Pharmacology of Ativisha, Musta and their substitutes
Authors
M Nagarajan
Centre for Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, Institute of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Gina Kuruvilla
Centre for Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, Institute of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
K Kumar
Centre for Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, Institute of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Padma Venkatasubramanian
Centre for Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, Institute of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
The Ayurvedic literature during the medieval period suggests the use of Musta (Cyperus rotundus), a common weed, as a pratinidhi dravya (substitute) for Ativisha (Aconitum heterophyllum), an endangered species. Contemporary Ayurvedic practice also uses Cryptocoryne spiralis, (known as Naattu Atividayam in South India) and Nagaramusta (Cyperus scariosus) as substitutes for Ativisha and Musta, respectively. This article reviews published literature on the pharmacology of the above four species. Both A. heterophyllum and C. rotundus are reported to possess antiinflammatory, antipyretic, antibacterial and antidiarrhoeal properties, while antiinflammatory and antibacterial activities are attributed to C. scariosus. No reports exist on the bioactivity of Cryptocoryne spiralis. It is interesting to note that other than the veerya which is different, the biological properties of Ativisha and Musta are similar according to Ayurvedic classification of dravyaguna. This is also supported by modern pharmacological studies, which show that, both A. heterophyllum and C. rotundus have antidiarrheal, antipyretic, antiinflammatory, antihyperlipidemic and hypoglycemic activities. However, the similarities between the discussed species cannot be attributed to their phytochemical composition or taxonomical classification as these are quite distinct. The dravyaguna method of classifying materials, which we are calling as “pharmaco-taxonomy”, offers a unique way of classifying those plant materials which lack similarity at the botanical or chemical level, but are similar at the level of biological functions.
Keywords: Aconitum, Ativisha, Ayurveda, Cryptocoryne, Cyperus, Musta, pharmacology
Author Biography
K Kumar, Centre for Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, Institute of Trans-Disciplinary Health Sciences and Technology, Foundation for Revitalisation of Local Health Traditions, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Centre for Pharmacognosy, Pharmaceutics and Pharmacology, Research Scholar, Manipal University, Karnataka, India
Click on "Archives" to access the full archive of scientific preprints. You may use the categories and the search functionality to find select preprints you're interested in.
