National Conference on New Frontiers in Medicinal Plant Research - 2013
&
Special Meeting on
Medicinal Plants for Livelihood Security & Community Empowerment in Eastern Himalayas
3-5 October 2013
Gangtok, East Sikkim
Organized by
Department of Botany, Sikkim University
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PP.41. Empirical Tribal claims and correlation with antimicrobial activity: a study on Dioscorea pubera Bl. Enum. a medicinally important famine wild tuber crop of Similipal Biosphere Reserve, Odisha
Sanjeet Kumar et al., 2013
Department of Botany, Ravenshaw University, Cuttack- 753 003, Odisha, India
Email Id: sanjeet.biotech@gmail.com
Abstract
National Park, Biosphere Reserves and Sanctuaries are the prominent habitat of ethnic tribes and their medicinal practices. Similipal Biosphere Reserve (SBR) Forest is hub of unexplored wild plants having medicinal as well as food values. The ethnic tribes of SBR are in habit of using plants and their parts for curing of different diseases. Among those plants, Dioscorea species are one of them which are used against different diseases by aboriginals of SBR. Dioscorea pubera Bl. Enum. is an important medicinal wild food plant of genus Dioscorea. It is distributed throughout the forest ranges of SBR. Tribal communities have been using its parts against different types of skin infections and as tonic for poor appetite.Therefore, an attempt has been made to evaluate the phytochemical and antimicrobial activity of Dioscorea pubera tuber extracts. Aim of the study was validation of tribal claims through assessment of ethnobotanical values, detection of bio-active compounds and antimicrobial activity of Dioscorea pubera Bl. Enum tuber extracts. Ethnobotanical data collection were made following Christian and Brigitte, (2004) followed by field survey, taxonomic characterization and interaction with tribal communities. Qualitative analysis of bio-active compounds were carried out by Harborne, (1973); Trease and Evans (1989) and Kumar et al., (2007). The antimicrobial activity was done using Disc Diffusion Assay (Taormina et al., 2001). The ethno-botanical survey indicated wide medicinal uses of this plant among the tribal communities of SBR.Tuber extract are commonly used against skin infections. The phytochemical analysis showed the presence of bioactive compounds such as tannin, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, saponins in aqueous extract that posses anti-microbial activity. Antimicrobial assay showed relevant zones of inhibition against Streptococcus pyogenes (MTCC 1926) and other strains at different concentration of the tuber extracts used. The investigation validates the tribal claims for skin infections through phytochemical screening and antimicrobial activity of the tuber (Dioscorea pubera Bl. Enum) extracts. This study further highlights the therapeutic medicinal values among the aboriginals of SBR. Further, isolation, purification and characterization of bio-active compounds in tuber extracts will aid to the formulation of new antimicrobial agents.
