Ayurveda

The Mimosa pudica Linn. is a plant having multi activity and has been using as a single herb or as in polyherbal preparation from the prehistoric time. The plant is claimed to be Anthelminthic, antihyperglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, antispasmodic, antitussive, antiviral, calmative, contraceptive, depilatory, diuretic ,emetic, expectorant , poison, sedative and tranquilizing by different traditional practitioner, different community and in different literature. While in Ayurveda it was mentioned that the decoction of the whole plant was used to wash the vaginal infections. From different literature, it is come to know that in Bangladesh and in Sudan it is used in UTI and Oral infections. A clear justification arises that the plant may have antimicrobial activity.  Finally plant were tested against six microbial strain out of which two were gram positive bacteria, two were gram negative bacteria and two were fungal strain. Staphylococcus aureus  MTCC 3160, Straphylococcus saprophyticus MTCC 96 , Klebsiella pneumonia MTCC 4032, Escherichia coli MTCC 1303, Aspergillus niger MTCC 281 & Candida albicans MTCC 1637 obtained from department of microbiology, down town hospital, Guwahati were the choice of test organisms. The inhibition of zone were tested using the disc diffusion method. Ciprofloxacin and Fluconazole were used as positive control for the bacterial and fungal strain respectively whereas DMSO was used as negative control. The activity indexes were determined.

H. pylori is a gram- negative, microaerobic bacterium with a worldwide distribution in the acid –secreting gastroduodenal mucosa of man. H. pylori colonization itself is not a disease, but infection causes various clinical disorders in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Combination antibiotic therapy is advocated as its first line of treatment. But development of resistance to antibiotics, undesirable side effects and significant cost of the therapy makes it very difficult for the effective management of the condition. Moreover, compliance with the antibiotic regimen which is usually administered for 14-21 days is a big hindrance to the successful management of H. pylori. The need of the hour is to search for an alternative natural therapeutic agent which should be cost effective, devoid of undesirable side effects and must be easily available to the common people. Recent studies have suggested that H. pylori infection can be suppressed through the use of medicinal plants. In this context, recent research study reports reflect that gastro-protective medicinal plants as described in Ayurvedic Texts like Sunthi (Zingiber officinale), Rasona (Allium sativum), Kampillaka (Mallotus philipinensis), Kalajaji (Nigella sativa), Chitraka (Plumbago zeylanica), Sarpunkha (Tephrosia purpurea), Haridra (Curcuma longa), Amragandhi Haridra (Curcuma amada) and Twak (Cinnamomum spp.) possess significant anti- Helicobacter pylori activity. Therefore, it is concluded that inclusion of natural antioxidants in the normal, daily diet may be the best remedial measure for continued protection from H. pylori infection. They are nontoxic in nature and hence can be used safely.