Objectives Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn. (Nymphaeaceae), also known as sacred lotus, is a well known medicinal plant. This article reviews the traditional uses, phytochemistry and therapeutic reports on different parts of N. nucifera viz. the seeds, rhizomes, leaves and flowers. This review also describes various compounds isolated from different parts of this plant and the therapeutic benefits derived from those phytoconstituents. Key findings There are several therapeutic benefits of this plant for which different parts are used. The extracts of rhizomes, seeds, flowers and leaves have been reported to have varied therapeutic potential. Several bioactive compounds have been derived from these plant parts belonging to different chemical groups, including alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, triterpenoid, vitamins etc., which all have their own therapeutic impact. Thus, the pharmacological effects and various active ingredients of different parts of N. nucifera are well understood. Summary In this review we explore the current pharmaceutical, phytochemical and pharmacological knowledge about this well known plant species as well as several emerging aspects for research on N. nucifera.

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A sensitive and accurate High-Performance TLC (HPTLC) method has been developed to determine the quantity of 6-gingerol in rhizomes of Zingiber officinale (family: Zingiberaceae), commonly known as ginger. Methanol extracts of rhizomes from three different sources were used for HPTLC, n-hexane, and diethyl ether (40:60 v/v) as the mobile phase. The Rf of 6-gingerol was found to be 0.40. The calibration plot was linear in the range of 250-1200 ng of 6-gingerol and the correlation coefficient of 0.9997 was indicative of good linear dependence of peak area on concentration. The mean quantity of 6-gingerol was found to be 60.44+/-2.53 mg/g of ginger extract. The method permits reliable quantification of 6-gingerol and good resolution and separation of 6-gingerol from other constituents of ginger. To study the accuracy and precision of the method, recovery studies were performed by the method of standard addition. Recovery values from 99.79 to 99.84% showed the excellent reliability and reproducibility of the method. The proposed HPTLC method for quantitative monitoring of 6-gingerol in ginger can be used for routine quality testing of ginger extracts.

The Indian system of medicine (ISM) consists of several major components such as Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and homeopathy. All these components provide the major healthcare for a large part of the population in India and have been flourishing in this country for many centuries. Medicinal plants constitute a major part in all of these traditional systems. Several regulations and controls on the use of medicinal plants in traditional medicine have evolved. On the one hand, such regulations will help to cure different aliments through Indian indigenous resources and, on the other hand, they will help in the screening and evaluation of natural resources through the development of potential lead components in order to provide better healthcare through ISM. Several lead molecules have been developed from ISM. This review aims at highlighting aspects of drug development from Indian medicinal plants through the use of ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology and systems biology, with different approaches using metabolomics and allied fields.

JQuality control of botanicals, including phytomedicines and dietary supplements, is a basic requirement to ensure their safety and effectiveness. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of marker components is a potentially cost-efficient aspect of quality control as any change in quality of the marker compound may also represent the quality of overall product, which would also directly aflect the other phytoconstituents of the product.Our studies attempted to develop the marker profile of Andrographis paniculata, Berberis aristata, and Phyllanthus amarus, which are used as hepatoprotectives in the Indian system of medicine. The plant extracts were subjected for high-peformance thin-layer chromatographic analysis along with the respective standard markers. Andrographolide appeared at retardation factor & 0.7 in a methanolic extract of A. paniculata with a chlorofonn:methanol (70: 10) solvent system. Berberine appeared at R,3.6 in apetroleum ether extract ofB. aristata with an n-propanol:fonnic acid:water (90: 1 :9) solvent system. Phyllanthin and hypophyllanthin appeared at Rf 0.3 and 0.4, respectively, in a methanolic extract of I? amarus with a hexane:ethyl acetate (2~1) solvent system. Densitometric scanning produced characteristic chromatographs. Such characteristic chromatographs can be used as standardfingerprint to develop a quality control protocol for plant materials.