An Insight into the Elusive Healer Plant “Luffa echinata Roxb.”

Abstract

Recent years have seen a global rise in the use of herbal medicine. Many naturally occurring bioactive substances, especially those derived from plants, have been studied as potential cures for various diseases. Luffa echinata Roxb., a mysterious medicinal plant from the Cucurbitaceae family, has recently gained recognition as one of the most important medicinal herbs among them. Many phytochemicals found in this plant have been found to have therapeutic potential, including xanthones, alkaloids, phytosterols, flavonoids/isoflavonoids, chalcone, glycosides, terpenoids, saponins, carbohydrates, proteins, reducing sugars, fatty acids, tannins, and phenolic compounds. Other potent phytoconstituents of this plant include saponins, hentriacontane, gypsogenin, sapogenin, cucurbitacin (A, B, C, D, E, K, S, and I), β-sitosterol, echinatol (A and B), oleanolic acid, isoquercetin, quercimeritrin, and sitosterol glycoside. Cucurbitacin, a prominent class of triterpenoids found in L. echinata, has been proven effective in numerous reports. Recent research has shown that cucurbitacins can decapitate or inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. Luffa echinacea's fruit and leaves have long been used as purgatives and to cure liver disease, hemorrhoids, jaundice, migraines, emesis, and other conditions by Indian and Chinese physicians. Ulcers and sores have also been expelled using them. During the field study, it was found that the tribal community (Tharus) of Khatima utilized extremely bitter, squeezed fruit stuff given to sufferers of dog bites in the morning on an empty stomach, and more than 500 people have been adequately treated thus far. The therapeutic potential and phytoconstituents of Luffa echinata have been clarified by pharmacological and phytochemical studies; further study is required to investigate these phytoconstituents and their structures.

Alleviation of hexavalent chromium induced oxidative stress in Drosophila melanogaster using leaf extracts of Moringa oleifera and Bacopa monnieri

“…The presence of hexavalent chromiumin in cell generate ROS and cause oxidative stress, leading to cell death (Monga et al, 2022). Bacosides present in B. monnieri, particularly Bacoside A modulate neurotransmitter levels and can enhance synaptic transmission, improving cognitive functions and can even repair neuronal damage by augmenting kinase activity, neuronal synthesis, restoration of synaptic activity and nerve impulse transmission (Mondal et al, 2023). The locomotor dysfunctions were ameliorated in the present study, when the flies In the present study, Bacopa extract showed a better reduction of lipid peroxidation than Moringa extract, which might be due to the presence of higher concentrations of antioxidants in Bacopa, leading to a more significant reduction in lipid peroxidation, suggestive of its more effective antioxidant mechanisms.…”

In Quest of the Mysterious Holistic Vedic Herb Bacopa monnieri (L.) Pennell

“…Genus Bacopa contains more than 100 plant species of aquatic herbs, distributed throughout the warmer regions of the world. The details of the taxonomic position with synonyms [18][19][20] of B. monnieri are listed in Table 1 [2,3] and vernacular names are depicted in Table 2. [1,3]…”

“…The study of plants (plant taxonomy and study of medicinal plants) may have arisen during this contemporary age, based on the aforementioned historical eras of recording in India from ancient documents and literature. [2]…”

Effects of Different Treatments on Seed Germination and Breaking Seed Dormancy in Wild Luffa Species

“…L. aegyptica) and L. acutangula, are widely grown for their edible fruit and sponge-like fibers, whereas L. echinata and L. graveolens are wild species and known as bitter Luffa. Wild Luffa are having rough texture fruit with a very bitter flavor which are native to South Asia and Southeast Asia and grows abundantly in India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Northern Tropical Africa with Gujarat, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh being the most common locations in India (Mondal et al, 2022). Wild Luffa species are used in traditional Ayurvedic medicines, as they have various medicinal properties such as analgesic, laxative, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, antibacterial, antifungal, antiepileptic, hepatoprotective, antiulcer, anticancer, anti-anthelminthic and anti-hepatic, hence used to treat bronchitis, piles, jaundice and vaginal discharge (Prakash et al, 2013).…”