A study of medicinal plants in Singapore

Abstract

<P>MEDICINAL PLANTS ARE IMPORTANT SOURCES OF NOVEL THERAPEUTICS OR OF LEAD COMPOUNDS WITH POTENTIAL FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT. THIS STUDY PROVIDES AN EXTENSIVE REVIEW OF INFORMATION ON MORE THAN 120 SELECTED MEDICINAL PLANTS GROWING IN SINGAPORE. THE INFORMATION INCLUDES PLANT DESCRIPTIONS, PHYTO-CONSTITUENTS, TRADITIONAL USES, PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES, TOXICITY, DOSAGE AND DRUG-HERB INTERACTIONS. GAS CHROMATOGRAPHY-MASS SPECTROMETRY METHODS FOR DETECTION OF POTENTIAL ACTIVE PHYTO-CONSTITUENTS AND DIFFERENTIATION OF CLOSELY RELATED PLANT SPECIES WERE DEVELOPED. BASED ON THE INFORMATION COLLATED FROM THE REVIEW, SEVEN PLANTS, NAMELY, ARDISIA ELLIPTICA, PLANCHONELLA OBOVATA, SCAEVOLA SERICEA, CALOPHYLLUM INOPHYLLUM, IPOMOEA PES-CAPRAE, LASIA SPINOSA AND ANGIOPTERIS EVECTA, WERE SELECTED FOR IN VITRO STUDIES ON INHIBITION OF PLATELET AGGREGATION AND BLOOD COAGULATION. SIGNIFICANT ANTI-PLATELET AND/OR ANTI-COAGULANT ACTIVITIES WERE DETECTED IN SOME EXTRACTS. FURTHER STUDIES AND BIOASSAY GU