Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad is an important cucurbit plant, commonly distributed in the sandy areas of the world. In the Indian continent it is mainly found in the North West, the Punjab and in Central and southern India. The Citrullus colocynthis plant is usually known for its traditional uses as a remedy in the treatment of asthma, diabetes, common cold, leprosy, cough, bronchitis, joint pain, jaundice, cancer, toothache, mastitis, and in gastrointestinal disorders such as gastroenteritis, indigestion, dysentery, constipation, colic pain and other microbial infections. Phytochemicaly the compounds like glycosides, alkaloids, flavonoids, phenolic acids fatty acids, carbohydrates and essential oils were reported from the plant and the main components isolated from the Citrullus colocynthis plant are Cucurbitacins. The plant has been studied extensively for its wide range of pharmacological activities, which include anticancer, antidiabetic, antioxidant, cytotoxic, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory antilipidemic, and insecticide but the therapeutic potential for cardiovascular, gut, airways and many other diseases remain to be explored.

Introduction: Curcuma amada Roxb. usually referred as ambahaldi is an exceptionally aromatic rhizomatic herb which contains number of phyto constituents responsible for several pharmacological activities. Present study is an attempt to explore antioxidant and analgesic activity of ethanolic extract of C. amada. Objectives: The goal of this work was to assess the antioxidant and analgesic activity of ethanolic extract of C. amada. Methods: For in-vitro antioxidant study, the DPPH (2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) free radical scavenging test and nitric oxide scavenging assay was used to assess the antioxidant activity while the in-vivo analgesic efficacy was evaluated by using tail flick method and formalin induced pain in experimental animals. Different doses of 100mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 400 mg/kg was used to evaluate analgesic activity of ethanolic extract of C. amada. Results: Ethanolic extract of C. amada exhibited significant antioxidant in DPPH and nitric oxide scavenging assay. 100 mg/kg, 200 mg/kg, and 400 mg/kg of ethanolic extract of C. amada produced significant analgesic activity in tail flick and formalin induced pain model in experimental animals. Conclusion: Ethanolic extract of C. amada exhibited significant antioxidant as well as in-vivo analgesic activity in experimental animals.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease with unknown etiology, characterized by progressive cartilage erosion leading to joint distortion and polyarthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis significantly affects the quality of life. Approximately 1% population of the world suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, and prevalence of RA is increasing day by day. There are many synthetic compounds available for the management and treatment of rheumatoid arthritis but,- these therapeutic agents have significant side effects like diarrhea, rashes, alopecia, stomatitis, infrequent myelosuppression, hepatotoxicity and other toxicities. Moreover, symptoms can reappear after discontinuation of the therapy. Because of these side effects, and limitations of the existing synthetic drug, patients are shifting their interest from synthetic to natural products for the treatment well as management of rheumatoid arthritis.This chapter gives an overview of several plants having medicinal properties with a potent therapeutic value that can be used for the management of rheumatoid arthritis.