Abstract
About this talk
Herbal medicines are the principal constituents of traditional systems of medicine. Albizia lebbeck (L.) Benth., commonly known as Indian Siris, is a plant native to Indian subcontinent and is used in alternative systems of medicine including Ayurveda, Siddha, and Yunani. The plant is used as a medicine in different countries of the world, including Africa, Australia, Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Taiwan, and Tibet. The bark of the plant is made use of in the treatment of diseased conditions like bronchitis, leprosy, paralysis, gum inflammation, and helminthic infections in Ayurveda. The anti-anaphylactic, anti-asthmatic, anti-diarrheal, anti-spermatogenic, and anxiolytic activities of the plant are already scientifically proven. The bark of the plant is also well known for its anti-allergic, anti-Alzheimer’s, anti-cancerous, anti-diabetic, anti-microbicidal, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antiparkinsonian, antipyretic, antivenomic, estrogenic and wound healing activities. Though the plant is included in the least concern category by the IUCN, the geographical abundance of the plant varies in different regions affecting its availability. As concerned with the present scenario, in which many medicinal plants are disappearing rapidly, it is the need of the hour to emphasise the need to find and explore plants with similar essential values and properties. The application of substitutes (‘Pratinidhi Dravyas’) for the original drug had been quoted earlier in different Ayurveda classics, but the fundamental basis on which they are selected had not been mentioned anywhere. Most of the drug materials are being collected from the wild with the support of local collectors. The restricted distribution of the plant, phenotypic variability, and misidentification had led to the intentional and unintentional use of adulterants apart from the substitutes mentioned in Ayurveda texts. Hence the scientific validation of the drugs used and its authenticity had become an indispensable requisite to maintain the sustainable ethics of the system of medicine. The substitutes used should be tested using newer technologies, and the properties of the substitutes should be compared with those of the original plant material. An analysis of the toxicity or side effects of the drug on targeted living organisms has to be clearly done with precision before human consumption. Different substitutes for the bark of A. lebbeck used in Ayurveda are articulated using different literature. Furthermore, the taxonomic, phytochemical, pharmacological, pharmacognostic, and toxicity aspects and the prospective for the scientific validation of the substitutes are discussed in the study. The study might throw light on the beneficial knowledge of plant-based substitute drugs in the alternative fields of medicine.
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