Medicinal plant as a source of Antipyretic drug: A Review
Thombre Nilima1*, Shimpi Pranali2, Thete Madhura2
1Department of Pharmaceutics, MET's Institute of Pharmacy, Bhujbal Knowledge City, Adgaon, Nasik - 422003, Maharashtra, India; Affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune University.
2Department of Quality Assurance Technique, MET's Institute of Pharmacy, Bhujbal Knowledge City, Adgaon, Nasik-422003, Maharashtra, India; Affiliated to Savitribai Phule Pune university.
*Corresponding Author E-mail: nilimathombre@gmail.com, shimpipranali13@gmail.com, madhurathete58@gmail.com
ABSTRACT:
A fever is a body temperature that is higher than normal body temperature. The normal body temperature is vary from person to person but it is around 370C (98.6 F). A fever is not a disease. But it is a sign of your body is trying to fight with an infection. A fever occurs because your body trying to fight with viruses or bacteria, that cause the infection. The sign and symptoms of fever are chills and shivering, headache, sweating, muscle aches, dehydration, general weakness. For management of fever various systems of medicines are used. The herbal or traditional medicines are used as core medicine or supplementary to allopathic medicine. Different types of plants or herbal extract are used to cure fever such as Ocimum sanctum, Azadirachta indica, Asparagus adscendens, Terminalia belerica, Terminalia chebula, Emblica officinalis etc. Many plants used as a single herb extract for treatment or used in combination with other Antipyretic herbal plant as a polyherbal formulation.
KEYWORDS: Fever, Herbal plants, Traditional medicine, Antipyretic herbal plant.
INTRODUCTION:
Traditional medicine still recognized as the preferred primary health care system in many communities, with over 60% of the world’s population and about 80% in developing countries depending directly on medicinal plants for their medical purposes. This is due to a number of reasons including affordability, accessibility and low cost. History has revealed that most of the people of the world have been using plants, animals, micro -organisms and minerals for treating their illness. Traditional herbal medicines in last one decade have gained importance in various developed countries. One-Third of the American adults, Seventy four percent population of United Kingdom,
sixty percent population of the Netherlands and Belgium are now utilizing alternative herbal medicinal therapies. India is blessed with rich and diverse heritage of cultural traditions. These traditions are associated with use of wild plants as medicinal herbs. The use of medicinal herbs is still a tradition adopted by ethnic communities who are living in undulating plains and at foothills of dense forest.
Fever is defined as the elevation of body temperature above the normal range. This occurs due to an increase in the hypothalamic regulatory set point for temperature. In healthy individuals, normal body temperature varies from 36.6 to 37.20C, usually 98.60F. Pyrexia or fever is caused as a secondary impact of infection, tissue damage, inflammation, graft rejection, malignancy or other diseased states. It is the body's natural defense to create an environment where infectious agent or damaged tissue cannot survive. Normally the infected or damaged tissue initiates the enhanced formation of pro inflammatory mediator's (cytokines like interleukin 1β, α, β and TNF-α), which increase the synthesis of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) near pre optic hypothalamus area and thereby triggering the hypothalamus to elevate the body temperature. As the temperature regulatory system is governed by a nervous feedback mechanism, so when body temperature becomes very high, it dilate the blood vessels and increase sweating to reduce the temperature; but when the body temperature becomes very low hypothalamus protect the internal temperature by vasoconstriction. High fever often increases faster disease progression by increasing tissue catabolism, dehydration, and existing complaints, as found in HIV, when fever during sero conversion results faster disease progression. Most of the antipyretic drugs inhibit COX-2 expression to reduce the elevated body temperature by inhibiting PGE2 biosynthesis. Moreover, these synthetic agents irreversibly inhibit COX-2 with high selectivity but are toxic to the hepatic cells, glomeruli, cortex of brain and heart muscles, whereas natural COX-2 inhibitors have lower selectivity with fewer side effects. A natural antipyretic agent with reduced or no toxicity is therefore, essential. (1, 2)
Fig no 1: Pathogenesis of Fever
1. Ocimum sanctum:
Ocimum sanctum is used for management of pyrexia as a single herb or combination with other antipyrexia drugs. Leaves used in India for treatment of pyrexia. Many pyrexia patients use ocimum sanctum leaves are used in the animal study it shows reduction in fever. In case of acute fevers, a decoction of the leaves boiled with powdered cardamom in half a litre of water and mixed with sugar and milk brings down the temperature.(3) The juice of tulsi leaves can be used to bring down fever. Extract of tulsi leaves in fresh water should be given every 2 to 3 hours. (4) In between one can keep giving sips of cold water. In children, it is every effective in bringing down the temperature. The antipyretic activity of the fixed oil was tested against typhoid paratyphoid A/B vaccine-induced pyrexia (5). It was observed that the reduction in febrile response indicates its antipyretic activity; the fixed oil possesses a prostaglandin inhibitory activity.(6,7)
Figure No. 2: Ocimum sanctum
2. Emblica officinalis:
Extract of Embellica officinalis fruits possess potent anti-pyretic activity. A single oral dose of ethanolic extract and aqueous extract showed reduction in hyperthermia in rats induced by brewer’s yeast. A decoction of the embelic seed, chitrak root (Plumbago zeylanica), chebulic myrobalan and pipli (Piper longum) is given in fevers and there’s also a compound powder composed of equal elements of embelic seed, chitrak root, chebulic myrobalan, pipli and saindhava which may also be used.(8,9)
Figure No. 3: Emblica officinalis
3. Vitex negundo:
Virtex negundo L. belonging to family verbenaceae and grow as a small tree with thin gray bark. The plant has pharmacological actions against various diseases like antipyretic, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antioxidant. The leaf part contains secondary metabolites alkaloid, flavanoid, phenol, tannin, terpines. Vitex negundo Linn. Locally known as 'Nirgundi/ Sindhvar'. The alcoholic extract of vitex negundo posses antipyretic effect in PGE1 provoke elevation of body temperature in rats. The petroleum ether and methanolic extract of virtex negundo Linn was screen by using yeast induced hyper pyrexia method in male rabbits. (10, 11)
Figure No. 4: Vitex negundo
Azadirachta indica L. belonging to Meliaceae family. It has complex of various constituents including nimbin, nimbidin, nimbolide, and limonoids and such types of ingredients play role in diseases management through modulation of various genetic pathways and other activities. The plant product or natural products show an important role in diseases prevention and treatment through the enhancement of antioxidant activity, inhibition of bacterial growth, and modulation of genetic pathways. It has numerous biological and pharmacological activities have been reported including antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory. Earlier investigators have confirmed their role as anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, antipyretic, hypoglycemic, antigastric ulcer, antifungal, antibacterial, and antitumour activities. The neem leaf extract is used in the animal study it showed reduction in fever of albino rat. (12,13)
Figure No. 5: Azadirachta indica
5. Cinchona officinalis:
Cinchona officinalis belonging to Rubiaceae family. Cinchona is native to eastern slopes of Andes at high altitude. It is known that the bark was first used as an antipyretic in 1630 by Jesuits, although it was discover in 1531 in Peru. It contains quinine, quinidine, cinchonidine, cinconine. Aqueous extract of cinchona is used in the animal study it showed reduction in fever. The anti-pyretic activity of the aqueous extract was determined by Brewer’s yeast-induced pyrexia in rats, using aspirin (300 mg/kg) as reference.(14,15)
Figure No. 6: Cinchona officinalis
CONCLUSION:
Hence in conclusion herbal medicines must be used to prevent fever. Herbal medicines can be an alternative to allopathic medicines to minimize the adverse effects of synthetic medicines on oral health. As many of Herbs are reported to exhibit medicinal properties from traditional systems of medicines. Herbs can be used alone or in combination to treat various diseases.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
The authors wish to express their gratitude to MET’S Institute of Pharmacy, Adgaon, Nashik, Maharashtra, India for providing necessary facilities to carry out this review work
CONFLICT OF INTEREST:
We declare that we have no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
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Received on 16.09.2020 Modified on 01.10.2020
Accepted on 11.10.2020 ©Asian Pharma Press All Right Reserved
Asian J. Pharm. Tech. 2021; 11(1):84-87.
DOI: 10.5958/2231-5713.2021.00014.3