Synonyms:

Achyranthes obtusifolia Lamk, Achyranthes canescens R.Br, Achyranthes orgentea Decne

Family :

Amaranthaceae

Scientific Name:

Achyranthes aspera var. perphyristachya Hook F.

History:

The plant has been mentioned in manuscripts of Ayurveda and Chinese medicines. In Ayurveda, two varieties, red and white are mentioned. In Sanskrit, synonyms describe this as a rough flowered stalk^[1].It is described in 'Nighantas' as purgative, pungent, digestive, a remedy for inflammation of the internal organs, piles, itch, abdominal enlargements and enlarged cervical glands^[2]. Hindus used ashes for preparing caustic alkaline preparations. The diuretic properties of the plant are well known to the natives of India and European physicians. Different parts of the plant form ingredients in many native prescriptions in combination with more active remedies^[3].

Habitat:

Found throughout tropical Asia, Africa, Australia and America. An abundant weed in dry places and wastelands, from the seashore to 2,100 m high^[4].

Taxonomy:

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Plantae

Phylum: Spermatophyta

Subphylum: Angiospermae

Class: Dicotyledonae

Order: Caryophyllales

Family: Amaranthaceae

Genus: Achyranthes

Species: Achyranthes aspera^[15]

Names:

Achyranthes aspera has different names in various Indian languages.

· Sanskrit : Aghata; Khara-manjari; Apamarga

· Hindi : Chirchira; Latjira, Onga

· Bengali : Apang

· Gujarati : Safed Aghedo, "Anghadi", "Andhedi", "Agado"

· Kannada : Uttaranee

· Malayalam : Kadaladi; Katalati

· Marathi : Aghada; Pandhara-aghada

· Punjabi : Kutri

· Tamil : Nayuruvi; Shiru-kadaladi

· Telugu : Antisha; Apamargamu; Uttaraene

· Sinhala : "Karal heba"

· Indonesia : Jarong

· Latin name: Achyranthes aspera Linn^[5,6].

PLANT DESCRIPTION:

It is an erect herb, 0.3-1meter high with stiff branches terete or absolutely quadrangular, striate, pubescent, leaves few, usually thick, elliptic-obovate, petiolate, acute and entire. Flowers are greenish white, numerous in small dense auxiliary heads or spikes, bracts and bracteoles persisting ending in a spine. Main root is long cylindrical thick; secondary and tertiary roots present slightly ribbed, yellowish brown in color; odor is slight, taste is slightly sweet and mucilaginous; stem is yellow brownish, erect branched, cylindrical hairy about 60 cm high. Seeds are sub cylindrical, truncats at apex, rounded at base, black and shining. The plant is distributed throughout India up to an altitude of 3000ft^[7].

General Description:

It grows as wasteland herb everywhere. Since time immemorial, it is in use as folk medicine. It holds a reputed position as medicinal herb in different systems of medicine in India.

Table.01.Botanical differences between Achyranthes subspecies^[8].

Characters	A. aspera var. argentea	A. aspera var. perphyristachya
Plant	Erect, branched herbs or under shrubs, upto 15 cm. high	An erect or subscandent annual herb upto 1m high
Stem	--	Angular, ribbed, thickened above the node, more or less densely hairy
Leaves	Ovate-elliptic, acute, silky oboxillary	Opposite, elliptic or obovate, form an acute or obtuse base, acuminate or rounded at apex
Flowers	--	Deflexed, congested near the apex of the axis, perfect, bracts and bracteoles subequal
Fruits	--	An utricle, oblong-cylindric, truncate at apex, rounded at base
Seeds	--	Subcylinderic, truncate at apex, reddish brown
Flowering and Fruiting	Aug.-Dec.	Sept. - Dec.

Useful part: The whole plant

General information:

The many therapeutic benefits of Prickly Chaff Flower have been documented in Indian and Chinese medicinal manuscripts.

According to Ayurveda, it is bitter, pungent, heating, a laxative, a stomachic, a carminative and useful for the treatment of vomiting, bronchitis, heart disease, piles, itching, abdominal pains, ascites, dyspepsia, dysentery and blood diseases^[8,9].

Ayurvedic Properties:
(fruit) Rasa: Madhura Guna: Rooksha, Sara Virya: Seeta
( root) Rasa: Tikta, Katu Guna: Teekshna, Sara Virya : Ushna^[23].

Chemical constituents:

Betaine and Achyranthine are the principal alkaloids, identified from the whole plant. Seeds contain Achyranthes saponin A and its ester, named as Aschyranthes saponin B. The presence of ecdysterone is also reported. Shoots contain an essential oil, tannins and glycosides^[9,10].

The plant contains triterpenoid saponins possessing oleanolic acid as aglycone, viz. A, B, C and D as major chemical constituents. Other constituents of the plant are ecdysterone, long chain alcohol, viz. 17-penta triacontanol, 27-cyclohexyl heptaeosan-7-ol, 16-hydroxyl 26-methyl heptacosan-2one and 36, 47-dihydroxy hen-pentacontan-4one. It contains a water soluble base,betaine^[23].

Therapeutic uses:

Urinary problems:

Plant pacifies vitiated vata, kapha, diseases of urinary system and uterine disorders. Roots are useful in bladder stones, It is famous as a herbal lithotriptic agent (that breaks the urinary stones) and is a diuretic. it is a drug of choice for urinary afflictions like calculus and irritation in the bladder and the urethra^[9,24].

Used in Prolonged menstrual flow, Three ml leaf extract mixed with a little curd is administered orally twice a day for seven days. The therapy is started on first day of beginning of menstrual cycle and repeated for five consecutive cycles.

Used in amenorrhoea, Three ml leaf decoction is given orally once on empty stomach before sunrise for fifteen days. The therapy is reported to be more effective in women aged between 18-28 years.

It is used in dysmenorrhoea, Three ml fresh leaf extract is given orally twice a day for seven days. The therapy is started on first day of beginning of menstrual cycle and repeated for five to seven consecutive cycles^[10,14].

It is used in condition of Menoxenia (abnormal menses), Three ml fresh leaf decoction is administered orally thrice a day for seven days. The therapy is started on first day of beginning of menstrual cycle and repeated for five consecutive cycles. This therapy is prescribed when the duration of menstrual cycles is irregular (II). A mixture of three ml each of fresh leaf decoctions of A. aspera and ‘Punarnava’ (Boerhavia diffusa L. (Family- Nyctaginaceae) is given orally during three consecutive menstrual cycles.

It is also used in habitual abortion, A mixture of two ml fresh leaf extract of A. aspera and two g powder of shade dried roots of ‘Ashwagandha’ (Withania somnifera (L.) Dunal (Family-Solanaceae) is given orally twice a day from the beginning of third month of pregnancy^[22].

Gastro Intestinal disorders:

Gastrointestinal issues such as diarrhea, constipation, and hemorrhoids may be treated with Achyranthes aspera. Intestinal spasms associated with Crohn's disease or irritable bowel syndrome may benefit from the antispasmodic effects of this herb^[10]. In some cases, this supplement may also be used to induce vomiting, although a doctor should be consulted before using the herb for this purpose. When certain poisonous substances are consumed, vomiting could actually cause extensive damage to the stomach or esophagus^[23].

Skin disorders:

Skin disorders such as eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis may heal more quickly when applying a paste made from Achyranthes aspera. This treatment may also help to relieve the itching associated with insect bites. Boils and skin abscesses have been historically treated with this herb due to its natural astringent properties. Potential signs of infection, such as redness, swelling, or an oozing of pus, should be evaluated and treated by a doctor^[11].

Other Uses:

Muscle and joint pain may be relieved by using a poultice made from Achyranthes aspera. Those who suffer from chronic pain issues such as fibromyalgia, multiple sclerosis, or rheumatoid arthritis may be able to reduce the amount of pain medications taken by supplementing with this form of treatment. The supervising physician should be notified of any medications, vitamin supplements, or herbal remedies being used to make sure there are no individualized health risks or medication interactions associated with the use of this herb^[12,13].

· The plant is acrid, bitter, digestive and anti-inflammatory.

· It has constipating property. Used in cancer, stomach trouble, heart disease, piles, itching abdominal pains, ascites, dyspepsia, dysentery, blood diseases.

· Useful for reclamation of wastelands.

· Seeds rich in protein, cooked and eaten.

· Used in religious ceremonies in India.

· Having blood-purifying and anti-endotoxin properties, it is also a bitter tonic.

· It is also carminative, digestive, expectorant, anti-inflammatory and a killer of intestinal worms^[23].

Pharmacological studies:

Anti-parasitic Activity:

A. A. Zahir et al. (2009) reported that the ethyl acetate extracts of A. aspera shows antiparasitic activity (dried leaf, flower and seed extract) against the larvae of cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini, 1887) (Acari: lxodidae), sheep internal parasite

Paramphistomum cervi^[15].

Bagavan et al. (2008) studied the acetone, chloroform, ethyl acetate, hexane and methanol leaf extracts of Achyranthes aspera against the early fourth-instar larvae of Aedes aegypti L and Culex quinquefasciatus Say. The larval mortality was observed after 24 h exposure. All extracts showed moderate larvicidal effects; however, the highest larval mortality was found in the ethyl acetate extract of A. aspera. In the present study, bioassay-guided fractionation of A. aspera led to the separation and identification of a saponin as a potential mosquito larvicidal compound, with LC50 value of 18.20 and 27.24 ppm against A. aegypti and C. quinquefasciatus, respectively. H¹ NMR, C¹³ NMR and mass spectral data confirmed the identification of the active compound. This is the first report on the mosquito larvicidal activity of the saponin from the ethyl acetate extract of A. aspera^[16].

Hypoglyceamic Activity:

M.S. Akhtar and J. Iqbal (1991) studied the aqueous and methanolic extracts of the powdered whole plant, which shows hypoglyceamic activity. Blood glucose levels of normal and Alloxan induced diabetic rabbits were determined after oral administration of various doses.^[17]

Hepatoprotective Activity:

A.R. Bafna and S.H. Mishra (2004) reported that the methanolic extract of the aerial parts of Achyranthes aspera shows hepatoprotective activity on rifampicin induced hepatotoxicity in albino rats. Methanolic extract showed dose dependent decrease in the levels of SGPT, SGOT, ALKP and total bilirubin^[18].

Nephroprotective Activity:

T. Jayakumar et al. (2009) reported the methanolic extract of the whole plant of Achyranthes aspera shows nephroprotective activity against lead acetate induced nephrotoxicity in male albino rats ^[19].

Cardiovascular Activity:

Achyranthine, a water-soluble alkaloid isolated from Achyranthes aspera, decreased blood pressure and heart rate, dilated blood vessels, and increased the rate and amplitude of respiration in dogs and frogs. The contractile effect of the alkaloid at 0.5 mg/ml on frog rectus abdominal muscle was less than that of acetylcholine (0.1 mg/ml), and its spasmogenic effect was not blocked by tubocurarine^[20] .

Anti-depressant Activity:

C.C. Barua et al. (2009) showed that methanolic extract of the leaves of Achyranthes aspera shows anti-depressant effect in mice and rats using forced swimming test in mice and rats and tail suspension test in rats. ^[21]

REFERENCES:

1. Kapoor and Singh, Indian J. Chem. 4, 461, 1966.

2. Basu et. al., Indian J. Pharm. 32, 43.

3. Hariharan and Rangaswamy, Phytochem. 9, 404, 1970.

4. Gambir et. al., Indian J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 9, 185, 1965.

5. Dr. K. M. Nadkarni's Indian Materia Medica, Volume 1, Edited by A. K. Nadkarni, Popular Prakashan, Bombay, 1976, pp. 21-2.

6. Chirchita or Onga (Achyranthes aspera var. perphyristachya Hook. F.) Purdue Horticulture

7. Agharkar, S.P. (1991). Medicinal plants of Bombay presidency. Pbl. Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur, India: 7-8.

8. Bhandari, M.M. (1990). Flora of the Indian desert. Pbl. MPS Repros, Jodhpur, India : 287-288.

9. Neogi et. al., Indian J. Pharm. 32, 43, 1970.

10. Dhar, Indian J. Exptl. Biol. 6, 232, 1968.

11. Gupta et. al., Indian J. Med. Res. 60, 462, 1972.

12. Ram et. al., Indian J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 14, 47, 1970; 15, 6, 1971; 15, 107, 1971.

13. Ram and Gupta Indian J. Physiol. Pharmacol.

14. Ojha, Lep. Rev. 39, 23, 1968; 37,115, 1966.

15. A.A. Zahir, A.A. Rahuman, C. Kamaraj, A. Bagavan, G. Elango, A. Sangaran, B.S. Kumar. Parasitological Research, 2009,105(2), 453-461.

16. A. Bagavan, A.A. Rahuman, C. Kamaraj, K. Geetha. Parasitological Research, 2008,103(1), 223-229.

17. M.S. Akhtar, J. Iqbal. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 1991,31(1), 49-57.

18. A.R. Bafna, S.H. Mishra. Ars Pharmaceutica,2004,45(4), 343-351.

19. T. Jayakumar, M.P. Sridhar, T.R. Bharathprasad, M. Ilayaraja, S. Govindasamy, M.P. Balasubramanian. Journal of Health Science, 2009,55(5), 701-708.

20. C.C. Barua, A. Talukdar, S.A. Begum, B. Buragohain, J.D. Roy, R.S. Borah, M. Lahkar. Pharmacologyonline, 2009,2, 587-594.

21. Cabi.org

22. p-cognosyblogspot.in

23. wisegreek.com

Received on 17.02.2014 Modified on 25.03.2014

Res. J. Pharmacognosy & Phytochem. 6(2): April-June 2014; Page 66-69