Families:

1. Liliaceae: Garlic, Colchicum, Aloe.

2. Zingiberaceae: Ginger, Curcuma.

3. Umbelliferae: Fennel, Carum, Coriander, Conium, Asafoetida.

4. Solanaceae: Belladonna, Hyoscyamus, Stramonium Capsicum.

5. Leguminosae: Acacia, Glycyrrhiza, Senna, Cassia, Tamarind.

Families:

6. Scrophulariaceae: Digitalis, Verbascum (Mullien).

7. Apocynaceae: Rauwolfia, Catharanthus.

8. Labiatae: Peppermint, Thyme, Spearmint, Salvia,

Ocimum.

9. Papaveraceae: Papaver Somniferum, Sanguinaria Canadensis.

10. Ranunculaceae: Aconitum, Larkspur, Pulsatilla, Hydrastis.

Apocynaceae

Rauwolfia

Rauwolfia

Common names:Chhotachand, Indian snake root, Serpentine root, Chandrika etc.

Botanical Source:Rauwolfia consists of the dried rhizome and roots of Rauwolfia serpentina (Rauvolfia serpentina).

Family:Apocynaceae

Geographical Source:

Small shrub found in India, Pakistan, Burma, Thailand and Java.

The geographical source appears to influence the alkaloidal content, and manufacturers tend to prefer drug obtained from India or Pakistan.

Collection and preparation:

After collection the drug is cut transversely into convenient sized pieces and dried.

Macroscopical characters:

• It usually occurs in cylindrical or slightly tapering, tortuous pieces about 2 -10 cm long and 5-22 mm in diameter.

• The roots are rarely branched and rootlets, 0.5-1 mm in diameter, are rare.

• Pieces of rhizome closely resemble the root but may be identified by a small central pith, they occasionally have attached to them small pieces of aerial stem.

Macroscopical characters:

The outer surface is greyish-yellow, light brown or brown with slight wrinkles (young pieces) or longitudinal ridges (older pieces): occasional circular scars of rootlets.

Macroscopical characters:

• The drug breaks readily with a short fracture.

• The smoothed transverse surface shows a narrow, yellowish-brown bark and a dense pale yellow wood, which occupies about three-quarters of the diameter.

• The recently dried drug has a slight odour which seems to decrease with age.

• Taste: bitter.

Phytoconstituents:Rauwolfia contains at least 30 alkaloids, which total some 0.7-2.4%.

Other substances present include:• Phytosterols• Fatty acids• Unsaturated alcohols• Sugars• Ajmaline (rauwolfine)• Ajmalinine• Ajmalicine• Serpentine and Serpentinine.

Phytoconstituents:

• The chief therapeutically important alkaloids are Reserpine and Rescinnamine.

• These are esters derived from methyl reserpate and trimethoxybenzoic acid in the case of Reserpine and trimethoxycinnamic acid in the case of Rescinnamine.

Uses:• Rauwolfia preparations and reserpine are used in the management of essential hypertension and in certain neuropsychiatric disorders.

• Ajmaline, which has pharmacological properties similar to those of quinidine, is marketed in Japan for the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias.

• An estimated 3500 kg of ajmalicine is isolated annually from either Rauwolfia or Catharanthus spp. by pharmaceutical industries for the treatment of circulatory diseases.

Catharanthus

CatharanthusCommon names:Madagascan periwinkle, Vinca, Sadabahar etc.

Botanical Source:The Madagascan periwinkle, is the dried entire plant of Catharunthus roseus has been variously designated Vinca rosea and Lochnera rosea.

Family:Apocynaceae

Geographical Source:

It is indigenous to Madagascar but is now widely distributed throughout warm regions and is much cultivated as an ornamental, it grows profusely in southern Florida.

Commercial supplies of the drug are obtained from both wild and cultivated plants produced in various locations, including Africa, India, Thailand, Taiwan, eastern Europe, Spain, USA and Australia.

Macroscopical Characters:

• C. roseus is a herbaceous subshrub, 40-80 cm high, becoming woody at the base.

• The leaves are petiolate, entire margin, ovate or oblong, glossy appearance, acute apex.

• Flowers resemble those of the common periwinkle Vinca major and are coloured violet, rose, white (var. albus) or white with a red eye (var. ocellatus).

• Odour: Characteristic• Taste: Bitter

PhytoConstituents:

• A group of about 20 bisindole alkaloids which contains those having antineoplastic activity, including: • Leurocristine (Vincristine)

• Vincaleukoblastine (Vinblastine)

• Vinblastine is produced by coupling of the indole alkaloids catharanthine and vindoline, both of which occur free in the plant.

Uses:

• Vinblastine is used mainly for the treatment of generalized Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.

• Vincristine is used principally in the treatment of acute lymphocytic leukaemia in children.

• It has other applications for lymphomas, small cell lung cancer, cervical and breast cancers.

• The semi-synthetic vindesine is also used in the treatment of acute lymphoid leukaemia in children.

Uses:

• Vincristine has a superior antitumour activity compared to vinblastine, but is more neurotoxic.

• Vinorelbine is a newer, orally active, semi-synthetic anhydro derivative of 8'-norvinblastine with a broader anticancer activity and lower neurotoxic side-effects than the other Catharanthus alkaloids.