Content area
Full Text
ABSTRACT:
Typha elephantina (Typhaceae) is an aquatic plant having tremendous medicinal properties. It is an important member of Genus Typha commonly known as "Cattail". It is distributed in wetlands throughout India, Bangladesh, Iran, tropical North Africa and Pakistan. Almost each part of Typha elephantina have been utilized traditionally for the treatment of different diseases including boils, wounds, burns, scab disorders, bacterial infections, blood clotting disorders, Cystitis, Leprosy, Strangury, and Splenic enlargement. Moreover, the plant is also reported to have various therapeutic activities including membrane stabilizing potential, anthelmintic, thrombolytic, antioxidant, wound healing, anxiolytic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and cytotoxic activities by pharmacological techniques to substantiate the claim. This whole review is an organized effort to assemble upto-date information including phytochemical, ethanomedicinal, morphological, and pharmacological data of Typha elephantina.
KEYWORDS: Cattail, Ethanomedicinal, orphological, phytochemical, pharmacological, Typha elephantina Roxb.
INTRODUCTION:
Typha elephantina Roxb., (Figure 1) is a Perennial aquatic plant. It belongs to genus Typha Linn., commonly known as Cattails1. First description of Typha elephantina was given by Roxburgh (1832)2. It is a gigantic, gregarious hydrophyte grows dominantly in fresh waters lagoons pools, brackish marshy areas3,4. It appears like grasses that may attain height between two - five meters5. Leaves are thick and broad with flattened leaf blades and consist of aerenchymatous spongy tissues6. It contains special type of light cinnamon brown colored female inflorescences4. It generates huge quantity of pollens6. The plant has a widespread rhizome framework with horizontal and vertical divisions that extend to a distance of more than 1.5 m across the soil7.
Geographically Typha elephantina is widely distributed among several continents except Antarctica8, and southern equatorial region of Africa2. Moreover, It is native to North Africa, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Iran9. In addition, it exists extensively in Bangladesh and Myanmar10. In north India Typha elephantina is common in swamps11,12. It shows peak vegetation during the late summer and monsoon times (June-September)7. In India, it is grown non commercially for preventing soil erosion 13. It has long roots that can establish embankments by binding loose soil14.
SYNONYMS:6'15'16
Sanskrit : Eraka
Bengali : Hogala
English : Elephant Grass, Bulrush, Indian Reed-Mace
Hindi : Erakaa, Pateraa
Marathi : Raamabaan
Bengali : Hogala
DESCRIPTION:
Roots:
It is a massive gregarious bog plant with erect grass-like equitant roots and dark...