Original Articles
Abhay Pratap Singh1, Devender
Abstract
Calotropis procera (Asclepiadaceae), a giant milk weed, is known for its pharmacological importance for centuries. The coarse shrub is a very prom ising source of anticancerous, ascaricidal, schizonticidal, antimicrobial, anthelmintic, insecticidal, anti-inflammatory, anti-diarrhoeal, larvicidal with many other beneficial properties. Plant is described as a golden gift for human kind containing calotropin, calotropagenin, calotoxin, calactin, uscharin, amyrin, amyrin esters, uscharidin, coroglaucigenin, frugoside, corotoxigenin, calotropagenin and voruscharine used in many therapeutic applications. Different compounds like norditerpenic esters, organic carbonates, the cysteine protease procerain, alkaloids, flavonoids, sterols and numerous cardenolides made this plant of scientific attraction for centuries. Different extracts of Calotropis procera leaves were found to possess invitro anthelmintic activity against Indian earthworms Pheritima posthuma, using piperazine citrate as reference standard. Dose dependent activity was observed in different extracts of plant leaves. But 70% hydroethanolic extract shown better activity as compared to n-butanol and chloroform extract of Calotropis procera leaves.