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| Latin Name |
Sanskrit Names |
Hindi Name |
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Leptadenia reticulata
Ascle piadaceae
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Jivanti, Jivani,
Madhusrava |
Dori |
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| Habitat |
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It grows
in the sub-Himalayan tracts of Punjab, U.P. and throughout
the Deccan Peninsula up to an altitude of 900 m, in India.
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| Morphology
Description (Habit) |
L.reticulata
is a much-branched twining shrub. The bark is yellowish
brown, corky, deeply cracked; the leaves are ovate-cordate,
coriaceous glabrous above, more or less finely pubescent
beneath; the flowers are in many-flowered cymes, greenish
yellow; the follicles are sub-woody and turgid.
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| Principal
Constituents |
The plant contains
a triterpenoid, leptadenol (C30H50O). It also contained n -triacontane,
cetyl alcohol, ß-sitosterol, ß-amyrin acetate, lupanol
3-O -diglucoside and leptidin1.
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| Pharmacology |
A number of studies
have been carried out on the galactagogue property of the plant in
laboratory animals. Studies on the lactogenic property of L.reticulata
were carried out on lactating rats using pup weight, body weight of
mother rats, and histopathological study of lactating mammary gland,
as well as the secretory rating, parenchyma percentage, estimation
of glycogen content (of the abdominal mammary glands) and the protein
content (of the pectoral mammary glands) as parameters. While both
stigmasterol and the ether fraction of L.reticulata showed
lactogenic effect, as assessed by all these parameters, stigmasterol
was found to be more potent2.A herbal preparation with L.reticulata
as one of the nine constituents is said to exert beneficial effects
on the gametogenic and androgenic functions of the testes of animals.
It showed anabolic cum androgen like activity as evidenced by the
dose related growth of the ventral prostate and the systemic increase
in the weights as well as the secretions of the accessory sex organs
of castrated adult mice3.
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| Clinical
Studies |
The lactogenic/galactagogue
effect of L.reticulata has been clinically assessed by many
investigators. These studies have been mainly carried out on the commercial
preparation of Leptaden.
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| Toxicity |
On acute toxicity studies, L.reticulata
(aqueous extract) and leptaden administered orally for three alternate
days, and three consecutive days to rats, were safely tolerated up
to a dose of 3.125 g/kg. An increase in dose led to an increase in
mortality. Post mortem, subcutaneous peticheal hemorrhage was noted,
whilst the liver, kidney and heart showed no apparent change4.
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| Indications |
The plant is stimulant and restorative
and shows anti-bacterial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative
bacteria.
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