Pharmacological Activity of Swertia Chirata a...

Pharmacological Activity of Swertia Chirata and Swietenia Mahagoni

Author Name : Yogesh T. Sonawane, Prasad S. Ahire, Khushi B. Deore, Tejas S. Hiray

ABSTRACT Swertia chirata is a medicinal plant genus that falls under the family category of Gentianaceae. The potency of the Swertia species is contained in the root of the plant. There are records of 40 species found in India, out of which the most important one is Swertia chirata because of its value in medicine. A total of 170 species constitutes the plant, out of which 79 are distributed in China. In Chinese traditional medicine, about 20 species have been used for treating hepatic, choleric, and inflammatory diseases. Swertia Chirata Buch-Ham known as chirata in India is utilized as a crude drug. The plant grows in the temperate Himalayas from Kashmir to Bhutan and in Kaisa hills. The methanolic extract of the aerial part of Swertia chirata has antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The 70% ethanolic extract of S. Chirata demonstrated very high DPPH scavenging activity and very good antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, which could be useful against skin infections. The ethanolic and aqueous extracts from S. chirata demonstrated concentration-dependent antimicrobial activities against 10 bacteria and 3 fungi.