INTRODUCTION:

India has a rich heritage of using medicinal shops in traditional drugs, as in the Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani systems besides myth practices¹. The foremost necrology of the medicinal uses of shops is set up in the “Rigveda”, which is one of the oldest depositories of mortal knowledge. Fairly comprehensive information on the restorative parcels of some sauces has been set up recorded in “Charak Samhita” and “Sushruta Samhita”². The factory area is a virtual goldmine of biologically active composites and it's estimated that only 10- 15 of being species of advanced shops have been surveyed. numerous shops have been successfully used in the treatment of colorful conditions. The ancient record is evidencing their use by Indian, Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, Roman and Syrian dates back to about 5000 times³.

Argemone mexicana (AM) is native to Mexico and presently current monthly weed of family Papaveraceae, substantially connected with husbandry crops and harsh surroundings⁴. One of the most important shops is Argemone mexicana Linn. That grows in the dry field areas. It generally set up on road- sides⁵. It grows throughout the tropical and tropical regions. Its common name is ‘Mexican prickly poppy’ and ‘Satyanashi’. It's an indigenous condiment with unheroic juice and unheroic flower. Its height varies between 0.3 to 0.12m long⁶. Its leaves are sessile, semi-amplexicaul, sinuately, pinnatified, and spiny on perimeters. colorful corridor of this factory have medicinal effect and reported to posses’ potent emetic, narcotic conditioning⁷. The unheroic exudate of A. mexicana has been used to treat dropsy, hostility, scabies, and Skin conditions⁸. The flowers, leaves, and seeds of this factory have been used to treat di- Verse conditions including dysentery, ulcers, cough, and hypertension. A. mexicana also exhibits hepatoprotective, anticancer, anti-HIV, antiproliferative, anti- inflammatory, antibacterial, antidiabetic, antifertility, antiallergic, nematocidal, and antioxidant conditioning. The leaves and stems of A. mexicana are employed to treat malaria and dropsy⁹. They retain anti-analgesic, antispasmodic, antiparasitic, and narcotic parcels with antifungal, hepatoprotective, larvicidal, and chemosterilant conditioning¹⁰. The splint excerpt has been used as a detergent, whereas the seed excerpt has been employed for the treatment of Leprosy, knobs, skin conditions, and nonentity mouthfuls¹¹. These conditioning are attributed to secondary Metabolites and protein hydrolysing substances. A. mexicana root substantially used in Jaundice.

SYNONYM OF (Argemone mexicana):

(Papaveraceae):

Argemone alba, Raf.

Argemone mexicana var. lutea Kuntze.

Argemone mexicana var. mexicana. Argemone mexicana var. ochroleuca Britton. Argemone mexicana var. parviflora Kuntze. Argemone mucronata Dum.Cours. ex Steud. Argemone sexvalvis Stokes.

Argemone spinosa Gaterau. Argemone spinosa Moench. Argemone versicolor Salisb. Argemone vulgaris Spach. Echtrus mexicanus (L.) Nieuwl.

Echtrus trivialis Lour.

Papaver mexicanum (L.) E.H.L. Krause¹³.

Scientific Classification of a. Mexicana:

Table.no. 01

Kingdom	Plantae
Division	Magnoliophyte
Class	Magnoliopsida Dicotyledons
Subclass	Magnolidae
Order	Papaverales
Family	Papaveraceae
Genus	Argemone
Species	A. Mexicana

DISTRIBUTION IN INDIA:

Fig.no.02 Parts of Plant

In India, this species is current in countries like, Andhra, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. In India, this species is current in countries like, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal¹⁴.

Medicinal Significance of Argemone mexicana:

The isoquinoline alkaloids (similar as protopine, berberine, and dihydro palmatine hydroxide) were uprooted from seeds of A. mexicana traditional uses of A. mexicana were bandied lines above grounded in similar uses, several pharmacological andbiochemical studies on both in vitro and in vivo models have been performed. Some of the main natural conditioning are described below¹⁴.

01. Medicinal significance of A. mexicana splint:

Leaves along with black pepper are used to cure diabetes. Leaf decoction is used in the treatment of malarial fever and ulcers.Leaves and seeds are also reported to find operation in maintaining normal blood rotation and cholesterol position in mortal body these factory corridors retain anti-venom property as well (15). Waterless excerpt of leaves have been reported to retain anti-inflammatory a exertion. A decoction from the leaves is drunk to treat stomach pangs and used in cataracts to treat muscular pain.

The leaves are useful in cough, injuries, ulcer, knobs, cold blisters, cutaneous affections, skin conditions, itches etc. ¹⁶

Fig.No.03 Leaves

02. Medicinal Significance of A. mexicana Root:

The root is used for the treatment of habitual skin conditions and alterative. Roots are anthelmintic and also used in skin conditions, leprosy and inflammations ¹⁷. It's used as antibacterial, cyto- toxicity, crack mending, antioxidant and anti-fungal agent. They're expectorant and can be used in the treatment of coughs and other casket complaints ¹⁸. The alkaloid fragments of the root are reported to retain anti - inflammatory exertion and strong uterine goad effect. The roots are useful in guinea- worm infestation, immaculate and haemorrhagic, all types of poisoning, constipation, flatulence, bellyache, malarial fever, and vesicular math ¹⁹. A maceration of the root is used to treat vaginal discharge and hepato- biliary problems²⁰.

Fig.no.04 Roots

03. Medicinal Significance of A. mexicana Seed:

The seed is cure, cathartic, demulcent, emetic, expectorant and laxative²¹. An infusion, in small amounts, is used as an opiate for children, but caution is advised since the oil painting in the seed is explosively purgative. They're useful in the treatment of coughs and catarrh affections of the throat and pulmonary mucous membrane, and in pertussis and asthma²². Though they don't appear to retain any antispasmodic property, they've a distinct effect on asthma, supposedly from their combined conduct as nausea, emetic, expectorant and demulcent²³. As their use is frequently accompanied by some degree of puking and nausea, as a laxative drug they're more suited to some pulmonary affections than to other conditions²⁴. The seed has also been used as a cure to snake poisoning. The pounded seeds, mixed with mustard oil painting, are applied externally to treat itchy skill²⁵.

Fig.no.05 Seeds

Traditional uses of A. mexicana:

Traditional uses knowledge of established medical practices is essential for the development of innovative drugs²⁶. According to a check, the use of foliage as remedial agents varies from 4 to 20 in colorful regions of the world²⁷. roughly 2,500 species of shops are traded internationally, and numerous others have been used for glories by original interpreters. The patient use of multitudinous species for medicinal purposes to treat a different range of medical conditions has continued for decades. Also, it's more trusted and accepted because it's more nearly tied to the culture and religion of the area. In different locales, the AM has been utilised as an efficient medicinal factory. Argemone derives from the Greek word argemone, meaning" cataract in one's eye," since once druggies have reckoned on its juice to offer relief for vision- related problems. Ophthalmia and nebulosity of the cornea can both be remedied with the juice of AM. Indeed, though its seeds have parcels that are both laxative and opiate, they're also used to treat constipation²⁸.

1. Jaundice:

Argemone mexicana factory juice is used orally. Jaundice is treated with 2- 3 ladles each day for a week. Tea made from dried leaves is used to help people stop using medicines and smoking.

2. Scabies:

To gain ash, seeds are roasted on a hot iron visage. To make a paste, this ash is combined with a generous quantum of coconut oil painting. Every day until the condition is resolved, it's applied to the affected region.

3. Cure:

Paste of 20g root of Argemone mexicana along with 20g petiole of Maharukh (Ailanthus Roxb) is applied on the snake such area as an cure²⁸.

Pharmacological Uses of A. mexicana:

1. Antimalarial Exertion:

Decoctions of upstanding apkins of A. mexicana have been shown to be effective to treatnon-severe Plasmodium falci- Parium cases of malaria in children from Mali, with minor side goods. These goods were related to the presence of berberine in the medication, which could reach up to 20mg/ L in the decoction. also, berberine inhibits in vitro nucleic acid and protein conflation as well as telomerase exertion in P.falciformis²⁹. Structure function analyses have revealed that the antiplasmodial exertion of berberine is substantially related to the presence of the quaternary Nitrogen and the oxygen functions ³⁰. The AM decoction relieves uncomplicated malaria if taken doubly daily for seven days³¹. On day 14 of this authority, 73 of all cases and 89 of those over 5 times old had an acceptable clinical response, probably due to an enhanced vulnerable defence system ³². In another disquisition, during a 28- daypost-treatment follow- up in Mali, decoction of AM was enough to exclude symptoms in 89 of cases, while artemisinin combination curatives redounded in a 95% success rate among those treated ³³. AM can be used as a first- line treatment for malaria when other antimalarial medicines aren't available in places where severe malaria is rare and well- permitted³⁴.

2. Crack Mending Exertion:

Different detergent excerpts were reported to retain the crack mending exertion of Argemone mexicana in the rat model ³⁵. The crack mending exertion was done by gash, excision, and on dead space of crack rat ³⁶. The result shows the alcoholic excerpt of leaves promotes crack mending effect The in vivo study of splint excerpt and latex was used to assess these conditioning in a rat model. The crack exertion from excerpt and latex was more effective than the medicine(nitrofurazone) used in the study ³⁷. The excerpt treated model set up advanced tensile strength than the latex treated model³⁸.

3. Cytotoxic Exertion:

Excerpts from Argemone apkins has been estimated against gastric (NUGC), nasopharyngeal (HONE-1) and Hepatic (HepG2) cancer cell lines ³⁹.

Angoline, chelerithryne, benzophenanthridine alkaloids insulated from these excerpts, displayed cytotoxic exertion against NUGC cell lines⁴⁰. still, only angoline, had a significant toxin on (HONE-1) line Fargaronine, ni-Tidine and sanguinarine alsoexhibited antineoplastic exertion Against lymphocytic leukaemia cell lines P388 and L1210, and melanocarcinome B16 line ⁴¹.

4. Antifertility Exertion:

The isoquinoline alkaloids (similar as protopine, berberine, and dihydro palmatine hydroxide) were uprooted from seeds of A. mexicana⁴². These isoquinoline alkaloids were reportedanti-spermatogenic function in tykes ⁴³. When the canine fed for 70 days at a cure of 30 mg/ kg set up late spermatid conformation. The spermatid was set up to reduce at first 46.5 also 58 and at last, it was reduced to 97.7. The spermatids were

reduced due to protopine, berberine, and dihydro palmatine hydroxide, whereas the cells of leading were reduced due to berberine and protopine ⁴⁴.

5. Cytotoxic Exertion:

By separation of the factory’s excerpt (in chloroform), an alkaloid was insulated and latterly tested for its cytotoxicity to mortal being nasopharyngeal melanoma and gastric cancer cell lines ⁴⁵. latterly, the alkaloid chelerythrine showed significant exertion against cancerous cell line, whilst angoline was reported as potent asset f cancerous cell lines ⁴⁶.

Poisoning:

R. E. Meaker has looked into possible epidemic dropsy cases in the North- Western cape areas. The illness was identical to Indian epidemic dropsy in every way. analogous symptoms and histological lesions to those seen in mortal pandemics were convinced in trials on catcalls using seed from the Mexican poppy that was gathered from the fields where the wheat consumed by the victims was cultivated. With the material at our disposal, there's no other conclusion we can draw other than the fact that The forenamed outbreak in the carnarvon quarter was epidemic dropsy brought on by eating wheat tainted with Mexican poppy seed ⁴⁷.

Tixicological Effect of A. maxicana:

Consumption of oil painting uprooted from accidental or deliberate impurity of argemone seed to mustard seed is known to pose a clinical condition popularly appertained to as Epidemic Dropsy. Several outbreaks of Epidemic Dropsy have passed in the history in India as well as in Mauritius, Fiji Island, and South Africa. Clinicoepidemiological instantiations of argemone oil painting poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, nausea, swelling of branches, erythema, bending edema, breathlessness, etc. In extreme cases, glaucoma and indeed death due to cardiac arrest have been encountered. The toxin of argemone oil painting has been attributed to two of its physiologically active benzophenanthridine alkaloids, sanguinarine and dihydrosanguinarine⁴⁸.

CONCLUSION:

On the base of a number of studies, regarding this weed it's apparent that this habitually ignored, but remarkably shown factory of the thirsty regions remarkably has a range of benefits related to health issues beside its illegal application as a adulterant in mustard oil painting. The restorative value exists in its hepato-defensive nature, antimalarial, antibacterial, antiplasmodial, antiasthmatic, antiallergic,anti-HIV parcels, etc. beside, these it has cytotoxic capability against cancerous cell lines. The factory is also used to treat, leprosy, skin conditions and to cure injuries. The factory corridor also showed vaso- relaxant, larvicidal and molluscicidal action. Its phytochemical composition includes Several useful alkaloids and antioxidants of pharmaceutical significance. This review recognizes the multiple uses of A. mexicana kindly equal to another member of family Papaveraceae, Papaver somniferum(opium poppy).

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Received on 20.01.2026 Revised on 16.02.2026

Accepted on 11.03.2026 Published on 21.04.2026

Available online from April 24, 2026

Res. J. Pharmacognosy and Phytochem. 2026; 18(2):163-168.

DOI: 10.52711/0975-4385.2026.00023

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