TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page-   –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         i

Certification-          –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         ii

Dedication-  –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iii

Acknowledgements-        –         –         –         –         –         –         –         iv

Table of Contents-           –         –         –         –         –         –         –         v-vii

CHAPTER ONE

1.1     INTRODUCTION-         –         –         –         –         –         –         1-3

CHAPTER TWO

2.1     Taxonomic Classification           –         –         –         –         –         4

2.2     Geographical Sources      –         –         –         –         –         –         5

2.2.1  Morphology          –         –         –         –         –         –         –         5

2.2.2  Traditional Uses    –         –         –         –         –         –         –         6-7

2.3     Phytochemistry      –         –         –         –         –         –         –         7-12

CHAPTER THREE

3.1     Pharmacological Actions –         –         –         –         –         –         13

3.1.1  Spermacidal Activity       –         –         –         –         –         –         13-14

3.1.2  Antiparasitic Activity       –         –         –         –         –         –         15-16

3.1.3  Hypoglyceamic Activity            –         –         –         –         –         16

3.1.4  Cancer Chemo preventive Activity      –         –         –         –         16

3.1.5  Hepatoprotective Activity          –         –         –         –         –         16-17

3.1.6  Analgesic and antipyretic activity        –         –         –         –         17-18

3.1.7  Anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic activity –         –         –         18-19

3.1.8  Antimicrobial Activity     –         –         –         –         –         –         19-21

3.1.9  Anti-oxidant Activity       –         –         –         –         –         –         21-22

3.1.10 Nephroprotective Activity        –         –         –         –         –         22

3.1.11 Anti-depressant Activity           –         –         –         –         –         23

3.1.12 Diuretic Activity –          –         –         –         –         –         –         23

3.1.13 Bronchoprotective Activity      –         –         –         –         –         23-24

3.1.14 Anti-allergic Activity      –         –         –         –         –         –         24

3.1.15 Wound Healing Activity –        –         –         –         –         –         24

3.1.16 Immunomodulatory Activity    –         –         –         –         –         25

3.1.17 Cardiovascular Activity –         –         –         –         –         –         25-26

3.1.18 Hypolipidemic Activity  –         –         –         –         –         –         26-27

CHAPTER FOUR: SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

4.1     Summary     –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         28

4.2     Conclusion  –         –         –         –         –         –         –         –         29

References

CHAPTER ONE

1.1     INTRODUCTION

Knowledge of herb has been handed down from generation to generation for thousands of years. Herbal drugs constitute a major part in all traditional system of medicines.

Herbal medicine is a triumph of popular therapeutic diversity. Plants above all other agent have been used for medicine from the time immemorial because they have fitted the immediate personal need are, easily accessible in inexpensive (Mukherjee, 2008). In the recent past there have been a tremendous increase in the use of plant based health products in developing as well was developed countries resulting in an exponential growth of herbal products globally. An upward trend has been observed in the research on herbals. Herbal medicines have a strong traditional or conceptual base and the potential to be useful as drugs in terms of safety and effectiveness leads for treating different disease.

World Health Organization has made an attempt to identify all medicinal plant used globally and listed more than 20,000 species (Poundey et al., 2008).

According to the World Health Organization more than 80% of the world’s population relies on traditional herbal medicine for their primary health care (Vijayan et al., 2007). Plants continue to serve as possible source for new drugs and chemicals derived from various part of plant (Jijani et al., 2008). In recent time there has been a marked shift towards herbal cures because  of the pronounced cumulative and irreversible reaction of modern drugs. However, due to overpopulation, urbanization and continuous exploitation of these herbal reserves, the natural resources  a long with their related traditional knowledge are depleting day by day (Pande et al., 2007).

In the present era of drug development and discovery of newer drug molecules many plant products are evaluated in the basis of their traditional uses. One of the many plant which are being evaluated for their therapeutic efficacies is Achyrinthes aspera which is commonly known as Latjeera (Hindi) and rough chaff tree (English) . it is erect or procumbent, annual or perennial herb, 1-2m in height, often with a woody base, commonly found as a weed of waysides, on roadsides (Jitendra et al., 200; Anonymous, 2005& Zafar, 2009).

Although it has many medicinal properties, it is particularly used spermcidal Palu et al. (2010). Antipyretic (Sutar et al., 20100. Antipyretic (Sutar et al., 2008) and as a cardiovascular agent (Neogi et al., 1970).