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Himachal Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (HIPER),Bela Nadaun HP-177033.
Medicinal plants have been widely explored for their therapeutic potential because of their safety, affordability, and traditional importance. Bauhinia variegata, commonly known as Kachnar, is an important medicinal plant used in traditional systems of medicine for treating various disorders including infections, inflammation, ulcers, and helminthic diseases. The bark of the plant possesses several phytoconstituents such as tannins, flavonoids, glycosides, alkaloids, and saponins which contribute to its pharmacological properties. This review focuses on the standardization parameters and biological evaluation of Bauhinia variegata bark with special emphasis on anthelmintic activity. Pharmacognostic studies, physicochemical evaluation, phytochemical screening, and biological investigations are discussed to establish quality, purity, and efficacy of the crude drug. The bark extracts, especially ethanolic and aqueous extracts, have shown promising anthelmintic activity against different helminths due to the presence of tannins and phenolic compounds. Therefore, Bauhinia variegata bark can be considered a potential natural source for the development of safer herbal anthelmintic agents
Often referred to as the orchid tree or Kachnar, Bauhinia variegata is a significant medicinal plant that is found in China, India, and Southeast Asian nations. It is a member of the Fabaceae (Caesalpiniaceae) family and has been widely utilised to cure a variety of illnesses in traditional medical systems like Ayurveda, Unani, and folk medicine. The plant's bark, leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds are among the various sections that have important medicinal qualities. Among these, the bark's rich phytochemical makeup and variety of pharmacological properties make it extremely important. Ulcers, skin conditions, inflammation, tumours, diarrhoea, microbiological infections, and helminthic infestations have all historically been treated with Bauhinia variegata bark.Often referred to as the orchid tree or Kachnar, Bauhinia variegata is a significant medicinal plant that is found in China, India, and Southeast Asian nations. It is a member of the Fabaceae (Caesalpiniaceae) family and has been widely utilised to cure a variety of illnesses in traditional medical systems like Ayurveda, Unani, and folk medicine. The plant's bark, leaves, roots, flowers, and seeds are among the various sections that have important medicinal qualities. Among these, the bark's rich phytochemical makeup and variety of pharmacological properties make it extremely important. Ulcers, skin conditions, inflammation, tumours, diarrhoea, microbiological infections, and helminthic infestations have all historically been treated with Bauhinia variegata bark.Because they contain a variety of secondary metabolites, including alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds, medicinal plants are regarded as a significant source of bioactive substances. Numerous pharmacological actions, such as antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, and anthelmintic effects, are caused by these phytochemicals. Scientists have recently concentrated on assessing the safety and therapeutic effectiveness of traditional medicinal herbs. Due to its many therapeutic benefits and long-standing application in treating parasite illnesses, Bauhinia variegata has garnered significant interest.
Important phytoconstituents such tannins, flavonoids, steroids, glycosides, saponins, carbohydrates, proteins, and phenolic compounds are found in Bauhinia variegata bark. The anthelmintic activity of these components is thought to be primarily caused by tannins and polyphenolic chemicals. Tannins work by attaching themselves to proteins on helminth cuticles, damaging the worms' outer layer of defence and resulting in paralysis and death. Additionally, flavonoids and phenolic substances may disrupt parasites' physiological processes and energy metabolism. Thus, ethanolic and aqueous bark extracts from Bauhinia variegata have demonstrated encouraging anthelmintic action against experimental worms like Pheretima posthuma.
To guarantee the quality, efficacy, safety, and purity of herbal medications, standardisation is a crucial step. Due to variations in storage conditions, drying procedures, collection techniques, and geographic factors, the chemical composition of herbal medications may vary. For medicinal plant authentication and quality control, appropriate standardisation parameters are also necessary. Common techniques for standardising crude pharmaceuticals include pharmacognostic evaluation, physicochemical analysis, extractive values, ash values, moisture content determination, and phytochemical screening. These investigations aid in detecting contamination, adulteration, and preserving the uniformity of herbal compositions.
The macroscopic and microscopic properties of Bauhinia variegata bark, such as colour, odour, taste, texture, cork cells, fibres, calcium oxalate crystals, starch grains, and stone cells, are evaluated in pharmacognostic investigations. The purity and quality of the crude medication can be ascertained using physicochemical criteria such extractive values, acid insoluble ash, water soluble ash, and total ash value. The presence of significant secondary metabolites that are responsible for biological action is confirmed by preliminary phytochemical screening.
In vitro anthelmintic models including earthworms such as Pheretima posthuma are typically used for biological evaluation of Bauhinia variegata bark. Standard medications like albendazole are evaluated and compared with various doses of ethanolic and aqueous bark extracts. The time it takes for the worms to become paralysed and die is used to evaluate the activity. According to several research, ethanolic extracts have more anthelmintic efficacy because they extract more tannins and phenolic chemicals.
Therefore, the goal of this review is to provide an overview of the biological assessment and standardisation characteristics of Bauhinia variegata bark, with a focus on its anthelmintic activity. The study underlines the need for additional pharmacological and clinical research for therapeutic applications and stresses the significance of medicinal plants as possible sources of safer herbal anthelmintic drugs.
PLANT PROFILE:
|
Parameter |
Description |
|
Botanical Name |
Bauhinia variegata |
|
Family |
Fabaceae / Caesalpiniaceae |
|
Common Name |
Kachnar |
|
Part Used |
Bark |
|
Habitat |
Tropical and subtropical regions |
|
Traditional Uses |
Anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, tonic |
STRUCTURE:
Structure of quercetin that are present in the bark region
PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS:
The bark contains: Flavonoids, Tannins (Gallic acid, Gallo tannic acid, ellagic tannic acid), Saponins, Alkaloids, Glycosides
The Leaves contains: Tannins (Gallic acid), Alkaloids, Cardiac glycosides, Flavonoids i.e. quercetin, rutin, quercetin, apigenin and apigenin 7-O-glucoside.
The Flowers contains: Quercitroside, Isoquercitroside, rutoside, taxifoline rhamnoside, kaempferol-3-glucoside.
The Buds contain: alanine, aspartic acid, glycine, serine, glutamic acid, phosphoenolpyruvic acid, oxaloacetic acid.
WHY WE SELECT THIS COMPONENT FOR THE STUDY?
Bauhinia bark is selected for anthelmintic studies primarily due to its rich history in traditional and folklore medicine and its proven high concentrations of bioactive secondary metabolites (Tannins, flavonoids, terpenoids, etc.)
TAXONOMICAL CLASSIFICATION OF BAUHANIA VARIGETA:
MEDICINAL USES:
PROCEDURE:
The study was done to compare the anthelmintic activity of ethanolic and aqueous extracts of Bauhinia variegata using Albendazole as the standard drug.
Adult Indian earthworms (Pheretima posthuma) were selected because they resemble human intestinal worms and were cleaned with normal saline before use.
Albendazole solution and the Ethanolic and Aqueous extracts were prepared in required concentrations for testing.
The experiment was divided into four groups: Albendazole, Ethanolic extract, Aqueous extract, and Normal Saline as control.
Four healthy earthworms were placed in each Petri plate containing the respective solutions and kept at room temperature for observation.
Time of paralysis was noted when worms stopped moving, and time of death was noted when no movement occurred even in the water.
The average paralysis and death times were compared to determine which extract showed better anthelmintic activity.
Calculated the mean time of paralysis and death for each group to compare efficacy.
Active Constituents of Bauhinia variegata Bark:
The bark of Bauhinia variegata contains several pharmacologically active phytoconstituents responsible for its medicinal and anthelmintic properties.
|
Active Constituent |
Chemical Class |
Pharmacological Role |
|
Tannins |
Polyphenols |
Responsible for anthelmintic activity by damaging parasite cuticle |
|
Flavonoids |
Phenolic compounds |
Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity |
|
Saponins |
Glycosides |
Membrane permeabilization of parasites |
|
Alkaloids |
Nitrogen compounds |
Antiparasitic and antimicrobial effects |
|
Glycosides |
Secondary metabolites |
Therapeutic activity |
|
Steroids |
Terpenoid derivatives |
Anti-inflammatory property |
|
Terpenoids |
Volatile compounds |
Antimicrobial and antiparasitic effects |
|
Phenolic compounds |
Polyphenols |
Antioxidant activity |
|
Carbohydrates |
Primary metabolites |
Nutritional support |
|
Proteins & Amino acids |
Biomolecules |
Structural and metabolic functions |
Plants with Anthelmintic Activity:
Several medicinal plants have shown significant anthelmintic activity due to the presence of bioactive phytoconstituents such as tannins, alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, and saponins
|
Plant Name |
Family |
Active Constituents |
Anthelmintic Property |
|
Bauhinia variegata |
Fabaceae |
Tannins, flavonoids, glycosides |
Paralysis and death of worms |
|
Azadirachta indica |
Meliaceae |
Azadirachtin, nimbin |
Broad spectrum antiparasitic activity |
|
Carica papaya |
Caricaceae |
Papain, alkaloids |
Effective against intestinal worms |
|
Punica granatum |
Lythraceae |
Pelletierine alkaloids |
Traditional vermifuge |
|
Terminalia chebula |
Combretaceae |
Tannins, chebulinic acid |
Antiparasitic activity |
|
Embelia ribes |
Primulaceae |
Embelin |
Potent anthelmintic action |
|
Allium sativum |
Amaryllidaceae |
Allicin, sulfur compounds |
Inhibits helminths |
|
Areca catechu |
Arecaceae |
Arecoline |
Expels intestinal worms |
|
Moringa oleifera |
Moringaceae |
Flavonoids, saponins |
Anthelmintic potential |
|
Ficus religiosa |
Moraceae |
Phenolics, tannins |
Anthelmintic and antimicrobial |
Microscopic Characters
Cork Cells – Brown, Polygonal
Pholein Fibers – Thick Walled
Calcium Oxalate crystals – Present(prisms)
Mucilage Cell – Present
Transverse Section of Bauhinia variegata bark
Covering Trichome
Xylem Fiber (Water transport)
Phloem Fiber (Transport Nutrient From soil to plant)
Parenchymatous cell (Store Nutrients)
Mechanism of Anthelmintic Action
Advantages of Herbal Anthelmintics
SUMMARY
The anthelmintic activity of Bauhinia variegata bark was the main subject of a biological assessment and pharmacognostic standardisation study. Establishing quality control standards and providing scientific validation for the plant's traditional usage in treating helminthic diseases were the goals of the study. Examining both macroscopic and microscopic features, as well as determining ash and extractive values, moisture content, swelling index, and fluorescence studies, were all part of standardising the bark. These criteria aid in determining the crude drug's authenticity, quality, and purity while preventing adulteration.
Bioactive substances including flavonoids, tannins, saponins, glycosides, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds were found in a preliminary phytochemical screening of several bark extracts. The medicinal and antiparasitic properties of these phytoconstituents are well-known. Anthelmintic potential was evaluated biologically using experimental worms. In comparison to the control group, the extracts demonstrated considerable dose-dependent efficacy by paralysing and killing the worms in a shorter amount of time.
The results corroborate the bark extract's traditional therapeutic use and indicate that it has potent anthelmintic qualities. Additionally, the study offers standardisation data that could be helpful for upcoming studies, quality control, and the creation of herbal formulations made from the bark of Bauhinia variegata.
CONCLUSION
In addition to establishing crucial pharmacognostic and physicochemical standards, the current investigation on Bauhinia variegata bark showed its considerable potential as a natural anthelmintic agent. The crude drug's identity, purity, and quality were verified by the standardisation parameters, which included organoleptic assessment, ash values, extractive values, moisture content, fluorescence analysis, and microscopic features. The correct authenticity and quality control of herbal materials used in medicinal formulations depend on these criteria.
Biologically active components including flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, glycosides, and phenolic compounds were found by preliminary phytochemical screening. By disrupting helminth metabolism and structural integrity, these substances are thought to contribute to the reported anthelmintic action.
According to the biological evaluation, the bark extracts significantly paralysed and killed the experimental worms in a dose-dependent manner, demonstrating an efficient antiparasitic action on par with that of conventional anthelmintic medications.
Overall, the results provide scientific evidence in favour of the traditional usage of Bauhinia variegata bark for treating helminthic diseases. The study emphasises its potential for more pharmacological research and the creation of herbal anthelmintic formulations that are standardised, safe, and efficacious.
REFERENCES
Vanshaj Guleria, Sakshi Guleria, Priyanka Rana, Tania Sharma, Shvet Rana, Shashi Pal Standardization and Biological Evaluation of Bauhinia variegata Bark: Anthelmintic Activity, Int. J. of Pharm. Sci., 2026, Vol 4, Issue 5, 7871-7878, https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20443846
10.5281/zenodo.20443846