Abstract

EVALUATION OF IN VITRO ANTIMALARIAL ACTIVITY OF CASSIA OCCIDENTALIS

P.K.Choudhary*, B.P. Nagori

ABSTRACT

India has a rich heritage of traditional medicine. Because of vast areas and variety of agro-climatic conditions, a large number of medicinally useful plants are found growing wildly. A lot of useful information about these medicinal plants and their uses are already documented in the oldest treatise of India like in Ayurveda.Cassia occidentalis (Leguminosae) plant has been extensively used in indigenous and folklore medicine system. In Indian system of medicine the plant has been well reported for many of its pharmacological properties. Considering the documented therapeutic properties of Cassia.occidentalis, the present work was undertaken to evaluate the in vitro antimalarial activity. Our results revealed that the potent anti – malarial activities of C. occidentalis is likely to be attributed to the presence of quinones in this plant.

Keywords: Cassia occidentalis,anti-malarial activity, in vitro.