Updasta: Euphorbia hirta lin

Euphorbia hirta lin.

The conventional use of herbal and medicinal plants is the quintessence of Ayurveda and has remained virtually unchanged since time immemorial in different parts of the world and it's usage in diverse forms, is popular by different names. Including such a medicinal plant and an Ayurvedic diet in day-to-day routine can bring health and vitality to all aspects of our life.  Euphorbia hirta also called as 'asthma-plant’ is a pantropical weed, is indigenous to India and belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. In Northern India, it is also known by the name of “Tawa Tawa” and “doodhee” as it releases milky white latex.

It is a densely hairy, little-branched annual weed and flowers throughout the year, with yellowish hairs and milky latex, grows in open grasslands, roadsides, and lanes. It is used in traditional herbal medicine and Ayurveda for a very long time. It is found in most tropical parts of the world.

Image courtesy: https://www.canbr.gov.au/cpbr/cd-keys/RFK7/key/RFK7/Media/Images/entities/Euphorbia_hirta/2229213.jpg

 

It can be most commonly found in terrestrial habitat and is  ubiquitous. Leaves of Euphorbia hirta  is being  used in the Indian traditional herbal medicines to cure several diseases like  bronchial infections, cough, bowel complaints, helminthic infestations, wounds, kidney stones, and ulcers .Furthermore,  the aqueous extract of Euphorbia shows analgesic, antipyretic and anxiolytic actions.

 

 

It has numerous health benefits which include its ability to helps in healing, soothe the skin, protect female reproduction and fertility, also gastrointestinal disorders, improve respiration, boost the immune system, and reduces inflammation. Due to its unique chemical structure and powerful effects on the body, it is popularly used as a medicinal herb.

Much researches are still being carried out to understand the chemical pathways that this plant can affect. Not only leaves, flowers, and sap but all parts of this herbaceous plant are effective and are being used in their own way for specific disorders. For a very long time, for the treatment of eye disorders, the flowers of the plant and it’s decoction are prepared and used which soothes the eye infection and many symptoms of conjunctivitis. One of the other traditional use of Euphoria is in anti-inflammation, it can even reduce inflammation at the place of snakebite and can neutralize toxins.

 

Source: Saravanan, R. & Dhachinamoorthi, D. & Senthilkumar, K. & Srilakshmi, M. & Sri, T.. (2012). Antibacterial activity of Euphorbia extracts. International Journal of Research in Ayurveda and Pharmacy. 3. 439-441

It was found and proven  that flavonoids, polyphenols, sterols and terpenes, present in the aqueous and alcoholic extracts of the plant  demonstrated immunomodulatory activity. The immunomodulatory response of euphoria  by using it as a herbal formulation to get relieved from the diseases is being used from many past years. Evaluation of the ethanolic extract of euphoria  shows the plant has immunostimulatory properties and can be used as an immunomodulatory agents and can aid in drug advancement.

E. hirta contains major drug properties effective against viruses and may even increase platelet count. Phytochemical analysis revealed that the plant also contains carbohydrates, glycosides, saponins, phytosterols, and phenolic compounds. Also, the phenolic compounds, flavonoids present in the plant has been confirmed with the significant  platelet increasing potential and triterpenoids hold  many anti-inflammatory properties.

 

In poor and developing countries, people depend  on herbal remedies for  the cure of serious weakening illness. In South Africa, research to evaluate the effect of the plant E.hirta against asthma using a prototype was carried out and it was observed that E.hirta possesses anti-inflammatory properties which might be because of the presence of quercitrin, sterols, and myricitrin. Polyphenolic compounds like tannic acid derivatives and tannins are responsible for the inhibiting the development of disease-causing bacteria and microorganisms. Additionally, leave extracts also exhibit antifungal activities and effective against bacteria due to the presence of triterpenoids. Euphorbia has significant effectiveness in the treatment of asthma because of the combined effect and interaction of the present sterols, flavonoids, and triterpenoids compounds.

REFERENCES

        1.         Kumar, S., Malhotra, R. & Kumar, D. Euphorbia hirta: Its chemistry, traditional and medicinal uses, and pharmacological activities. Pharmacognosy Reviews (2010) doi:10.4103/0973-7847.65327.

       2. BN., R. R. and M. Compendium of Indian Medicinal Plants. CSIR Publication, India (1993).

3.        Ahmad, P. et al. Ameliorative Potential of Euphorbia hirta (Linn.) Extract against Lipopolysaccharide Induced-neuroinflammation and Oxidative Damage in Rats. Biochem. Pharmacol. Open Access 07, 3–6 (2018).

4.        Ryul, J. H., Ahn, H., Kim, J. Y. & Kim, Y. K. Inhibitory activity of plant extracts on nitric oxide synthesis in LPS-activated macrophages. Phyther. Res. (2003) doi:10.1002/ptr.1180.

5.        Sharma, N. et al. Evaluation of the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer activities of Euphorbia hirta ethanolic extract. Molecules (2014) doi:10.3390/molecules190914567.

6.        Bigoniya, P., Agrawal, S. & Verma, N. K. Potential wound healing activity of Euphorbia hirta Linn total flavonoid fraction. Int. J. Pharm. Sci. Rev. Res. (2013).

7.        Tuhin, R. H. et al. Wound healing effect of Euphorbia hirta linn. (Euphorbiaceae) in alloxan induced diabetic rats. BMC Complement. Altern. Med. (2017) doi:10.1186/s12906-017-1930-x.

8.        Sangeeta Devi*1, Muneesh Kumar2, Ravi3, Jagrati Tripathi4, M. S. ROLE OF DIFFERENT PHYTOCONSTITUENTS FROM EUPHORBIA HIRTA L. IN DISEASE PREVENTION. World J. Pharm. Res. (2014).

9.        Fen, M. & Yuh, J. Potential Applications of Euphorbia hirta in Pharmacology. in Drug Discovery Research in Pharmacognosy (2012). doi:10.5772/34644.

10.      Bisi-Johnson, M. A., Obi, C. L., Kambizi, L. & Nkomo, M. A survey of indigenous herbal diarrhoeal remedies of O.R. Tambo district, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. African J. Biotechnol. (2010) doi:10.5897/AJB09.1475.

11.      Ekpo, O. E. & Pretorius, E. Asthma, Euphorbia hirta and its anti-inflammatory properties. South African Journal of Science (2007).