Pharmacognostic characterization of Myrica esculenta leaves.[Pubmed: 29544902]

Myrica esculenta (Family: Myricaceae) commonly known as Kaiphala or Katphala is a widely used medicinal plant in Ayurveda. In spite of its numerous medicinal attributes, no published work is available till date on pharmacognostical characterization and HPTLC analysis of its leaves.

Evaluation for substitution of stem bark with small branches of Myrica esculenta for medicinal use - A comparative phytochemical study.[Pubmed: 27890701]

Over exploitation of many traditional medicinal plants like Myrica esculenta has become a threat and in the near future, many medicinal plants may be unavailable for use of industry.

Nutraceutical potential of selected wild edible fruits of the Indian Himalayan region.[Pubmed: 27542453]

Wild edible fruits contribute significantly to the nutritional security of mankind across the globe. However, detailed analyses of health promoting bioactive compounds and antioxidants are lacking, especially in Himalayan wild edible fruits. Bioactive compounds and antioxidant potential of 10 wild edible fruits reveal that Terminalia chebula, Phyllanthus emblica and Myrica esculenta are the richest source of total phenolics; Pyaracantha crenulata, Terminalia chebula and Berberis asiatica for flavonoids; Phyllanthus emblica, Morus alba and Ficus palmata for ascorbic acid, anthocyanins, and Morus alba for β-carotene. Phenolic compounds, i.e. Gallic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid varied among species and found the maximum in Terminalia chebula and Phyllanthus emblica. Antioxidant activity showed the significant relation with total phenolics, flavonoids and phenolic compounds. Results indicated that these species should be promoted as a natural source of antioxidant/nutraceuticals so that these antioxidants can be used for supplementing dietary foods of mountain people.

Evaluation of phytochemical constituents and antioxidant activity of selected actinorhizal fruits growing in the forests of Northeast India.[Pubmed: 24287659]

Hippophae salicifolia, Elaeagnus pyriformis, Myrica esculenta and M. nagi are actinorhizal plants growing in the sacred forests of Northeast India with multipurpose uses. The present investigation was undertaken to determine the phenol, flavonoid and flavonol contents of the fresh fruit juice of these plant species including the antioxidant potential by means of DPPH, H2O2 and NO scavenging activity and FRP. The total phenolic, flavonoid and flavonol contents of fruit juice ranged from 321.68+/-0.06 to 76.67+/-0.01 mg/g GAE, 272.92+/-0.07 to 20.12+/-0.02 mg/g QE and 258.92+/-0.08 to 18.72+/-0.02 mg/g QE, respectively. At 2.0 mg/mL concentration, DPPH scavenging activity was found to be the highest in M. esculenta (89.62 percent) and the lowest in E. pyriformis (17.58 percent). The reducing power activity was found significantly higher in H. salicifolia juice, which increased with increase in concentration. The H2O2 scavenging activity of H. salicifolia juice was found to be as high as 98.78 percent, while Elaeagnus juice was found to be less effective with just 48.90 percent. Juice of H. salicifolia showed the greatest NO scavenging effect of 75.24 percent as compared to juice of E. pyriformis, where only 37.54 percent scavenging was observed at the same concentration. Taking into account all the experimental data, it can be said that the fruits of H. salicifolia and both M. nagi and M. esculenta have good antioxidant activity compared to fruits of E. pyriformis.

Essential oil of Myrica esculenta Buch. Ham.: composition, antimicrobial and topical anti-inflammatory activities.[Pubmed: 22260222]

Hydrodistilled oil obtained from the stem bark of Myrica esculenta Buch. Ham. ex D. Don (yield 0.3%) was analysed by capillary GC and GC-MS. The volatile oil consisted mainly of n-hexadecanol (25.2%), eudesmol acetate (21.9%), palmitic acid (11.6%), cis-β-caryophyllene (8.7%), n-pentadecanol (7.7%) and n-octadecanol (7.6%). The oil was found to be a potential antimicrobial agent against Bacillus pumilus, Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans, Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The essential oil exhibited significant topical anti-inflammatory activity compared to standard drug in Swiss albino mice ear.

Assessment of Antioxidant Properties in Fruits of Myrica esculenta: A Popular Wild Edible Species in Indian Himalayan Region.[Pubmed: 21785629]

Crude extract of Myrica esculenta fruits, a wild edible species of Indian Himalayan Region, was evaluated for phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties. Results revealed significant variation in total phenolic and flavonoid contents across populations. Among populations, total phenolic content varied between 1.78 and 2.51 mg gallic acid equivalent/g fresh weight (fw) of fruits and total flavonoids ranged between 1.31 and 1.59 mg quercetin equivalent/g fw. Antioxidant activity determined by 2,2'-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical scavenging, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) exhibited considerable antioxidant potential and showed significant positive correlation with total phenolic and total flavonoids content. High performance liquid chromatography analysis revealed significant variation (P <  .01) in phenolic compounds (i.e., gallic acid, catechin, hydroxybenzioc acid and ρ-coumaric acid) across populations. This study provides evidences to establish that consumption of M. esculenta fruits while providing relished taste would also help in reduction of free radicals. Therefore, this wild edible species deserves promotion in the region through horticulture and forestry interventions.

Anti-allergic Activity of Stem Bark of Myrica esculenta Buch.-Ham. (Myricaceae).[Pubmed: 21331196]

Allergic diseases, such as allergic asthma, are hypersensitivity reactions initiated by immunological mechanisms. Myrica esculenta (M. esculenta) is known traditionally in Ayurveda to possess anti-asthmatic activity. The present investigation was undertaken to evaluate the effect of crude extract of stem bark of M. esculenta (Family Myricaceae, commonly known as Kaiphal) on experimental allergic reactions. Experimental models studied were allergic pleurisy and vascular permeability induced by acetic acid in mice. Pretreatment with M. esculenta (75 mg/kg and 150 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly inhibited the eosinophil accumulation (P < 0.01) respectively in the pleural cavity. M. esculenta (75 and 150 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly inhibited the rise in plasma exudation (57.12% and 59.77%, P < 0.01) induced by acetic acid in mice. These findings demonstrate that the crude extract from the stem bark of M. esculenta possesses antiallergic activity. This activity may be mediated by reducing the release of mediators such as histamine, inhibition of mast cell degranulation, and inhibition of eosinophil accumulation thereby preventing the release of cytokines and chemokines.

Validated HPTLC method for quantitative determination of gallic acid in stem bark of Myrica esculenta Buch.-Ham. ex D. Don, myricaceae.[Pubmed: 21140652]

A simple, rapid, and precise HPTLC method was developed for quantitative estimation of gallic acid in stem bark of Myrica esculenta, family Myricaceae. Separation was performed on silica gel 60F254 HPTLC plates using toluene-ethyl acetate-formic acid-methanol (3 + 3 + 0.6 + 0.4, v/v/v/v) mobile phase for separation of the extracted components. The determination was carried out in the UV densitometric absorbance-reflection mode at 280 nm. The amount of gallic acid in free and combined form in the stem bark powder was found to be 0.276 and 0.541%, respectively, on a dry weight basis. The method was validated in terms of linearity, accuracy, precision, and specificity according to International Conference on Harmonization guidelines. Gallic acid response was found to be linear over a broad concentration range of 0.4-2.0 microg/band. LOD and LOQ were 0.103 and 0.312 microg/spot, respectively. The developed method is capable of quantifying amounts of gallic acid in stem bark powder of M. esculenta.

A new monoterpenoid glycoside from Myrica esculenta and the inhibition of angiotensin I-converting enzyme.[Pubmed: 20930414]

One new monoterpenoid glycoside, myresculoside (1), and eleven known compounds, were isolated from methanol extract of Myrica esculenta leaves by repeated column chromatography. The effects of these compounds on angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition were investigated. Compounds 3 and 4 showed the most potent ACE inhibition with rates of 29.97% and 25.63% at concentration of 100 µM, respectively. Compounds 5, 6, and 11 showed weak activity with inhibitory rates of 0.07-1.41% at concentration of 100 µM.

PHARMACOGNOSTIC EVALUATION OF KATPHALA (The bark of Myrica esculenta Buch - Ham).[Pubmed: 22557553]

Katphala or Kaiphala, botanically equated with plant Myrica esculenta Buch. - Ham., is an important bark drug of Indian systems of medicine. It is one of the plant species, which are under imminent danger of extinction from U. P. Himalayas. Since, no pharmacognostic study on this drug is on record, the present investigations has been undertaken. In this article, macroscopic and microscopic characters of the bark as such, including diagnostic characters of the drug in powder form have been presented.