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PHARMACOLOGY OF CELOSIA ARGENTEA L.
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ABSTRACT:
Celosia argentea L. (family-amaranthaceae) is widely used in traditional medicine to cure several disorders such as fever, diarrhea, mouth sores, itching, wounds, jaundice, gonorrhea, and inflammation. A variety of phytoconstituents are isolated from the C. argentea L. which includes triterpenoid saponins, celosin E, celosin F and celosin G together with a known compound cristatain, betalains, nicotinic acid, celogenamide-A, celogentin A-D, H, J and K. The plant having potential pharmacological values screened for its various pharmacological activities, namely, anti-inflammatory, immunostimulating, anticancer, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, wound healing, antidiabetic and antibacterial activities which are reported in the extracts of different parts and its phytoconstituents of this plant. An overview and details of the pharmacological investigations on the C.argentea L. is presented in this review.
KEY WORDS: Celosia argentea. L, Celosin, ethnomedicinal plant, ethnopharmacology
INTRODUCTION:
Human beings have been aware of medicinal plants as long ago as 3,000 BC [1]. Virtually every indigenous culture in the world uses medicinal plants in some form or other for treatment of ailments. The actual knowledge of medicinal plants is possessed by a select group of practitioners, who determine the nature of the ailments and then prescribe remedies. Although indigenous cultures possess a holistic view of ailments and their cure, medicinal plants do form a major part of indigenous medicinal or traditional medicinal practices. Since the advent of modern or allopathic medicine, traditional medicine lost quite a bit of ground, being determined to be somewhat similar to superstitious beliefs or even quackery by allopathic doctors. However, in recent periods, traditional medicine has made a major come-back. It has been realized that a number of important modern pharmaceuticals have been derived from, or are plants used by indigenous people [2]. A number of modern drugs like aspirin, atropine, ephedrine, digoxin, morphine, quinine, reserpine, tubocurarine and artimisinin, are examples,...