Medicinal herbs are one of the imperative sources of drugs all over the world. Star anise (Illicium verum), an evergreen, medium-sized tree with star-shaped fruit, is an important herb with wide distribution throughout southwestern parts of the Asian continent. Besides its use as spice in culinary, star anise is one of the vital ingredients of the Chinese medicinal herbs and is widely known for its antiviral effects. It is also the source of the precursor molecule, shikimic acid, which is used in the manufacture of oseltamivir (Tamiflu ® ), an antiviral medication for influenza A and influenza B. Besides, several other molecules with numerous biological benefits including the antiviral effects have been reported from the same plant. Except the antiviral potential, star anise possesses a number of other potentials such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antifungal, anthelmintic, insecticidal, secretolytic, antinociceptive, antiinflammatory, gastroprotective, sedative properties, expectorant and spasmolytic, and estrogenic effects. This review aimed to integrate the information on the customary attributes of the plant star anise with a specific prominence on its antiviral properties and the phytochemical constituents along with its clinical aptness. K E Y W O R D S antiviral, Illicium verum, oseltamivir, shikimic acid, star anise, Tamiflu

No abstract

No abstract

Targeting digestive enzymes and controlling postprandial glycemia is an important approach in diabetes management. Dietary supplements that inhibit digestive enzymes are a promising strategy for managing hyperglycemia in diabetic and borderline patients, particularly those who consume high carbohydrate diets. The Indian traditional Ayurvedic system of medicine has lot to offer in this direction. The emerging trend of opting for complementary and alternative medicines for the management of life style diseases, like diabetes, is encouraging but has limited global acceptance due to inadequate information on their therapeutic efficacy and mode of action. The present work demonstrates Nisha‐Amalaki (CE), an Ayurvedic anti‐diabetic formulation prepared from Curcuma longa and Emblica officinalis, as a potential of digestive enzyme inhibitor using in vitro models. The benefit of using honey as an adjuvant for CE is also studied. A simulated in vitro digestion model adopted in the work facilitates the study of the formulation in total than its individual components. While CE inhibits α‐amylase (65%), α‐glucosidase (93%) and reduces starch digestion (≈60%), addition of honey (CEH) is found to improve α‐amylase inhibition to 107% with a higher inhibition of starch digestion. Bioassay guided fractionation of CE and CEH shows multiple fractions, a curcuminoid rich chloroform fraction and an aqueous fraction, possibly contributing to the observed pharmacological effects. In conclusion, the study reports the herbal formulation, Nisha‐Amalaki, as an inhibitor of starch digestion as well as a potential nutraceutical dietary supplement in the management of hyperglycemia.

Background: Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.(Ib) has high content of various beneficial nutrients which helps in improving and maintaining human health. It is well known as a functional food and also a valuable source of unique natural products. It contains various phenolic and flavonoid bioactive compounds. Methods: In this study, using the outer peel of two varieties of Ib : Korean red skin sweet potato and Korean pumpkin sweet potato, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized (termed Ib1-AgNps and Ib2-AgNps), respectively. Characterization of Ib1-AgNPs and Ib2-AgNPs was carried out through scanning electron microscopy, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, X-ray powder diffraction and UV-Vis spectroscopy. Further, the bio-potential of the synthesized AgNPs was investigated by antidiabetic (α-glucosidase assay), antioxidant (free radical scavenging assays), antibacterial (disc diffusion method) and cytotoxicity assays (cell viability against HepG2 cells). Results: FT-IR spectroscopy revealed the contribution of bioactive compounds existing in Ib1 and Ib2 extracts, in the biosynthesis and equilibrium of the AgNPs. Although the Ib2-AgNPs had a higher atomic percentage of Ag in comparison with Ib1-AgNPs, in the antidiabetic assay, the inhibition percentage of α-glucosidase was higher for AgNPs of Ib1 than Ib2, at all three concentrations examined. From the cytotoxicity results, HepG2 cancer cells were more sensitive to the Ib1-AgNPs in comparison to the Ib2-AgNPs-treated HepG2 cells. The antioxidant prospective was higher in Ib2-AgNPs than Ib1-AgNPs. Moreover, the Ib2-AgNPs showed inhibitory action against all five tested pathogenic bacteria, producing an inhibition zone of 8.74-11.52 mm while Ib1-AgNPs had an inhibitory effect on four of them, with an 8.67-11.23 (mm) inhibition zone. Conclusions: Overall, the results concluded that the Ib2-AgNPs exhibited relatively higher functional activity than Ib1-AgNPs, which might be credited to the greater abundance of bioactive compounds existing in Ib2 extract that acted as reducing as well as capping agents in the synthesis of Ib2-AgNPs. Overall, the current study highlights a novel cost-effective and eco-friendly AgNPs synthesis using food waste peels with biocompatibility and could be potentially utilized in biomedical and pharmaceutical industries.