Ethnopharmacolological potential and medicinal uses of Hygrophila auriculata

Abstract

Hygrophila auriculata is belonging to family Acanthaceae, Usually called as "Neermulli in Tamil" is a grow in wet places. It is an important herbal plant, broadly spread in Sri Lanka India, and is used to treat various diseases. Hygrophila auriculata (L.) Nees, Acanthaceae, is a source of traditional medicine; the aerial parts of the plant are used to treat blood disorders. It has various medicinal properties such as anticancer, hypoglycemic, aphrodisiac, antimicrobial, antioxidant, lipid peroxidation, hepatoprotective and hematopoietic activity. It consists of lupeol, stigmasterol, bulletin, fatty acids, and alkaloids. Commercially, it used as an ingredient in some of over the counter (OTC) formulations to treat the liver disorder and those prescribed by general tonic. In this review, talk over the pharmacological and medicinal properties of Hygrophila auriculata (Neermulli). Furthermore, need to do a clinical investigation to promote as commercial drugs.

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Journal of Ayurvedic and Herbal Medicine 2018; 4(4): 185-188
Review Article
ISSN: 2454-5023
J. Ayu. Herb. Med.
2018; 4(4): 185-188
© 2018, All rights reserved
www.ayurvedjournal.com
Received: 13-11-2018
Accepted: 09-12-2018
*Corresponding author:
L. Sarvananda
Department of Botany, Faculty of
Sciences, University of
Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
Email: sarvacool18[at]gmail.com
Ethnopharmacolological potential and medicinal uses of
Hygrophila auriculata
L. Sarvananda1,2, Amal D. Premarathna3, 4
1 Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University of Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
2 Jeewaka Herbal Remedies 146, Nuwara Eliya road Paradeka, Sri Lanka
3 Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of
Peradeniya, Peradeniya, Sri Lanka
4 Faculty of Fisheries & Marine Science, Ocean University of Sri Lanka, Tangalle, Sri Lanka
ABSTRACT
Hygrophila auriculata is belonging to family Acanthaceae, Usually called as “Neermulli in Tamil” is a grow in wet places.
It is an important herbal plant, broadly spread in Sri Lanka India, and is used to treat various diseases. Hygrophila
auriculata (L.) Nees, Acanthaceae, is a source of traditional medicine; the aerial parts of the plant are used to treat
blood disorders. It has various medicinal properties such as anticancer, hypoglycemic, aphrodisiac, antimicrobial,
antioxidant, lipid peroxidation, hepatoprotective and hematopoietic activity. It consists of lupeol, stigmasterol, bulletin,
fatty acids, and alkaloids. Commercially, it used as an ingredient in some of over the counter (OTC) formulations to treat
the liver disorder and those prescribed by general tonic. In this review, talk over the pharmacological and medicinal
properties of Hygrophila auriculata (Neermulli). Furthermore, need to do a clinical investigation to promote as
commercial drugs.
Keywords: Hygrophila auriculata, Medicinal plant, Antitumor, Antioxidant, Neermulli.
INTRODUCTION
Hygrophila or Marsh Barbel (English) it is commonly used to call in Tamil as a Neermulli. An annual herbal
plant grows up to 60cms altitude. The plant stem is tetragonal, hairy and stiffened at the nodes. The bark
is dark brown, although the leaves are elliptic-lanceolate and hispid. The flowers are violet and somewhat
purple-blue. The fruit looks like a four-sided figure, linear, glabrous and about contains 1cm long seeds
which are orbicular hairy and brown in color [1, 2]. Tamil: Neermuli.
Distribution: Around the world found in Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, Malaysia and throughout the
plains of India, in moist habitats such as marshy margins of canals, also found in tropical Himalaya [3, 35].
Taxonomic position [36]
Kingdom: Plantae Class: Magnoliopsida
Subkingdom: Viridiplantae Superorder Asteranae
Infrakingdom: Streptophyta Order Lamiales
Superdivision: Embryophyta Family: Acanthaceae
Division: Tracheophyta Genus: Hygrophila R. Br.
Subdivision: Spermatophyta Species: auriculata
Figure(s): Hygrophila auriculata

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Leaf: The leaf is dorsiventral, smooth and even with a prominent
midrib. The midrib is Plano bowed in a sectional sight with a flush
adaxial side and a broad crescent abaxial side. The midrib is 750μm
along the median perpendicular plane and 1μm in the parallel. In the
upper surface of a leaf, the epidermis is prominent with squares cells
and a prominent cuticle. Beneath the epidermis, there are about three
layers of small collenchyma cells. Further below the collenchyma are
four or five layers of wide thin-walled parenchyma cells. The abaxial
part of the midrib has an epidermis similar to the adaxial side. These
may be one or two layers of collenchyma inner to the abaxial
epidermis. The remaining ground tissue consists of a wide, compact,
thin-walled parenchyma cells. The vascular bundle is single and
elliptical in cross-section. It is 350μm horizontally and 150μm vertically.
It consists of 8-10, parallel rows of xylem elements, which are angular,
thin-walled and narrow. Phloem occurs as a thin sheath along the
abaxial side of the xylem. In an upper surface of a leaf, there are two
small, less prominent, circular accessory strands. They are circular with
a cluster of xylem elements and a small nest of phloem elements [4].
Stem: The stem is roughly four angled in sectional view with a wide
parenchymatous cortex and four-angled stele. The epidermis is thin
and less conspicuous. The outer cortex is made up of four or five layers
of radially aligned, small, solid squares parenchyma cells. This zone is
uniformly 150μm wide. The inner cortex is much wider, about five rows
wide and reticulate layers of narrow parenchyma cells form circular air
chambers. The stele has four semicircular thicker bundles located at
four corners and two smaller bundles positioned opposite each other.
A thin cylinder of small compact, dense xylem elements interlinks the
larger and smaller bundles. The vascular bundles are collateral with
dense xylem fibers, widely separated radial rows of xylem vessels and a
thin arc of phloem. The pith is wide and parenchymatous while the pith
cells are circular, less compact and thin walled [5].
Root: The root has an intact, continuous rhizodermis (epidermis)
followed by two layers of tangentially oblong compact outer cortex.
The inner cortex is wide and parenchymatous. Thin, uniseriate partition
filaments, made up of thin-walled parenchyma cells, form wide,
radially elongated air chambers. Some of the partition cells have thick
walls and are dilated and squarish rectangular. The vascular cylinder
has a thin endodermal layer and a pericyclic layer. The xylem consists
of five exarch strands and a few wide angular vessels in between the
exarch strands. The phloem is in five small groups alternating with the
primary xylem strands. The central part is narrow and parenchymatous
[6].
Naturally, the herbal drugs contain many chemical compounds. Those
compounds which are responsible for therapeutic effect is called as
active constituents. There is the number of examples or galenical
preparations of the drugs differ to some extent from that of its active
constituents of the crude drugs, which can enhance or retard the
desired action. The use of isolated active constituents is obvious since
these compounds are having a fixed and definite physiological effect.
There are so many active constituents still unknown. So the isolating
and using the compounds in formulations will potentiate the activity in
the modern system of medicine. Column chromatography technique is
widely used for the separation, isolation, and purification of chemical
constituents from natural drugs [2].
Therapeutic uses in Ayurveda
▪ Sweet, sour and bitter in taste, cold in potency; heavy and oily in an
attribute.
▪ Aphrodisiac, tastant, restorative, mucilaginous.
▪ Useful in inflammation, calculus, hyperactive thirst, diarrhea,
poisoning, pain, anemia, abdominal disorders, flatulence, urine
retention, burning sensation, rheumatoid arthritis, Prameha, vision
disorders, blood disorders.
Seeds are used as Tonic & for anti-diarrheal and conception promoter,
Leaf of this plant Used to treat for pain, poison, pretentiousness,
abdominal disorders, anemia, constipation, and urinary disorders, and
roots have medicinal properties such as coolant, diuretic, aphrodisiac,
tonic, and anti-inflammatory and Useful in dropsy, hyper thirst,
calculus, strangury, flatulence, and Vata associated disorders [37, 44].
Medicinal Uses
▪ Its leaf is useful in a cough.
▪ It is useful in an anal fistula.
▪ Its seed is useful in blood disorders.
▪ Intake of root decoction is useful in jaundice.
▪ Its vegetable is useful in anemia.
▪ Topical application of its leaf paste is useful in Prameha.
▪ Its root is useful in calculus.
▪ Its root and a whole part decoction are useful in rheumatoid
arthritis [45].
▪ Topical application of leaf paste is useful in lumbago and arthralgia.
▪ Intake of Talmakhana ash along with cow urine or water is useful in
inflammation [46].
▪ Intake of the decoction prepared from Talmakhana and other
medicinal herbs alleviates insomnia [47].
▪ Intake of root decoction is useful in anasarca.
▪ Its whole part is useful in dropsy [37, 43, 44].
▪ Intake powder prepared from Talmakhana fruit powder and sugar
along with milk acts as an aphrodisiac [48].
Review Over Pharmacological Activities
Aphrodisiac activity: The ethanol derived of aerial parts indicates
androgenic along with an improvement of sexual behavior in the rat by
reliant on dose, improve the histo-architecture of the testis, increase
the concentration of sperm count in the epididymis and increase
testosterone level. The effect of aerial parts proliferated sexual
behavior of male albino rats. The ethanolic extract of Hygrophila
auriculata was directed as 100, 150 and 200 mg kg⁻¹ doses to rats for a
period of 28 days, and the action associated with control rats. The
alterations are a weight of organ, sexual behavior, histo-architecture
and fructose level of seminal vesicles were observed in a body. The
erotic behavior was considered by determining of parameters in
aphrodisiac. The ethanolic extract of Hygrophila auriculata showed
that evident of anabolic effects in treated animals, by gains weight in
the body and reproductive organ. Hygrophila auriculata extracts were
showed that ability to raise the development of mature spermatozoa
and witnessed in transverse section [19].
Liver protecting activity: The aqueous extract of the whole plant of
Hygrophila auriculata has hepatoprotective and antioxidative
properties against CCl4- and paracetamol-induced hepatotoxicities.
Petroleum ether extract of Hygrophila auriculata affects the liver,
kidney functions, and metabolism and hematological parameters in
high dosage level (40 and 80 mg/kg). Whereas low dose (20 mg/kg)
does not exhibit any appreciable toxic action. Methanolic extracts of
the aerial parts show hepatoprotective activity against paracetamol
and thioacetamide boozing in rats. However, studies show that has
against chemically induced hepatic carcinogenesis in Wistar rats. A
methanol extract of seed stimulating potential inhibits of hepatic
carcinogenesis in Wistar rats. Studied the protective efficacy of
acetaminophen-induced liver damage in rats, were studied of
hepatoprotective in CC14- induced liver toxicity in rats and antioxidant
activity in vitro by using the aqueous extract of roots. shown that has
the hepatoprotective activity of a semi-liquid mixture of Hygrophila
auriculata against CCl4 induced liver dysfunction and galactosamine-
induced hepatotoxicity in rats [21, 30, 31, 32, 33].

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Hypoglycemic activity: Ethanolic extract of aerial parts of Hygrophila
auriculata shows signs of reduction in glucose in the blood. Also, the
decrease in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and
hydroperoxide in both liver and kidney. This extracts also showed
decreased lipid peroxidation allied with increased activity of
superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase. Reported an effect of hot
water extracts of Hygrophila auriculata on glucose tolerance of normal
human subjects and maturity onset of diabetic patients. A direction of
aqueous extract of Hygrophila auriculata to rats there is no any effect
on the gluconeogenic capacity of the kidney or intestinal glucose
absorption [28, 29].
Hematopoietic action: Petroleum ether extraction from Hygrophila
auriculata increases WBC count significantly. The mixture of
Petroleum: ether: chloroform extracts of leaf showed significantly
increases erythrocyte count, leukocyte count, and hemoglobin count
[26].
Antioxidant activity: The methanolic extraction of leaves promising
antioxidant activity due to the presence of phenolic compounds and
flavonoid [25].
Neurology [25]
a. Neuroprotective: Due to the presence of terpenoid element in
Hygrophila auriculata shows improvements in cognitive testing and
reductions in brain lipid peroxidation with potency comparable to
500mg/Kg Vitamin E by treated in orally for seven days in rats then
subject to transient global cerebral ischemia.
b. Aphrodisiac: An ethanolic extract of the seeds (100-200mg/kg)
administered to rats for the increase in growing frequency (380-472%
of control) and similar reductions in growing, intromission, and post-
ejaculatory latencies; all doses were none significantly more libido
enhancing than the active control of 0.5mg/kg testosterone injections.
Cardiovascular Health a blood: The chloroform, ethanolic extract of
the leaf able to restore a level of blood cells and bone marrow cells in
rats which induced by cyclophosphamide- anemia. However, ethanolic
extract not in rats are not feeble and assumed to stimulate
erythropoiesis and is encountered with a small (possibly clinically
irrelevant) decline relative to untreated control [27].
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
With the advent of modern scientific methods, many of the medicinally
important plants approached under chemical examination, important
to the isolation of active principles. In a while, their isolation and
characterization, these compounds either in the pure state or in the
form of well-characterized extracts turn into part of pharmacology. At
present, the study on the medicinal plant is one of the important areas
of biomedical research. Largely, the pharmacological activity of a
medicinal plant Hygrophila auriculata (K. Schum) possesses various
biological activities, ranging from analgesic, antitumor, antioxidant,
hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic, haematinic, diuretics, free radical
scavenging, anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and anabolic.
Androgenic properties, antimicrobial, antibiotic, insecticidal and
hormonal properties, to highly important pharmacological and
pharmaceutical activities.
It is interesting to note that the earlier scientific investigations of this
plant, Hygrophila auriculata (K. Schum). Mostly, the pharmacological
studies have scientifically proved by in vitro and in vivo methods.
Therefore, clinical studies are immediately desirable in a mandate to
confirm traditional applications using rational phytotherapy and the
qualitative analysis along with the quantitative estimation of these
components hence forms the basis of the drug development from
natural medicinal sources.
Consent for publication
We certify this manuscript has not been published elsewhere and is not
submitted to another Journal
Conflict of interests
The author(s) have no conflict of interests to declare.
Acknowledgement
The authority of Department of Botany, Faculty of Sciences, University
of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka is thanked, for providing necessary facilities to
write this review article.
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HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE
Sarvananda L., Amal D. Premarathna. Ethnopharmacolological potential and
medicinal uses of Hygrophila auriculata. J Ayu Herb Med 2018;4(4):185-188.