Kingdom-Plantae

Subkingdom-Tracheobionta

Division-Magnoliophyta

Superdivision-Spermatophyta

Class-Magnoliopsida

Subclass- Asteridae

Order- Scrophulariales

Family-Acanthaceae

Genus-Justica L.

Species- Justica adhatoda L.

Bengali: Basak; Tamil: adatodai; Gujrati: aradusi, adusa; Hindi: arusa, bansa, adlusa; Punjabi: bansa, basuti, bhukkar; Sanskirt: shwetavasa, vasa, vasaka English: Malabar nut; Malyalam: ata lotakam (Medicinal Plants in Folklores of Orrisa, 2006; Hakeem, 1999; Kabiruddin, 1996; Khan, 2014).

The plant grows throughout the Indian peninsula up to an altitude of 1300m in the sub-Himalayan tract, also found in Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Germany. It usually grows in waste places frequently near villages and often as an escape from cultivation as a hedge plant. (Medicinal Plants in Folklores of Orrisa, 2006; Shahwar et al., 2012; Usmanghani, Saeed, & Alam, 1997; Ali, 1998).

It is a shrub 1-2.5 metres high with opposite ascending branches. The leaves are simple, opposite, 7-19 cm long and 4-7 cm wide. The flowers are white, pink or purple with characteristic odour and bitter taste. Transverse section of the leaves showed two layers of palisade cells and diacytic stomata. Grandular and non-grandular trichomes are present on both the surfaces of leaves. In central India, the flowering season is from December to March and it bears fruits from January to April. (Medicinal Plants in Folklores of Orrisa, 2006; Usmanghani, Saeed, & Alam, 1997). The major alkaloid of the plant, vasicine, has been found to be biologically active and is the subject of many chemical and pharmacological studies, (Gangwar & Ghosh, 2014; Ahmad et al., 2009; Srinivasan, Sivasubramanian, & Kumaravel, 2014).

Warm and dry in the first degree (Kabiruddin, 1996; Hakeem, 1999; Khan, 2014).

Bitter taste (Claseon, Malmfors, Wikman, & Bruhn, 2000).

Leaves are dark green above and pale yellow below, flowers are white (Karthikeyan, shanthi, & Nagasathaya, 2009; Kabiruddin, 1996).

Unpleasant smell (Claseon, Malmfors, Wikman, & Bruhn, 2000; Kabiruddin, 1996).

Main Actions (nafa e khas)

Bronchodilator and Expectorant (Maurya & Singh, 2010) (Karthikeyan, shanthi, & Nagasathaya, 2009; Khan, 2014).

⬥ Stem-to stimulates uterine contraction during childbirth, antispasmodic, mudir-e-haiz (emmenagogue) and abortifacient.

Powder -3 gm, (Hakeem, 1999; Kabiruddin, 1996) Decoction - 3 to 9 ml (Khan, 2014)

In large quantities, large doses may cause irritation diarrhoea and vomiting (Usmanghani, Saeed, & Alam, 1997; Kabiruddin, 1996; Hakeem, 1999).

The adverse effects of Adhatoda vasica may be reduced by using it with filfil siyah (Black pepper, Piper nigrum) (Usmanghani, Saeed, & Alam, 1997; Kabiruddin, 1996; Hakeem, 1999).

If the drug cannot be used for some reason, then zufa (Hyssopus officinalis Linn.) may be prescribed in its place (Usmanghani, Saeed, & Alam, 1997).

⬥ Dafa e tashannuj (Antispasmodic) (Hakeem, 1999; Kabiruddin, 1996; Khan, 2014)

⬥ Asthma (dama)

In developing countries like India, the major and emerging cause of death is an infectious disease and the bacterial resistance and other side effects of existing antibiotics are hazardous to health. On the other hand, self-prescribed use of antibiotics is becoming a major problem worldwide, herbal medicine provides the source to overcome the side effects of currently available antimicrobial agents (Gupta, Ahirwar, Shinde, Choudhary, Rajput, & Singh, 2013). Many studies have established that Adhatoda vasica shows antibacterial activity. An experiment carried out by the Durre shehwaar et al. showed that vasicine remained inactive against N. asteroids and P. mirabilis and showed moderate activity against M. luteus, and S. Typhimurium. (Shahwar, Raza, Triq, Riasat, & Ajaib, 2012). The antibacterial activity of methanolic extract of Adhatoda vasica against all tested microorganisms was greater than the antibacterial activity of aqueous extract of Adhatoda vasica. Adhatoda’s antibacterial properties have been clinically evaluated by Brantner AH and Chakraborty A, 1998. While aqueous and methanolic leaf extract of Adhatoda vasica showed antibacterial activity against E.coli and Klebsiella at 15mm, 12mm and 17mm, 14mm respectively (Chauhan, Jaryal, Saxena, & Kanishak, 2012). Flowers, leaves, and roots are frequently added as antiseptic on internal use (Usmanghani, Saeed, & Alam, 1997).

During the last 20 years, several scientific studies and reports on abortifacient and uterotonic effects of alkaloid vasicine and another potent alkaloid present in the plant Adhatoda vasica have appeared. (Narimanian, et al., 2005). It’s one of the most important alkaloids named Vascine provides an oxytocic activity by releasing prostaglandin thus stimulate the uterine contractions and helps in the passage of birth during parturition and also as abortifacients as oxytocin. (Roy, Chandra, Shark, Munnan, Faruqee, & Md, 2013). Many experiments were carried out to validate the oxytocic activity of Adhatoda vasica, Rassins hamsters and guinea pigs were experimented with vasicine resulted as abortifacient which was possibly due to the release of prostaglandin. In this study, the effective dose of alkaloid was within the range of 2.5 to 10mg/kg. (Chandhoke, 1982).

Another experiment was carried out on the uterine strips of the pregnant and non-preganant uterus and were treated with Adhatoda resulted in stimulating the uterine activity as similar to oxytocin (Pahwa, Zutshi, & Atal, 1987). The effects were more remarkable and prominent when Adhatoda vasica was primed with oestrogen (Nath, Sethi, Singh, & Jain, 1992). The dried powder root, mixed with black pepper is taken by kondh women in southwestern Orissa to expedite childbirth (Parrotta, 2001). It does not only work as the abortifacient, but its medical efficacy has also been claimed to use in postnatal care (Medicinal Plants in Folklores of Orrisa, 2006).

Many studies have been done to validate the efficacy of Adhatoda vasica in wound healing. The methanolic extract ointment of Adhatoda vasica showed a significant effect in excision wound model as compared to standard drug and other two extracts of ointment, by calculating the parameters, percentage closure of excision wound model. (Vinothapooshan & Sundar, 2010). Another study showed that the rate of healing was found to be higher in the wounds of buffaloes who got treated with plant extract. (Zama, Singh, & Kumar, 1991). Chloroform and alcoholic extract of Adhatoda in powdered form on buffalo calves showed significant healing and reported to have more hydroxyproline hexosamine and zinc thus increase tensile strength extensibility in wound repair and healing. (Bhargava, Singh, & Kumar, 1988). The powdered leaves, as well as a strong decoction, are reported to used in a form of a poultice to relieve counter-irritant and inflammatory swellings and to treat fresh wounds and urticaria. The root paste is used as an external application for treating eczema among the munda in southern Bihar (Parrotta, 2001). Adhatoda vasica leaves are used in wounds and cuts and gave beneficial results in the experiment carried out in 2011. (Alam, Singh, & Singh, 2011; Arunachalam & Subhashini, 2010).

Its leaves have been used against diabetes in Asian countries such as in India and northeast of Pakistan. Ethanolic extract of leaves and roots at doses (50 and 100mg/kg) showed a significant reduction in blood glucose levels in acute toxic studies (Gulfarz, et al., 2011). Various other studies have established the remarkable effect of Adhatoda vasica in lowering the blood glucose level. The methanolic extract from the leaves of Adhatoda vasica Nees (Acanthaceae) showed the highest sucrase inhibitory activity with sucrose as a substrate (Gao, Huang, Gao, Li, Inagaki, & Kawabata, 2008).

Madak & Rao studied the non-nitrogeneous principle of the leaves in suspension form at a particular dose (25 mg/kg) decreased the blood sugar level in rabbits in a very short period of time (Dhar, Dhar, Dhawan, Mehrotra, & Ray, 1968; Madak & Rao, 1996).

Adhatoda vasica is a popular and traditional medicine to treat upper respiratory tract ailments for a long time. Both principle alkaloid of Adhatoda vasica are known for their therapeutic effect (Dorsch & Wanger, 1991; Usmanghani, Saeed, & Alam, 1997). Both alkaloids are bronchodilator in vitro and bronchoconstrictor in vivo whereas combined in vitro effect exhibited bronchodilator activity both in vivo and in vitro (Narimanian, et al., 2005). Another study revealed that vasaka posses the effect as codeine both electrically and mechanically in anaesthetized guinea pigs (Dhuley, 1999; Narimanian, et al., 2005).

Adhatoda vasica leaves showed significant hepatoprotective effect at the doses of 50-100 mg/kg on liver damage, induced D-galactosamine in rats (Bhattacharyya, Pandit, Jana, Sen, & Sur, 2005).

The antiulcer activity was established on ethanol-induced and pylorus ligation plus aspirin-induced models and showed immense potential as an antiulcer agent (Chaturvedi, Rai, Dhani, & Tiwari, 1983). Mainly effective in the ulcers induced by the ethanol and aspirin but the high degree of anti-ulcerogenic activity was observed in ethanol-induced ulcer s with Adhatoda leaf powder, (Shriivastava, Srivastava, Banerjee, & Nivasarkar, 2006). So it can be concluded that Adhatoda has an immune potential as an antiulcer agent (Shrivastava, Shrivastava, Banarjee, & Nivsarkar, 2009).

Lab experiments showed that 5mg/kg intravenous dose of Adhatoda vasica in drugs in dogs and cats increases bile activity by excreting bile up to 40 to 100%. Animals showed an increase in bilirubin excretion (Rabinivich, Leskov, & Gladikikh, 1966).

It is universally accepted and established by many experiments that Adhatoda has immense potential as anti-tussive and good for treating upper respiratory tract infections due to the presence of the bromhexine and ambroxol, two widely used mucolytics. Ambroxol and bromhexine have a tendency of showing pH-dependent growth inhibitory effect on Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Their action suggesting that it may play an important role in adjunctive therapy in the treatment of tuberculosis (Grange & Snell, 1996). Water extracts of selected medicinal plants (Acalypha indica, Adhatoda vasica, Allium cepa, Allium sativum and Aloe vera) were observed to have anti-tuberculosis activity (Gupt, et al., 2010; Usmanghani, Saeed, & Alam, 1997).

It has been used as insecticidal since centuries, studies showed that in the laboratory also in Waterhouse condition showed good control insect pests because it has an antifertility effect agent several insect species by the blockage of the oviduct. It has also proven Adhatoda effectively acts as an insect repellent (Saxena, Tikku, & Atal, 1986; Hiremath, AHN, & KIM, 1997).

In vitro studies showed that Adhatoda vasica stimulate the digestive process by activating trypsin enzyme when treated with the decoction of leaves. (Bhattacharyya, Pandit, Jana, Sen, & Sur, 2005).