Adhatoda zeylanica Medic

Drug is collected from wild sources only and is abundantly available throughout India over large tracts of land. Due to its perennial nature the local people collect the same mainly after the monsoon at the flowering stage, dry it and sell the same in the nearest market. Thus data on production in the country is very difficult to access. In India the total demand is above 500 tons per year which is met from the wild populations.

The annual consumption of the crude drug by pharmaceutical/herbal drug manufacturers is much less than the available material from the wild. Total demand in India is 500 tons per year.

Dry leaves alone as well as dry leaves along with stem portions are two different forms of the crude drug available in the market. The current price is quoted at Rs.2000/- to Rs.2500/- per quintal for the former and Rs.600/- to Rs.800/- per quintal for the later.

Wild: Drug is collected from wild sources only mainly from the states of U. P. and Maharashtra.

The plant is available all through out the country being distributed throughout India, up to an altitude of 1300 m.

Crude: The drug comprises fresh or dried leaves, often mixed with stems or other aerial parts. The powdered drug is greyish brown and tastes bitter, with characteristic odour. The drug is official in IP. Foreign organic matter should not be more than two per cent.

Semi-processed: The drug is employed in different forms, such as fresh juice, decoction, infusion and powder; also given as alcoholic extract and liquid extract or syrup. It is also given along with other expectorants, and forms a part of several proprietary, compounds.

Processed: The drug is utilized in the commercial products which include both modern as well as herbal preparations.

None

Crop is not under formal cultivation, however, in villages sometimes it is grown as hedge around the agricultural fields. The saplings and further information can be had from

• The Medicinal Plant Development Area Forest Department Government of Tamil Nadu 
  Pulleri, Chingleput 
  India
• Centre for Traditional Medicine and Research 
  Chennai 
  India 
  Tel: 495 8198, 440 5583 
  E-mail: phyto@vsnl.net; herb95@hotmail.com

Cultivars (including improved Varieties):  A lot of intra-specific variability is seen in this species in the wild under different phytogeographical regions of India. However, no improved cultivar/strain has been reported to be developed.

The work on standardization of post harvest technology and storage conditions of Adhatoda zeylanica and A. beddomei has been carried out by the National Research Centre for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Boriavi, Anand Gujarat, India.

In 1998 the Indian Subcontinent Plant Specialist Group listed Adhatoda as one of the ‘Top 50’ medicinal plant species recommended for conservation (FAO, 2003).

The complete technology has been developed by RRL, Jammu for the production of vasicine and vasicinone. Information can be obtained from

• Director 
  Regional Research Laboratory
  Canal Road Jammu Tawi, 180 001 India

CIMAP, Lucknow had developed a processing technology for isolation of vasicine from the leaves of Adhatoda vasica for which a US patent has been granted (UP Patent No. 6,676,976, January 13, 2004).

The dried leaf is smoked as a cigarette. The leaf-juice is stated to cure diarrhoea, dysentery and glandular tumour, and is given as emmenagogue. The powder is reported to be used as poultice on rheumatic joints, as counter-irritant on inflammatory swellings, on fresh wounds, urticaria and in neuralgia.

The pharmacological activities of vasicine and vasicinone are well known. The l-forms of vasicine and vasicinone are more active than their racemic forms. Recent investigations on vasicine showed bronchodilatory activity (comparable to theophylline) both in vitro and in vivo. Vasicinone showed bronchodilatory activity in vitro but bronchoconstrictory activity in vivo; it is probably biotransformed in vivo, causing bronchoconstriction. Both the alkaloids in combination (1:1) showed pronounced bronchodilatory activity in vivo and in vitro. Vasicine also exhibited strong respiratory stimulant activity, moderate hypotensive activity and cardiac-depressant effect; vasicinone was devoid of these activities. The cardiac-depressant effect was significantly reduced when a mixture of vasicine and vasicinone was used. Vasicinone (dl-form) showed no effect on the isolated heart, but probably the l-form is a weak cardiac stimulant.

The leaves are rich in vitamin C and carotene and yield an essential oil.Four new quinazoline alkaloids - vasicoline, adhatodine, vasicolinone and anisotine from leaves and one each i.e. vasicinone and vasicol have been isolated from inflorescence and leaves respectively. A new alkaloid - 9-acetamido-3,4-dihydropyrido(3,4-b) indole and a new glucoside-O-ethyl-a-D-galactoside-along with sitosterol-b-D-glucoside, galactose and deoxyvasicinone were isolated from roots. 2’-hydroxy-4-glucosyloxychalcone have been identified in flowers. Another alkaloid vasicinolone, have been isolated from roots. A new quinazoline alkaloid have been isolated from leaves and characterised as 1,2,3,9-tetrahydro5-methoxypyrrolo[2,1-b]quinazolin-3-ol(I-form). Adhavasinone have been isolated and characterised. (+) vasicinone have been isolated from leaves. Synthesis of vasicoline and vasicolinone has been attempted. Vasicinol, vasicinone, deoxyvasicinone, deoxyvasicine (minor alkaloids) and vasicine isolated from leaves showed seasonal variation in the percentage of minor alkaloids and total alkaloids. Leaves collected in March-April showed a higher percentage of minor alkaloids, whereas those collected in June-September had higher content of vasicine. 29-methyltriacontan-1-ol along with b -sitosterol, and two new aliphatic hydroxyketones have been isolated from aerial parts and characterised as 37-hydroxy, hexatetracont-1-en-15-one and 37hydroxy, hentetracontan-19-one.

The plant shows wide seasonal variation in vasicine content in its leaves. It exhibited higher levels of vasicine twice in a year i.e. 3.0% in March and 1.4% in September. Interestingly, it coincided with the flowering of the plant. In March, it was full bloom condition and in September, it was partial flowering. During the vegetative stage, the plant contained very low concentration of vasicine. (Bagachi et al., 2003).

Chemical markers:  Several alkaloids are present in the drug and the chief principle is a quinazoline alkaloid, vasicine; the yield of the alkaloid from different samples in India ranged from 0.541 to 1.105% on dry basis. Yield as high as 2.18% on dry basis has been reported from a foreign sample of which more than half was the l -form and the remainder the dl-form of the alkaloid. Vasicine is accompanied by l- vasicinone.

In Adhatoda vasica (Justicia adhatoda) trnF-trnL intergenic spacer, partial sequence; and tRNA-Leu (trnL) gene, partial sequence; chloroplast genes for chloroplast products have been reported along with18S ribosomal RNA gene, partial sequence; internal transcribed spacer 1, 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene, and internal transcribed spacer 2, complete sequence; and 26S ribosomal RNA gene, partial sequence have also been worked out.

Two generations of teratogenic studies in rat and rabbits did not reveal any toxicity or teratogenic effects.

Clinical trials of the drug Wintry (containing vasicine and vasicinone) have not revealed any side effects while treating bronchial asthma. The drug is known to possess abortifacient activity and hence should not be used during pregnancy.

There are no known interactions associated with Adhatoda when taken in the recommended doses.

1 -2 g of the drug is prescribed as an expectorant either in the form of liquid extract (1-2 ml) or syrup (2-4 ml).

Gametic Chromosome number: 14