Background: The Himalayan region has been reported as rich accumulation of natural wealth, particularly of aromatic and medicinal plants. Indian Ajuga species (Ajuga brachystemon, Ajuga integrifolia, Ajuga macrosperma and Ajuga parviflora) belonging to Lamiaceae family have been reported from different parts of Uttarakhand. Phytochemical studies revealed presence of various bioactive compounds including neo-clerodane diterpenoids, steroids, phytoecdysteroids, sphingolipids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, fatty acids, iridoids, triglycerides, withanolides, phenylethanoid glycosides and quinols. Modern pharmacological activities of Ajuga species including anti-inflammatory, anti plasmodial activity, anti-platelet activity, antioxidant activity, analgesic assay, anti diabetic activity, antifungal activity, insecticidal activity and cytotoxity have been published by various researchers. Objective: The present study is aimed to explore chemical composition, pharmacological and biological activities of Ajuga species as worked out by researchers and scientific community. Due to excessive use of Ajuga species it needs to be conserved and requires important measures for its conservation. Methods: The analysis of essential oils and plant extract has been reported through solvent extraction, steam distillation method, GC-MS analysis and HPLC. Results: Literature survey revealed reports of Ajuga L. to be used against various ailments such as stomach-ache, dermatitis, malaria, snake-bite, ear-ache, arthritis, bleeding, wounds, asthma, pneumonia, respiratory problems, fever, dysentery, and joint pain. Conclusion: The detailed description would be helpful in future studies. Recent biotechnological approaches have been reported useful to conserve A. bracteosa due to over exploitation for research purpose whereas A. brachystemon and A. macrosperma have been reported rarely in the wild.

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The objective of the present study was to examine the chemical compositions of Salvia coccinea oleoresins prepared in methanol and petroleum ether. GC-MS analysis of Salvia coccinea methanolic oleoresin (SCMO) and Salvia coccinea ether oleoresin (SCEO) resulted in the identification of 15 and 12 constituents, comprising 84.7 and 81.2% of the total composition, respectively. Both SCMO and SCEO varied in their chemical composition in terms of quantity, namely, oleic acid (22.3-25.9%), palmitic acid (8.9-8.4%), stigmasta-3,5-dien-7-one (3.4-11.8%), stigmasterol acetate (3.5-5.3%), neophytadiene (4.8-1.7%), phytol (1.6-7.8%) and phthalic acid (2.1-3.1%). In addition to the qualitative differences between SCMO and SCEO concomitantly, both oleoresins were examined for their pesticidal activities. Oleoresins demonstrated significant nematicidal activity against Meloidogyne incognita, insecticidal activity against Lipaphis erysimi, antifungal activity against Curvularia lunata, and antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus. For nematicidal activity, SCMO and SCEO exhibited a high mortality of 65.66±1.69 and 54.33±1.24 and egg hatching inhibition of 26.33±1.20and 33.33±1.24 at 200 μg/mL. Similarly, SCMO and SCEO exhibited excellent insecticidal activity with 94.87±1.44 % and 86.75±1.85 %   mortality at 1000 μg/mL. However, both oleoresins exhibited moderate antifungal and antibacterial activities compared to standards. Due to the quantitative difference in chemical composition and the presence of several phytoconstituents that were absent in SCEO, SCMO displayed stronger pesticidal effects than SCEO. To estimate the binding energy and structure-activity relationships between chemical constituents and pesticidal activities, in silico molecular docking and ADME/Tox studies have also been performed using a web-based online tool. On the basis of the present study, it is inferred that the herb Salvia coccinea might be a good source of phytochemicals and can be used for the development of herbal-based pesticides/formulations after proper clinical trials.

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