Ecology, Environment and Conservation Paper

SHARPUNKHA (TEPHROSIA PURPUREA) AND TUBA ROOT (DERRIS ELLIPTICA) AS ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES FOR INNUMERABLE DISEASES AND DISORDERS IN AYURVEDA –A REVIEW

Asit Kumar Pandey, Amresh Chandra Pandey, Shambhu Saran Kumar, Vinod Kumar Pandey and Sheela Barla

Abstract

Herbal medicines have always been preferred for the treatment of many diseases due to least side effects. Sharpunkha (Tephrosia purpurea) and Tuba Root (Derris elliptica) have been used in Ayurvedic medicines for hundreds of years. It has been found that Tephrosia is very effective in viral hepatitis, protein malnutrition, liver damage, UTI infections etc. Similarly fruits or sprouts of Derris is used in the treatment of skin ailments and its leaves are useful in treating cold, cough, diarrhea, dyspepsia, gonorrhea, leprosy etc. Present study has been done to find out the various medical uses like antibacterial activity, hepatoprotective drugs, antifungal activity of Derris elliptica and anti-microbial activity of Tephrosia purpurea. Ethanolic extract of Sharpunkha is known to possess flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, saponnisns, tannins and phenols which ether individually or in combination exert antimicrobial activity but its aqueous extract could no show the much desired activity. It has been tried to review the use of Sharpunkha and Derris elliptica as medicines in Ayurveda.