Hepatoprotective studies on methanolic extract of caryopses of Echinochloa colona Link.

The caryopses (seeds) of Echinochloa colona Link of family Poaceae are traditionally used for the treatment of jaundice. The methanolic extract of caryopses of Echinochloa colona (ECME) was evaluated for its hepatoprotective activity in paracetamol (3g/kg per oral) and ethanol (5g/kg per oral) intoxicated rats while its antihepatotoxic activity against D-galactosamine (400mg/kg body weight intra peritoneal). The activity of the extract was assessed on the basis of improvement in the altered level of various serum biochemical parameters and in the changes occurred in the histology of liver of the rats.

Plant wealth of a sacred grove: Mallur Gutta, Telangana state, India.

The Mallur Gutta (Hill) of Warangal district in Telangana state, India, reputed as a habitat for medicinal plants, was inventoried from 2009 to 2015 for its plant wealth through the traditional knowledge of the local people. The Hindu temples of Lord Sri Laxminarasimha Swamy and Lord Hanuman, and the ethnic worship of mahua trees indicated it was a sacred grove which was selected as a Medicinal Plants Conservation Area. The exploration of Mallur Gutta resulted in the enumeration and documentation of plant wealth representing 470 species of 318 genera pertaining to 95 families of vascular plants.