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Rhodiola rosea (rose root) belonging to the family Crassulaceae is a popular medicinal plant in Russia, Scandinavia, and many other countries. Extracts of the roots of this plant have been found to favorably affect a number of physiological functions including neurotransmitter levels, central nervous system activity, and cardiovascular function. It is being used to stimulate the nervous system, decrease depression, enhance work performance, eliminate fatigue, and prevent high-altitude sickness. Most of these effects have been ascribed to constituents such as salidroside (rhodioloside), rosavins, and p-tyrosol. It has also been found to be a strong antioxidant and anticarcinogen due to the presence of several phenolic compounds. Adaptogens are plant extracts that allow an organism to counteract adverse physical, chemical, and biological stressors by generating nonspecific resistance. Adaptogens are known to increase the availability of energy during the day, reduce stressed feelings, increase endurance, and increase mental alertness. This multipurpose medicinal plant (R. rosea), with adaptogenic properties that increase the body's nonspecific resistance and normalize functions, has been traditionally grown and used in Russia and Mongolia. Due to increasing consumer demands toward natural health products and the growing interests in the secondary metabolites of plants and their application in biotechnology and therapy, much focus has been put on the rose root and its medical properties. The rose root imparts normalizing influences on adverse physical, chemical, and biological disturbances but is otherwise innocuous. In India, the plant has been growing wild in the high altitudes of the Himalayas. The Defence Research and Development Organization in India has taken on the responsibilities of its conservation, as well as the development of multiple management practices and the development of health foods, supplements, and nutraceuticals in India.

The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of two current cynosure protein substitutes; quinoa and amaranth in controlling short term food intake and satiety in rats. Experimental rats were allotted to three groups (n=8 per group) and fed with diets containing casein, quinoa and amaranth as major protein sources, with casein diet kept as control. At the end of the experiment it was observed that the rats ingesting quinoa and amaranth supplemented diets exhibited lesser food intake (p<0.01) and lesser body weight gain significantly in amaranth (p<0.05) as compared to control. They seemed to bring down plasma ghrelin levels while meliorating plasma leptin and cholecystokinin (CCK) levels postprandially (p < 0.01). Although both quinoa diet and amaranth diet were effective in improving blood glucose response and maintaining plasma free fatty acids (FFA) and general lipid profiles subsequently after the meal, amaranth diet showed significant effects when compared to control and amaranth diets. There was 15 % improvement in blood glucose profile in the amaranth group with respect to the control at 90 min, where as there was only 3.4 % improvement in the quinoa group. These findings provide a scientific rationale to consider incorporation of these modest cereals in a diet meant to fight against growing obesity and poverty.

Virgin coconut oil (VCO) has been shown to possess insulinotropic effects shown in isolated perfused mouse islet with hypolipidemic effects. Hot extracted virgin coconut oil (HEVCO) has been shown to possess better antioxidant properties than cold extracted virgin coconut oil (CEVCO). These properties were exploited to study the anti-diabetic effects of HEVCO and CE-VCO in diabetic rats. Four groups 8 rats each, first group served as non-diabetic control remaining groups were made diabetic and force fed with 2 ml alcoholic extracts of commercial coconut oil (CCO), CEVCO and HEVCO for 21 days. Blood glucose once in 5 days, body weight gain, food intake once in a week and water intake and urine output daily, were monitored. Animals were sacrificed at the end of 21 days. The results indicated HEVCO reduced blood glucose and lipids viz total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), Low and Very Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL + VLDL) and thiobarbutyric acid reactive substances (TBARS) increased the antioxidant status by elevating activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx), glutathione (GSH) concentration and decreased lipid peroxidation in liver than CEVCO. These beneficial effects may be attributed to increased polyphenolic and other antioxidants content present in HEVCO.

a b s t r a c tWithania somnifera Dunal, commonly known as ashwagandha, has been used for centuries in ayurvedic medicine to increase longevity and vitality. Various groups of researchers support its polypharmaceutical uses by confirming anti-inflammatory, immuno-modulatory and antistress properties in the whole plant extract. The present investigation adds up the antioxidant assay profiling in this list. The Ashwagandha root extracts were prepared in different solvents of varied polarity in a sequential fashion. The maximum yield (5.8%) and total polyphenolic compounds (TPC, 88.58 µg GAE/mg extract) were recorded in methanolic fraction. All the extracts were screened for their potential antioxidant activities using tests such as free radical scavenging activity, metal chelation activity, hydroxyl radical scavenging activity, superoxide radical scavenging activity and hydrogen peroxide scavenging activity. Results of study showed methanolic extract as the most potent fraction and a strong correlation could be established with its TPC. Overall, the study suggests that Ashwagandha root extract could be of great use for the preparation of antioxidant rich nutraceuticles to treat various human diseases and its complications. It is quite likely that the antioxidant capacity of plant/root is one of the reasons for its established anti-stress, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties.

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