Comparative Study of Medicinal Properties of Indigenous Drugs from Species of Strychnos L. and its Scope in the Field of Homoeopathy- a Pilot Study

Abstract Plant kingdom is a rich source of drug. Different medical systems prepare drug from plants and employ them according to their own pharmacological principles. Genus Strychnos L. belongs to Loganiaceae family and contains many active principles like brucine, strychnine, icajine, toxiferine, loganine, etc. Modern medicine and AYUSH use genus Strychnos L . to prepare drug against several disease conditions like ulcers, neurological disorders, skin diseases, parasitic infestations etc. Work has been done mainly on exotic plant species as compared to their Indian counterpart. An extensive literature study on Indian species of genus Strychnos L. has showed that twelve species are used for medicinal purposes, among them two species (Strychnos nux vomica L. and Strychnos gaultheriana Pierre ex Dop.) are used in homoeopathic system, two species (Strychnos nux vomica L., Strychnos potatorum L.f.) are used in Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha system of medicine as medicinal sources.  Majority of plants of Indigenous Strychnos L . are used as folk medicine and are used in different parts of our country.  Modern medicine usually uses the bio chemical constituents of plants from genus Strychnos L. for preparation of medicine. This pilot study aims to prepare a detailed documentation of medicinal properties of Indian varieties of plants of Strychnos L. genus and to utilize this knowledge in preparation as well as in the development of new drugs in Homoeopathic System of Medicine through drug proving (Human Pathogenetic Trial). Keywords: Indian Strychnos L. , medicinal property, AYUSH, drug proving. Cite this Article Rajat Chattopadhyay, Sharmistha Gupta, Sangita Saha, Suman Chakraborty. Comparative Study of Medicinal Properties of Indigenous Drugs from Species of Strychnos L. and its Scope in the Field of Homoeopathy- a Pilot Study. Research & Reviews: Journal of Botany . 2020; 9(1): 1–7p.