34%). The quali-quantitative differences in the chemical composition of the essential oils grown in different habitats of Nepal confirm the importance of the geographic and climatic conditions for the production of essential oils of Centella asiatica.

Paper deals with the traditional healing herbs used by Mizo tribe in the treatment of several ailments viz. fever, ringworm, itching, worm infestation, dysentery, diarrhea, high blood pressure, jaundice, ulcer, scabies, kidney stone, piles, fistula, dandruff etc. in the Aizawl and Mamit districts of Mizoram. There is an urgent need of modernization and documentation of such valuable traditional knowledge and verification of their efficacy through clinical trial and to find out their chemical constituents.

Insomnia is a common problem, and herbs can be quite helpful and are much safer than most drugs for insomnia. Moderately potent herbs that primarily work by enhancing sleep architecture or quality are reviewed in detail. These include Valeriana officinalis (valerian), Valeriana sitchensis (Pacific valerian) and related species, Humulus lupulus (hops), and Piscidia piscipula (Jamaica dogwood). Much milder nervines, requiring long-term use for full benefits—including Passiflora incarnata (passionflower), Melissa officinalis (lemonbalm), Nepeta cataria (catnip), Scutellaria lateriflora (skullcap), and Centella asiatica (gotu kola)—are discussed, and their place in improving insomnia is clarified. The much stronger and less often used sedative herbs Gelsemium sem- pervirens (gelsemium), Pulsatilla vulgaris (common pasque flower), P. patens (Eastern pasque flower), Anemone (Pulsatilla) occidentalis (western pasque flower), and A. tuberosa (desert anemone) are considered next. Finally, the delayed-onset sleep-maintaining herb Myristica fragrans (nutmeg) is put into clinical context.

A simple, accurate, precise, faster reverse phase HPLC method has been developed and validated for simultaneous estimation of madecassoside, asiaticoside and asiatic acid from extract and raw material of the herb Centella asiatica (L.) Urban (Apiaceae). The linear range for madecassoside, asiaticoside and asiatic acid was 1026-32.06mcg/ml, 1016-31.75mcg/ml and 1024-32.32mcg/ml respectively. The retention time of madecassoside, asiaticoside and asiatic acid was 10.836, 11.9036 and 18.4002 min respectively and the recoveries of three analyte are 107. 84%, 113.06% and 104.03% respectively. In the current study the separation of three compounds has been completed within a period of nineteen minute which save the precious time and as well as solvent consumption. The Proposed method can be used for the quality control of the raw material, extracts and assay of these three markers in Centella.

One of the herbs in Indonesia, Gotu Kola (Centella asiatica) contains triterpenoid glycosides, which are ethnomedicine used as neuroprotectors. Phytochemical components of Gotu Kola extract tend to be polar, so it needs an approach to modify the polarity of the extract. The method is to formulate an extract in the form of phytosome as an herbal delivery system so that it can increase the absorption and bioavailability of the active substance. It is suitable for the delivery system of active compounds from plants because it can carry hydrophilic and lipophilic compounds from plants. This paper specifically reviews the potential of the plant extracts for the recovery of nerve cell membranes and improving one's cognitive function.

Centella asiatica also called Indian pennywort belongs to family Apiceae and is used in ayurvedic medicines for various ailments. The present work is cost-effective to improve the mental health of the people suffering from depression. The aim was to prepare an extract of its dried pulverized leaves with different solvents using Soxhlet extraction followed by GC-MS analysis for phytochemical screening and to investigate its antidepressant and neuroprotective properties. The extraction using Soxhlet apparatus in ethanolic medium and GC-MS technique optimizes the detection of triterpenoids. The λmax for the extract with n-Hexane as solvent at 342 nm was obtained to be 0.4587 and that using ethyl acetate as solvent obtained at 345 nm was 0.4520. The LOD for the detection of triterpenes in the extract was found to be 0.007 µg mL-1 .

In India, Cervical cancer occurrence in women is of high incidence rate that of 1, 30,000 patients are suffering among them 70,000-75,000 deaths occur annually. Vallarai nei (VN) a commonly known Siddha drug is prescribed by Siddha physicians for various ailments in clinical practice. In siddha literature Vallarai nei (VN) is indicated for Yoni putru ( Cervical cancer).The objective of this study is to analyze scientific basis for the anti oxidant, anti proliferative property of VN on HeLa cell lines were evaluated in vitro by employing MTT assay. Preliminary phytochemical analysis was done to identify the presence of constituents. The crude extract exhibited cytotoxic effects on HeLa cell lines which correlates with the indication mentioned in the Siddha pharmacopeia. The IC 50 value obtained from the MTT assay was 51.6 ug/ml. The antioxidants activity assessed by different methods exhibited the presence of significant activity. The phytochemical screening revealed the presence of phenols and terpinoids which are useful in controlling the cancer cellular pathways. At the end the combined activities analyzed giving hope for prescribing the VN to the needy patients.
More about Centella asiatica: http://medplants.blogspot.com/2012/07/centella-asiatica-brahmi-mandukaparani.html

About 20,000 herbal products are currently available on the global market, and medicinal plants’
annual trade turnover is approximately US $ 4 billion in the United States alone. As climate
change starts increasingly interfering with monoculture grown crops--and this will likely be more
serious more quickly in tropical areas--wild foods may become increasingly lifesaving. But at the
same time, invasive plants will likely also spread more rapidly. Centella asiatica (L.) Urb,
(Indian Pennywort) has been widely used from the wild (also cultivated and marketed in
Bangladesh, China, Southeast Asia, India, Sri Lanka), the leaves eaten as a component of mixed
green vegetable, pot herb and is also an important item in the traditional medicine systems. In
Bangladesh it is widely used as a health food and in the folk and traditional system of medicine
for improving memory and for the treatment of a variety of ailments. Market surveys have
detected two different species, C, erecta and C. verticillata, wrongly identified as the exotic
species, Indian Pennywort because of their morphological similarity. Comparison of taxonomic
and pharmaceutical characteristics among these species indicated a wide difference and this
misidentification might pose a health risk to the consumers, the edibility and safety of the two
exotic species being unknown. Public health nutritionists need to work with experts in plant
taxonomy to identify and attempt to reduce the risk of invasive species of plants that may be
poisonous and are similar in appearance to indigenous plants that are used for food or medicine.

A Secretaria da Agricultura, Pecuária e Desenvolvimento Rural do Rio Grande do Sul (SEAPDR) conta com o projeto "Educação Sanitária na Escola", criado em 2010, que tem fiscais estaduais agropecuários como agentes disseminadores de Educação Sanitária em Defesa Agropecuária em escolas de ensino básico. O documento orientador deste projeto passou por uma revisão, sendo republicado em 2018. Este artigo é oriundo de pesquisa documental, qualitativa, de caráter exploratório, que se propõe a apresentar uma análise comparativa entre as duas versões do documento, seguindo categorização conforme Bardin (2011). Por meio da análise documental, traça relações com as bases conceituais da Educação Profissional e Tecnológica (EPT), principalmente os conceitos de trabalho como princípio educativo e a formação humana integral, conforme Gramsci (2001), Saviani (2007), Ciavatta (2009, 2014), Ramos (2008) e Freire (1987). Como resultado, verifica-se que o "Educação Sanitária na Escola" estabelece um diálogo consistente com as bases teóricas da EPT. A análise do documento orientador sob este viés contribuirá na elaboração de um site orientativo para auxiliar na ampliação da base de atuação do projeto. Palavras-chave: Trabalho como princípio educativo; formação humana integral; educação sanitária em defesa agropecuária.

Centella asiatica accumulates large quantities of pentacyclic triterpenoid saponins, collectively known as centelloids. These terpenoids include asiaticoside, centelloside, madecassoside, brahmoside, brahminoside, thankuniside, sceffoleoside, centellose, asiatic-, brahmic-, centellic-and madecassic acids. The triterpene saponins are common secondary plant metabolites and are synthesized via the isoprenoid pathway to produce a hydrophobic triterpenoid structure (aglycone) containing a hydrophilic sugar chain (glycone). The biological activity of saponins has been attributed to these characteristics. In planta, the Centella triterpenoids can be regarded as phytoanticipins due to their antimicrobial activities and protective role against attempted pathogen infections. Preparations of C. asiatica are used in traditional and alternative medicine due to the wide spectrum of pharmacological activities associated with these secondary metabolites. Here, the biosynthesis of the centelloid triterpenoids is reviewed; the range of metabolites found in C. asiatica, together with their known biological activities and the chemotype variation in the production of these metabolites due to growth conditions are summarized. These plant-derived pharmacologically active compounds have complex structures, making chemical synthesis an economically uncompetitive option. Production of secondary metabolites by cultured cells provides a particularly important benefit to manipulate and improve the production of desired compounds; thus biotechnological approaches to increase the concentrations of the metabolites are discussed.

The essential oils of Centaurea sicana (S) and C. giardinae (G) were studied by GC and GC-MS. Thirty constituents for S, representing 81.5% of the total oil, and 24 compounds for G (94.2% of the total) were identified. The oils were rich in sesquiterpenoids (47.9% for S and 54.7% for G) and hydrocarbons (25.9% for S and 31.7% for G). Germacrene D (13.3%), (E)-β-farnesene (8.3%), nonacosane (7.3%), heptacosane (6.5%) and phytol (6%) were recognized as the main constituents for S, while caryophyllene oxide (17.7%), nonacosane (14.5%), germacrene D (11.5%), caryophyllene (11.2%) and heptacosane (10.3%) were the main compounds for G.

In Indo-Pak subcontinent, the traditional systems of medicine, both Ayurvedic and Unani are primarily based on the use of herbs and herb based preparation for therapy. Therefore, the importance of herbs identification process still remains the key factor in achieving the desired and successful therapeutic effect. To support the manufacturers and practitioners of both the systems, a huge quantity of herbs are still collected from wild source, as the herbal farming is not very much developed in this part of the world. During a survey program conducted in different areas of Pakistan, significant lacking and gaps were noted to be present in the identification & characterization of herbs which needs to be addressed and fulfilled as many species look alike apparently or physically but have different biological or pharmacological activity. Based on this objective and approach Centella asiatica was selected for pharmacognostic and preliminary phytochemical investigation to establish a better correlation and to provide useful methods in its identification as use of Centella asiatica is very common in Pakistan and other South Asian countries for CNS disorders therapy. Therefore, purpose of this study was to develop & report some and rapid identification method for Centella asiatica. The present study includes physical, physicochemical, preliminary phytochemical and fluorescence analysis. For the first time, in the present study NIR and FT-IR spectrum of Centella asiatica have been reported for identification. Finding of the present study are quite promising which can be helpful for the manufacturers and researchers in the identification and development of Centella asiatica based new drugs or formulations.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Biofield Energy Healing Treatment on the plant callus of Mandukparni (Centella asiatica), Katsarika (Barleria cristata), and Amla (Phyllanthus emblica) in Murashige & Skoog liquid medium (MS) for their yield on day 7. All the three plant callus and MS liquid media were divided into two parts, one part was received Biofield Energy Treatment (known as The Trivedi Effect ®-Energy Of Consciousness Healing Treatment) by a renowned Biofield Energy Healer, Alice Branton through the Healer's unique Energy Transmission process remotely and defined as Biofield Energy Treated group. Another part did not receive any treatment and defined as the control group. On day 7 after the treatment, the flasks were observed and visualized under the phase contrast microscope for monitoring the cell growth and photomicrographs were captured at 200X magnification along with the wet weight of the callus cultures. Experimental data suggested that all the three plants viz. Mandukparni, Katsarika, and Amla callus showed significantly improved growth rate after seven days as compared with the respective untreated groups. The growth of the callus (weight in mg) of Mandukparni, Katsarika and Amla callus after 7 days of the Biofield Energy Treatment was 289.7, 348.5, and 512 mg respectively. However, the percentage increase in weight of the callus in Mandukparni, Katsarika, and Amla was 3.3%, 7.7%, and 79.6%, respectively as compared with the untreated group. Hence, the results indicated that there was a significant growth observed after The Trivedi Effect ®-Energy of Consciousness Treatment in the tested plant stem cells. It can be concluded that The Trivedi Effect ® would be used as a complementary and alternative treatment to maximize most valuable natural products yield and quality best quality such as herbal medicinal plants, food and dietary supplements, flavoring and coloring agents, cosmetics and fragrance products, and many more.

act:
Centella asiatica L. was commonly known for its medicinal and nutritional values throughout the world. The medicinal values of this plant were mainly attributed to the presence of several triterpenes, namely asiatic acid, madecassic acid, asiaticoside and madecassoside. The aim of this study was to increase the amount of secondary metabolite which was asiatic acid in the plant by manipulating various concentrations of plant growth regulators (PGRs) of Kinetin (Kn) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP). C. asiatica was treated at four different concentrations of hormones and they were 1.0 mg/mL Kn + 0 mg/mL BAP, 1.0 mg/mL Kn + 1.0 mg/mL BAP, 1.0 mg/mL Kn + 2.0 mg/mL BAP and 1.0 mg/mL Kn + 4.0 mg/mL BAP, respectively. The plant in each concentration was harvested at day 0, 7, 14 and 21. Morphology changes occur on the plant were recorded throughout the days. The amount of asiatic acid content was measured and analyzed by using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), with Column-ZORBAX 300SB-C18. Centella was found to contain high amount of asiatic acid at day 21 which was 0.104 mg/mL in hormones concentrations at 1.0 mg/mL Kn + 2.0 mg/mL BAP.
PM-P 18
  Keywords: Centella asiatica, asiatic acid, plant growth regulator, secondary metabolites

CONTEXT:
Centella asiatica (L.) Urban (Apiaceae), a valuable herb described in Ayurveda, is used in the indigenous system of medicine as a tonic to treat skin diseases.
OBJECTIVE:
Centella asiatica methanol extract and its ethyl acetate, n-butanol and aqueous fraction, were subjected for the evaluation of skin care potential through the in vitro hyaluronidase, elastase and matrix metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1) inhibitory assay.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
The C. asiatica plant was extracted with methanol and fractionated with ethyl acetate, n-butanol and water. The enzymatic activities were evaluated using ursolic acid and oleanolic acid as standards. Isolate molecule asiaticoside was quantified in the crude extract and fractions through high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and structural was characterized by liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy (LC-MS) and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Isolated compound was also evaluated for in vitro enzyme assays.
RESULTS:
Extract exhibited anti-hyaluronidase and anti-elastase activity with IC₅₀ of 19.27 ± 0.37 and 14.54 ± 0.39 µg/mL, respectively, as compared to ursolic acid. Centella asiatica n-butanol fraction (CAnB) and isolated compound showed significant hyaluronidase (IC₅₀ = 27.00 ± 0.43 and 18.63 ± 0.33 µg/mL) and elastase (IC₅₀ = 29.15 ± 0.31 and 19.45 ± 0.25 µg/mL) inhibitory activities, respectively, and also showed significant MMP-1 inhibition (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION:
n-Butanol fraction was found to be most effective among the all fractions from which asiaticoside was isolated and further quantified by HPLC. This work concludes that the asiaticoside from C. asiatica may be a prospective agent for skin care.

A PVC blended lipid membrane coated quartz crystal microbalance has been prepared to mimic human olfaction system. Transient response curves of the sensor on exposure to methanol, ethanol, chloroform, acetone and benzene were studied. Transient parameters, viz., simple parameters consisting of peak heights, derivatives, slopes and integrals, and polynomial parameters consisting of coefficients from the curve fitting equations, were extracted from the transient response curves and used as data for the subsequent chemometric data analysis. The sensor showed good separation and classification of VOCs.