Document Type : Research Article
Abstract
Background: Night jasmine (Nyctanthes arbortristis or NAT) is a sacred plant (known as Parijat in Sanskrit) and commonly used traditional medicine. It was observed that the leaves of the plant are used in treating malaria. The present work has made an attempt to make ethnobotanical studies, isolation of the phytochemical constituents and mechanism of the pharmacological actions and therapeutic uses with focus on malaria. Objectives: (1) Identify the plant material for use in traditional medicine. (2)Gather laboratory evidence that the chemical constituents are comparable to standard treatment in malaria. Methods: The leaves of the plant (NAT)) were identified and the sample specimens were kept in herbarium after authentication. The phytoconstituents were identified by column chromatography. The antimalarial activities were studied. The in vitro activity of leaves of NAT was compared with chloroquine (CQ).
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