Neethu Mohan

Milk thistle (Silybum marianum, family-Compositae) is widespread throughout the world. Milk thistle's common name comes from the white markings on the leaves and its milky white sap used traditionally by nursing mothers to increase milk. Milk thistle appears to be safe and have multiple health benefits on various liver conditions viz; liver cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis, alcoholic fatty liver, liver poisoning, and viral hepatitis. Primary chemical constituents of Milk Thistle include flavolignans (silymarin), tyramine, histamine, gamma linoleic acid, essential oil, mucilage, and bitter principle. Available evidence is not sufficient to suggest whether milk thistle may be more effective for some liver diseases than others or if effectiveness might be related to duration of therapy or chronicity and severity of liver disease.

Mimusops elengi is the most traditionally used medicinal plant that belongs to family Sapotaceae, commonly known as Spanish cherry is native to the Western Ghat region of the peninsular India. By looking the high traditional use of the plant , the present investigation was undertaken which deals with pharmacognostic (moisture content, ash value, extractive value) and phytochemical screening of Mimusops elengi bark .The main aim of this study was to evaluate the invitro anti- arthritic (Protein denaturation and Heat induced haemolysis) and wound healing (Chick chorioallantoic membrane model) activity for methanolic extract of bark. The maximum membrane stabilization of methanolic extract of M. elengi L bark was found to be 80.31% at a dose of 250mcg/ ml and that of inhibition of protein denaturation was found to be 82.37% at a dose of 250mcg/ml with regards to standard (Diclofenac sodium) in the anti-arthritic activity. The alcoholic extract was also capable of promoting angiogenesis in chick eggs which is an indication of its wound healing activity. From the results it can be concluded that M. elengi extract shows good in vitro anti-arthritic and wound healing activities.