Cephalotaxus and Taxus both possess significant medicinal
values
in the traditional medicine system. Even though the tribal communities
in the Himalayas have used these genera extensively, little is known
about their ethnopharmacological properties. The study aims to investigate
the biochemical profile and biological activities of various extracts
of Cephalotaxus and Taxus. This study examined six different accessions
of Cephalotaxus and Taxus growing in the northeastern Himalayan region
of India for their biochemical components and biological activities.
This report considers three species of Cephalotaxus, namely, C. mannii, C. sinensis, and C. griffithii, and one species
of Taxus viz. Taxus wallichiana. The
stem and leaf extracts of all six selected accessions were biochemically
characterized using HPLC/LC–MS. Results have demonstrated the
presence of several medicinally important chemicals like harringtonine,
rutin, caffeic acid, gallic acid, and a few other biologically active
compounds. The isolates were tested for their antibacterial and anti-plasmodial
properties. The zone of inhibitions for various extracts ranged from
3–11 mm in the case of Cephalotaxus and 3–6 mm for Taxus.
Leaf and stem extracts of all six accessions were found negative for
antiplasmodial properties. The data from this study can further serve
as a framework for a thorough analysis of various compounds and their
antibacterial and antimalarial properties.