Vol. 11, Issue 2 (2022)

Author(s):
Tasnim Zumaina Mazumder, Dr. MK Sharma and Dr. Mohan Lal

Abstract:
Plants have been the source of medicine since times immemorial. Numerous plants are known to have therapeutic potential which have been used in traditional health care system by various communities throughout the globe. Several modern medicines have also their origin in plant derived products. The therapeutic potential of medicinal plants is due to the presence of various phytochemicals in them. Phytochemicals are non-nutritive, chemical substances that arise naturally on plants and have numerous defensive properties. Most of the phytochemicals like tannins, saponins, carotenoids, terpenoids, flavonoids and polyphenols have antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. North-eastern India represents one of the mega biodiversity hot spots of the globe. The region has a long history of traditional use of numerous plants for curing different ailments of human. In this article a brief review has been made on the ethno-medicinal uses of nine indigenous medicinal plant species along with their phytochemical analysis. The nine indigenous species, namely Oldenlandia corymbosa, Ricinus communis, Ipomea aquatica, Terminalia bellerica (Bhumura), Bryophyllum pinnatum, Clerodendrum viscosum, Hibiscus sabdariffa, Xanthium strumarium, Mentha piperita were considered for the study. Documentation on their ethno-medicinal uses by the indigenous communities has been discussed. Phytochemical analysis carried out by different workers on the plant species under study were surveyed and discussed. The study revealed that the listed medicinal plants have potential therapeutic properties with immense potential for their therapeutic use as well as being the source of new drugs in modern medicine.