Review ArticleMedicinally Important Herbal Flowers in Sri Lanka

S L A Gunawardana andW J A B N Jayasuriya

Department of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty of AlliedHealth Sciences University of Sri Jayewardenepura Sri Lanka

Correspondence should be addressed to W J A B N Jayasuriya banukiesjpaclk

Received 6 February 2019 Revised 29 March 2019 Accepted 28 April 2019 Published 27 May 2019

Academic Editor Raffaele Capasso

Copyright copy 2019 S L A Gunawardana and W J A B N Jayasuriya This is an open access article distributed under the CreativeCommons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use distribution and reproduction in any medium provided theoriginal work is properly cited

Background The plant kingdom is rich with a numerous number of plants with various medical properties which can be usedto treat various medical issues Sri Lanka is a country full of biodiversity which is gifted with many plant resources It has a richhistory of traditional medicine systems consisting of Ayurveda Unani and Deshiya Chikitsa where these plant resources are usedas remedies for the diseases In the traditional medicine system various plant parts such as leaves roots fruits flowers and barkare used to treat disease conditions Although less attention is paid to the medicinal importance of the flowers some of themhave been used to treat many diseases from the ancient time Some properties of the flowers may differ from the properties of theother plant parts For example Sesbania grandiflora (Katuru murunga) flowers have shown anticancer properties against variouscell models whereas some flowers have shown antispermatogenic properties Flowers ofWoodfordia floribunda (Militta) are addedas fermenting agents in the preparation of Arishtas in Ayurveda Also the most popular Clove oil is obtained from the flowerbuds of Syzygium aromaticum (Karabu-neti) which is used to treat toothaches since it has antibiotic and antiseptic propertiesThis article gives an overview of herbal flowers used in the traditional medicine system of Sri Lanka and their pharmacologicalimportance Method A comprehensive literature survey was done on the medicinally important flowers in Sri Lanka Data wascollected from Libraries of Ayurveda in Sri Lanka and from scientific databases Results According to the survey many flowers areused as astringent cardiac tonic and febrifuge Also some flowers are used to treat dysentery diarrhoea and indigestion Someflowers are useful in the treatment of bleeding piles while some are useful in the treatment of asthma and bronchitis ConclusionIt was revealed that there are many flowers with valuable therapeutic effects Traditional medicine systems prevailing in Sri Lankahave made use of these flowers with therapeutic effects to cure so many diseases The review of medicinally important herbalflowers provides knowledge and pharmacological leads which will help for the wellbeing of the human beings Although there arephytochemical studies done to identify the chemical compounds on some flowers chemical composition of many flowers remainsunrevealed So further studies need to be done to identify the chemical composition of these flowers

1 Introduction

Plants have been used by human beings to cure diseasesfrom ancient time Therefore herbal drugs play a majorrole in traditional medicine According to the World HealthOrganization (WHO) herbal drugs are the best source toobtain a variety of drugs In developing countries about 80of the population depends on traditional medicine [1] Thetraditional medicine which is mainly based on plant sourcesconsists of significant amounts of bioactive compoundsThese compounds provide valuable health effects Sincemod-ern medicine claimed to possess irreversible adverse events

herbal plants play a major role in delivering therapeuticeffects with less adverse events to human beings [2]

Sri Lanka is a country full of biodiversity which is giftedwith many plant resources It has been reported that thereare 3771 flowering plant species grown in Sri Lanka Outof them about 927 (24) are endemic to the country Also1430 species are considered to have medicinal value Out ofthese medicinal plants 174 (12) are endemic to Sri LankaAlso it is reported that around 250 species are commonlyused in traditional medicine Since there are a huge numberof medicinal plants in Sri Lanka it has a rich historyof traditional medicine systems [72] The main traditional

HindawiEvidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineVolume 2019 Article ID 2321961 18 pageshttpsdoiorg10115520192321961

2 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

medicine systems that prevail in Sri Lanka are AyurvedaSiddha Unani and Deshiya Chikitsa In Ayurveda herbalpreparations are used mostly to cure diseases while in Siddhamineral preparations are used mostly Deshiya Chikitsa alsouses herbal preparations The Unani differs from these con-cepts Ayurveda system of Sri Lanka nearly uses 2000 herbs[73] These systems fulfill 60-70 of the rural populationsrsquoprimary health care needs The knowledge regarding the useof these herbal plants has been passed from generation togeneration in the traditional medicine systems So there arenumerous plants with valuable health benefits used in thesetraditional formulations where the knowledge regarding thetherapeutic use is depleting day by day [72]

In the recent past there has been a tremendous increasein the research done on herbal medicine and there has beenan increase in the use of herbal products in the developingcountries and in developed countries Today nearly 51 ofthe approved drugs are directly or indirectly derived fromthe herbal plants [74] Plants provide the constituents forthe synthesis of new drugs and chemical compounds Thesecondarymetabolites such as tannins terpenoids alkaloidsflavonoids phenols steroids glycosides volatile oils etc alsoare a major source of therapeutically valuable compounds[75] These compounds of pharmacological importance canbe obtained from various plant parts such as leaves rootsflowers bark etc [76] Flowers are reproductive parts of aplant which are also used for nutritive and medicinal prop-erties Flowers are used either directly or as a decoction tinc-ture or mixed with other ingredients to treat diseases [77]Flowers such as Stereospermum suaveolens (Roxb)BignoniasuaveolensRoxb (Palol) are used to treatmalaria and bronchi-tis [61] Some flowers such asWoodfordia floribunda (Militta)are added as fermenting agents in the preparation of Arishtasin Ayurveda [3] Also some flowers possess properties thatare different from the pharmacological properties of the otherparts of the plant For example flowers of Butea monospermahave diuretic astringent and tonic properties while the rootof this plant has analgesic properties [18]

According to the literature survey there were numerousreview articles about medicinal plants But only few researchpapers were focused on the particular parts of the medicinalplantsTherefore the study of pharmacological importance ofthe flowers is benefitted in the development of novel drugs

2 Methodology

A comprehensive literature survey was done on the medic-inally important herbal flowers in Sri Lanka The data wasobtained from the Libraries of Navinna Ayurveda Hospi-tal Maharagama Sri Lanka and Institute of IndigenousMedicine University of Colombo Rajagiriya Sri LankaBooks likeMedicinal Herbs and Flowers [78]The Chemistryand Pharmacology of Ceylon and Indian Medicinal Plants[3] Medicinal Plants Used in Ceylon-Part I [7] Part II [25]Part III [24] Part IV [27] and Part V [51] Sri Lankawe OsuShaka Saha EwayeWadagathkama [8] andMedicinal Herbal[5] were used Further research was carried out based on thescientific names collected from the flowering ayurvedic plants

from these books using scientific databases PubMed GoogleScholar and Web of Science Nine Ayurveda books and 69journal articles were referred in this article

3 Results and Discussion

Table 1 includes the information collected from the extensiveliterature survey and Figure 1 includes some of the chemicalstructures of the phytochemicals found in Sri Lankan herbalflowers

In this review an attempt has been taken to presentthe medicinally important flowers in Sri Lanka and theirtherapeutic uses Generally flowers have similar pharmaco-logical properties as their other parts But several flowerswere reported to have special medicinal uses Flowers such asStereospermum suaveolens (Roxb)Bignonia suaveolens Roxb(Palol) flowers are used to treat malaria and bronchitis Alsothe most popular Clove oil is obtained from the flower budsof Syzygium aromaticum (Karabu-neti) which is used to treattoothaches since it has antibiotic and antiseptic propertiesSome flowers such as Woodfordia floribunda (Militta) areadded as fermenting agents in the preparation of Arishtas inAyurveda Also powder of this flower is administered withhoney in the treatment of leucorrhoea andwater decoction ofthe fresh flowers of this plant either alone or in combinationwith ginger (Zingiber officinale) is used for the treatment ofdysentery Flowers of Wrightia antidysenterica Linn (SuduiddaWal-idda) are important for the treatment of Russellrsquosviper snake bite and to treat Gonorrhea The leaf flower andseeds of Sphaeranthus hirtusindicus (Mudamahana) plantare ground into a paste and applied topically to treat skindiseases Juice of Saraca indica (Asoka) flowers are used as acardiac tonic Also some flowers possess properties that aredifferent from the pharmacological properties of the otherparts of the plant For example Butea monosperma flowershave diuretic astringent and tonic properties while the rootof this plant has analgesic properties The flowers of Punicagranatum had been used in traditional medicine to treatvaginal discharge and diarrhoeawhile the juice of fruit is usedto treat gallbladder diseases

4 Conclusion

An extensive literature survey done on the flowers withmedicinal importance in Sri Lanka revealed that there aremany flowers with valuable therapeutic effects Some plantsare endemic to Sri Lanka while some are distributed through-out the world Traditional medicine systems prevailing in SriLanka havemade use of these flowers with therapeutic effectsto cure so many diseases Considering these facts need wasfelt to collect details regarding the chemical composition andtheir ailments Although there are number of phytochemicalstudies were carried out using these flowers exact chemicalcomposition is remain unrevealed Hence further studiesare warrants on these flowers in order to identify theirbiological activities mechanisms of action and the chemicalcomposition Further there is a possibility of developingnovel formulations for various diseases for the betterment of

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 3

Table1Medicinallyim

portanth

erbalfl

owersinSriL

anka

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

AbutilonindicumAbutilon

asiaticum

English

Cou

ntry

mallow

Sinh

alaAno

daTamilPerunu

tti

Dry

coun

tryof

Sri

Lank

a

Localapp

licationforthe

boils

andulcers[3]

Flow

ersa

reused

toincrease

thev

olum

eof

semen

inhu

man

beings

[4]

Ithase

mollient

prop

ertie

s[4]

AcaciaArabica

Sinh

alaBa

bbula

Along

thec

oastof

Sri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

ndpo

dsareu

sedas

astringent

indiarrhoeadysenteryspermatorrhoea

leucorrhoeaa

ndprem

aturee

jaculationin

the

form

ofpo

wder

ordecoction

Thisisused

externallyforw

ashing

bleeding

ulcersandwou

ndsa

ndin

redu

cing

body

temperatureearache

andas

aton

ic[5]

Ithasa

stringent

prop

ertie

s[5]

Stearic

acid

kaem

pferol-3-glucosid

eiso

quercetin

andleucocyanidin

[6]

Adhatoda

vasica

Sinh

alaPawattaAdh

atod

aTamil

Adadod

iKattumurun

gai

Dry

coun

tryof

Sri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

reregarded

asantiseptic

insecticidalandexpectorantused

totre

atcoug

hchronicb

ronchitis

andasthma

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

foro

phthalmia[78]

Flow

ersa

regivenas

aninfusio

nto

treatfever

andused

inthetreatmento

fgon

orrhea

jaun

dicerheum

atism

andabdo

minaltumou

r[9]Th

esea

realso

used

toim

proveb

lood

circulationandhecticheatof

bloo

d[10]

Flow

ersh

aveb

roncho

dilatorsedativ

eexpectorant

antiseptic

andantispasm

odicprop

ertie

s[11]

Ethylacetateextracto

fthese

flowersp

ossesses

significantantibacteria

land

antifun

galactivity

againstm

icroorganism

slike(Ba

cteria)S

almonella

typhiEscherich

iacoliEscherich

iafaecalis

Bcereus

and(fu

ngi)Ca

ndidalunataC

andida

albicans

[12]

Vasic

ine(Figure

1(a))ab

itter

quinazolinea

lkaloidand

chem

icalcompo

unds

such

astriterpenes

(a-amyrin)

flavono

ids(astragalin

kaem

pferolquercetin)alkanes

[9]a

nd21015840-4-dihydroxychalcone-

4-glucoside

[13]

Ascle

pias

curassa

vica

English

WestInd

ian

Ipecacuanh

aSinh

alaKa

nkum

bala

Com

mon

lyfoun

din

open

wasteplaces

particularlyalon

gthe

seac

oasts

ofSri

Lank

a

Thep

owderedflo

wersa

reused

fortreating

soresa

ndwou

nds[7]

4 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Bauh

iniavarie

gate

Sinh

alaKo

boleela

Drie

dbu

dsof

thisplantare

used

ford

ysentery

pileswormdiarrheaa

ndtumors

Thejuice

offlo

wer

isused

totre

atdiarrhea

dysenteryandotherstomachdisorders[14]

Flow

ersa

ndflo

wer

buds

have

laxativ

epropertiesa

ndfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ity[15]

Thefl

owersh

avec

hemop

reventiver

olea

gainst

712-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene

(DMBA

)-indu

ced

skin

carcinogenesisin

mice[14]

Thep

alew

hileflo

wersc

ontain

cynidin-3-glucoside

(Figure1(b))

malvidin-3-glucoside

(Figure1(c))

malvidin-3-diglucosidea

ndpeon

idin-3-glucosid

e(Figure1(d))and

peon

idin-3-diglucosid

eTh

ewhite

flowersc

ontain

kaem

pferol-3-galactosid

e(Figure1(g))and

kaem

pferol-3-rhamno

glucoside

[16]

Butea

frond

osamonosperm

aSinh

alaKe

la

Thefl

owersa

reuseful

inthetreatmento

fliver

disordersdiarrhealeprosyleucorrho

eagou

tandas

aton

ic[17]

Thefl

owersp

ossessantistre

ssdiureticastrin

gent

depu

rativ

eno

otropica

ctivities

andantifun

gal

activ

ityagainstH

elminthosporiu

msativ

um[17]

Triterpenesseveralflavono

ids

buteinbutinisobu

trin

coreop

sinisocoreop

sin(butin

7-glucoside)sulph

urein

mon

osperm

oside(bu

tein

3-e-D-glucosid

e)and

isomon

osperm

osidechalcones

auronesiso

butyinepalasitrin

3101584041015840 7-tr

ihydroxy

flavone

Myricylalcoho

lste

aricacid

palm

itica

cidarachidica

cid

ligno

ceric

acidglucosefructose

histidineasparticacidalanine

andph

enylalanine[18]

Boerhaaviadiffu

saSinh

alaPitasudu

sarana

Thefl

owersa

ndseedsa

reused

ascontraceptives

inayurvedicm

edicine[19]

Flow

ersh

aved

iuretic

andanti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[19

]

Ceibapentandra

English

Silk

cotto

nSinh

alaIm

bulP

ulun

gTamilIla

vam

Karukk

anam

Very

common

plant

inthelow

coun

try

They

aren

early

always

plantedas

fencep

ots

alon

gbo

undarie

sin

SriL

anka

Thee

thanolicextracto

fthe

bark

andflo

wer

isgivenforthree

days

totre

atsexu

aldiseases

like

leucorrhoeagono

rrho

eaandto

regulate

menstr

ualabn

ormalities

inwo

men

Thesea

reused

asan

astringent

andareu

sedfor

thetreatmento

fskintro

ublesspleno

megaly

andhaem

orrhoidsTh

eyareg

iven

with

seeds

ofPa

paversom

nifer

umsug

arand

milk

tocure

piles

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

possesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactivity

Thesea

lsopo

ssessa

ntioxidant

andantip

roliferative

activ

ityagainsth

uman

severalcancerc

elllines

120573-d-glucosid

eof120573

-sito

sterol

free120573

-sito

sterolhentria

contane

hentria

contanoltraceso

fessentialoilkaem

pferoland

quercetin

[20]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 5Ta

ble1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Chrysanthemum

indicum

Sinh

alaKa

puru

Thesefl

owersa

reused

totre

atsto

matitis

burningsensationsurin

arydischargesgleet

lumbagoinob

structivea

ffections

oftheb

rain

andcalculus

andto

removed

epressionsta

tes

Ithasb

eenused

inconjun

ctionwith

black

pepp

erforg

onorrhea

Flow

erheadsinfusionissaid

tobe

frequ

ently

appliedas

collyriu

min

eyea

ffectionsA

lsoadministered

forsoree

yesa

ndforthe

internal

orexternalabdo

minalinflammations

Thefl

owersa

reappliedon

thes

kinto

treat

leprosy[5]

Italso

used

asah

eat-c

learinganddetoxifying

herb

[21]

Thefl

owersh

avea

ntibacteria

lantio

xidant

andanti-inflammatoryprop

ertie

s[21]

Them

ainvolatile

oilspresentin

thefl

owersa

re266-trim

ethyl

bicycle[311]hept-2

-en-4-oland

2-(24-hexadiynylid

ene)-16-

dioxaspiro[44]non

-3-ene

germ

acrene

Da-neoclo

vene

eucalyptola-pinene

14-bis(1-m

ethylethyl)-benzene

asesqu

iphelland

rene

long

ipinanea

nd711-dimethyl-3

-methylene-1610

-dod

ecatrie

ne

Flavon

oids

area

lsopresentie

quercitrinm

yricetin

luteolin-7-glucosid

eVitexinand

apigenin

arethe

leastabu

ndant

flavono

idsinthep

lant

[22]

New

sesquiterpenoids

identifi

edare

7-epi-e

udesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-

11205733120573-diol(Figure

1(h))a

nd7-epi-

1120573-hydroxy-120573-eud

esmol

(Figure1(i))inthee

thanolic

extracto

fthe

flower

[21]

Cochlospermum

gossy

pium

English

Goldensilkcotto

nSinh

alaKinihiriy

a

Thep

owderedflo

wer

isgivento

child

renin

emptysto

machto

improveimmun

ityand

mem

orypo

wer

inchild

ren

Thefl

owersc

onsis

tofstim

ulantp

roperties[23]

Cymbopogonjwarancusa

English

Lem

ongrass

Sinh

alaSera

Thep

asteof

root

andflo

wer

buds

iseffectiv

ein

dissolving

theh

ardinflammations

inthe

internalorgansO

ilof

thefl

ower

budisag

ood

embrocation

also

useful

inmou

thgarglesto

strengthentheg

umsAlso

effectiv

easa

digestiveton

icandto

stopdiarrhoea[

24]

Eclipta

prostra

taEn

glish

False

daisy

Sinh

alaKikirin

diTamilKa

ikeshi

Adecoctionof

thefl

ower

tops

andleaves

isgivenforh

epatitis[25]

Flow

ersa

reused

forthe

treatmento

furin

ary

prob

lemsjaun

diceasthm

aand

coug

hs[26]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flower

hassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstPvulgarisSaureus

andSsaprophyticus

[26]

Hibiscus

rose-sinensis

English

Sho

eflow

erSinh

ala

Wadam

alSapaththu

mal

TamilAratta

m

Thesea

recommon

lycultivatedin

the

gardensItgrow

swell

anyw

here

from

the

seac

oastto

theh

illcoun

tryandin

the

dryzone

inSriL

anka

Shoe

flowersa

reused

asan

expectorantfor

bron

chitisparalysisdysmenorrhea

andcoug

hFlow

ersa

reeatenwith

papaya

seedstocause

abortio

nTh

esho

eflow

erleaves

andyoun

gflo

wer

buds

areu

sedas

apou

ltice

onbo

ilsand

swellin

gs

Thefl

owersp

ossessanti-spermatogenicand

rogenic

anti-tumou

ranti-diabeticandantic

onvulsa

ntactiv

ities

Smallamou

ntof

hibiscetin

[27]

6 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Hibiscus

tiliaceus

Sinh

alaBe

li-patta

TamilNir-paratth

i

Very

common

inthe

lowcoun

tryof

Sri

Lank

a

Flow

ersa

rebo

iledin

milk

totre

atearache[27]

Thes

limysapof

theb

arkbranches

andflo

wer

buds

areu

sedas

amild

laxativ

eora

salubricant

inchild

birthor

labo

rpains

andrubb

edon

stomachandto

treatbron

chitisTh

eaqu

eous

extracto

fwoo

dandfre

shflo

werso

fthisp

lant

isused

asatreatmentfor

skin

diseases

[28]

Thefl

owersc

onsisto

femollient

prop

ertie

sand

anti-depressant

likea

ctivity

[27]

Them

ethano

lextractconsistso

fstigmasterolstigm

astadienoland

stigmastadienon

e[29]

Horsfield

iairy

aghedhi

Sinh

alaRu

k

Oftenfoun

din

the

low-cou

ntry

upto

1000

feetaltitud

e

Thefl

owersa

reused

totre

atdysentery

hiccou

ghandwastin

gdiseases

[27]

Impatiens

balsa

mina

English

Jew

elweed

Sinh

alaKu

udalu

Grownas

agarden

plantcom

mon

lyin

SriL

anka

Flow

ersa

reappliedforb

urnsscaldslumbago

andintercostaln

euralgia[30]

Thefl

owersa

rehaving

coolingdemulcent

andtonic

effectanti-anaphylacticandanti-hypo

tensive

prop

ertie

sTh

ealcoh

olicextracto

fflow

ersh

asantib

iotic

activ

ityagainstFructicolaandotherp

atho

genicfun

giand

bacteriaandthem

ethano

licextracto

fthe

flowers

hasa

nti-tum

ourp

romotingactiv

ityperipheraland

centralanti-n

ociceptiv

eactivity

[3132]

Itwas

foun

dthatthee

ffectsw

erer

apid

andlong

lastingandthesee

ffectsw

erem

ediatedby

the

inhibitio

nof

opioid

receptorsa

ndperip

heral

inflammatorymediatorslik

ecyclooxygenase2

[33]

Thek

amph

erolandqu

ercetin

possessesa

ntibacteria

lactiv

ityagainstP

ropionibacteriu

macnes[34]

Also

the

isolatedkamph

erolhassho

wnmushroo

mtyrosin

aseinh

ibito

ryactiv

itywhich

proves

the

fairn

essa

ctivity

ofthefl

ower

extract[32]

Flavanolkam

pherolquercetin

myricetin

[35]pheno

liccompo

undsimpatie

nolate

balsa

minolatelaw

sone

methyl

etherkaem

pferol3-rutin

oside

2-hydroxy14-naphtho

quinon

ep-coum

aricandferulic

acids

[33]

Ipom

oeaaquatic

English

Water

spinach

Sinh

alaKa

ngkong

TamilKa

laka

Very

common

inshallowwater

and

moistplaces

inthe

dryregion

ofSri

Lank

a

Theb

udisappliedto

treatrin

gworm

infections

[25]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Ixoracoccinea

Sinh

alaRa

tmal

TamilVe

dchi

Thefl

owersa

refriedin

melted

butte

rrubb

eddo

wnwith

alittlecumin

andnagakesara

and

madeintoab

olus

with

sugarc

andyTh

ispreparationisused

asar

emedyford

ysentery

[3]Also

the

flowersa

refamou

sfor

itsuseto

treatcatarrhalbronchitisdysmenorrhea

hemop

tysis

andleucorrhoeainAy

urvedic

medicine[32]

Thea

queous

flower

extractshave

also

show

nanti-diarrhoealactiv

ityagainsta

casto

roilindu

ced

diarrhoeam

odelin

ratsandalcoho

licextracth

asshow

nwou

ndhealingactiv

ityin

dead

spacew

ound

mod

elin

rats[36]Th

emethano

licextractw

asrepo

rted

topo

ssessthe

analgesic

anti-infl

ammatory

antiu

lcerfairness[37]a

ndbroad-spectrum

anti-microbialactiv

ity[38]A

ntitu

mou

ractivity

ofI

coccinea

flowersw

asstu

died

onDaltonslym

phom

a(ascitica

ndsolid

tumou

rs)a

ndEh

rlich

Ascites

Carcinom

a(EA

C)tumou

rsin

micea

nditwas

repo

rted

thatthereisa

significantantitu

mou

ractiv

ityin

thefl

ower

extracts

Also

chem

oprotective

effecto

fflow

erse

xtractsh

asshow

nas

ignificant

effecto

ncisplatin

indu

cedtoxicityin

mice[37]

Essentialoilextractedfro

mthe

flowersc

ontainstriterpenes

mon

oterpenessesquiterpenes

andan

esterTh

econ

stituentsof

triterpenes

detected

areu

rsolic

acidoleanolicandlupeolwhile

geranylacetateisdetected

asthe

major

mon

oterpeneFurther

analysisof

them

ethano

licflo

wer

extracth

asrevealed

thep

resence

ofbiochinAm

yricetin

quercetin

rutindiadzeinand

form

onon

etin

compo

unds

[37]

Ixoraparviflora

English

Toreb

tree

Sinh

alaMahar

atam

bala

TamilKa

rank

utti

Thefl

owersp

ound

edin

milk

areg

iven

inwho

opingcoug

h[3]

Laws

oniaalba

English

Henna

Sinh

alaMarith

ondii

TamilMarito

ndi

Aninfusio

nof

flowe

rsof

thisplantissaidto

beag

oodapplicationto

bruises[3]D

ecoctio

nof

thefl

owersisu

sedas

anem

menagogue

[39]

Essentialoil(002)richin

iono

nes(90

)120572

-iono

nes

(Figure1(e))and120573-io

nones

(Figure1(f))in

which120573-io

nones

predom

inated

[39]

Mesua

ferrea

English

Ironwoo

dtre

eSinh

alaNa

TamilNagacuram

Thep

asteof

flowersisa

ppliedto

bleeding

piles

andforb

urning

ofthefeetasa

paste

madew

ithbu

ttera

ndsugarAlso

theyareu

sedagainst

snakea

ndscorpion

sting

[40]A

syrupof

the

flower

buds

isgivenin

treatmento

fdysentery

[3]Adecoctionof

2-3flo

wersw

ithsugar

cand

yisgiventwicea

dayfortosto

pbloo

dysto

olTh

eflow

erbu

dsareu

sedto

treatsore

throatcou

ghandasthma[

40]

Methano

licextracto

fthe

flower

consistso

fantio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivity

and

methano

licanddichloromethane

extracto

fthe

flower

hassho

wnantim

icrobialactiv

ityagainst

MicrococcusluteusE

coilCa

ndidaalbicans

and

Aspergillus

niger

Thefl

owersh

aves

tomachicexpectorantand

astringent

prop

ertie

s[40

]

120572-cop

aene

(Figure1(j))a

ndgerm

acrene

Dcompo

unds

[40]

8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineTa

ble1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Magnolia

fuscata

Sinh

alaMadana-kama

TamM

adanakam

-poo

Thisplantis

cultivatedbo

thin

the

hillcoun

tryandmid

coun

tryof

SriL

anka

Thes

eeds

andflo

werso

fthisp

lant

areu

sedfor

makingpreparations

forstre

ngtheningsexu

alvirility

[27]

Meliaazedarach

English

Beadtre

eIndian

Lilac

Sinh

alaMahanim

baTamilMalaivenb

u

Apaste

offlo

wersisa

ppliedon

theh

eadto

destroylicea

ndfore

ruptions

ofthes

calpTh

eflo

wersa

ndleaves

area

ppliedas

apou

ltice

torelieve

nervou

sheadaches

Theo

ilof

thefl

ower

contains

sulphu

rand

inorganicc

ombinatio

nandisuseful

fora

llcutaneou

sailm

entsandrheumatism

The

flowersa

realso

used

totre

atceph

alalgia

gastropathyverm

inosis

strangury

dysm

enorrhoeaa

ndfever

Accordingto

thes

tudiesthe

methano

licextracto

fMazedarach

flowersa

lsoshow

spotentantibacteria

lactiv

ity

Thefl

owersh

avea

stringentrefrig

erantanod

yne

stomachicverm

ifugediuretic

abo

rtifa

cient

deob

struentand

alexipharm

icactiv

ities

[41]

Nelumbo

nucifera

English

Chinese

water

lilySacred

lotus

Sinh

alaNelu

mTamilAmbal

Com

mon

inthetanks

ofdryzone

ofSri

Lank

a

Thes

tamenso

fthe

flowersa

reused

bleeding

pilesa

nddebilityandweakn

essinchild

ren

Thefl

owersw

ithstam

ensa

ndJuiceo

fflow

erstalkareu

sedford

iarrho

eacho

lerafevers

liver

complaintsandas

acardiac

tonic

Thefl

ower

ismadeintosyrupandgivenfor

coug

hsdysentery

andto

checkhaem

orrhages

from

bleeding

pilesTh

egroun

dpetalsare

administered

forsyphilis

inMalayaTh

emilk

yjuiceo

fthe

leaves

andflo

wer

stalkisgivenfor

diarrhoeaIn

Chinaa

ndMalayathe

dried

petalsandsta

men

ofthep

inkflo

wer

varie

tyare

used

asac

osmeticto

improvethe

complexion

Also

the

flowersa

reused

ascoolingand

astringent

agents

Thefl

ower

beveragesa

reused

totre

atcancerw

eakn

essa

ndbo

dyheat

balanceStam

ensa

reused

totre

atconsolidationof

kidn

eyfunctio

naphrod

isiac

males

exuald

isordersa

ndfemaleleucorrhea

Poun

dedpetalsof

thefl

owersa

reused

for

syph

ilisFlow

ersta

lkareu

sedto

treatuterine

bleeding

andflo

wer

receptaclestosto

pbleeding

andto

elim

inates

tagn

ated

bloo

dFlow

ersa

ndrhizom

esared

emulcent

astringentm

ildsedativ

espasmolytic

antiseptic

usedin

infusio

ninternallyfor

chronicd

iarrheaas

adou

chefor

leucorrhea

andvaginitis

asag

arglefor

sore

throatalso

giveninternallyforp

rosta

teprob

lems[42]

Thefl

ower

stalksa

reused

totre

atexcessive

menstr

uatio

nbleeding

gastr

iculcersand

postp

artum

haem

orrhageTh

elotus

honeyis

used

inthetreatmento

feye

infections

[43]

Flow

ersd

emon

strateh

ypoglycemicantipyretic

antid

iabetic

antioxidant

andfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ityantim

icrobialactiv

ityvasod

ilatin

geffects

antih

ypertensivea

ndantia

rrhythmicabilitie

sFlow

ersa

reric

hin

aldo

seredu

ctaseinh

ibito

ryactiv

ityantiplateletactivity

andaphrod

isiac

activ

itytoo[41]

Nornu

ciferin

eN-m

ethylasim

ilobine

N-m

ethylco

claurin

eiso

quercitrin

(hirsutrin

)dehydroemerineliriodenine

quercetin

dehydronu

ciferin

elirinidinedemethylcoclaurine

asim

ilobineluteolin

glucoside

andlin

aloo

l[44

]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Neriu

moleand

erSinh

alaKa

neru

TamilKa

naweeram

Thisplantis

cultivatedas

agarden

plantm

ostly

inNorth

Centralprovince

ofSriL

anka

Thee

thanolicextracto

fthese

flowersh

asshow

na

significantantioxidant

activ

ityandantim

icrobial

activ

ityagainstB

acillus

subtilisStaphylococcus

aureusE

scheric

hiacoliSalm

onellaandPseudomonas

aeruginosa

andantifun

galactivity

againstA

spergillu

snigerA

flavusA

fumigatesandRh

izopus

species

[45]Th

edichlorom

ethane

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

ntheh

ighestcytotoxica

ctivity

againstT

47D

HepG-2

andK5

62celllin

es[46]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidstannins

sapo

ninscarbo

hydrates

and

phenols

Nymphaeaste

llate

English

Water

lily

Sinh

alaNilmanel

Thefl

owersa

reused

asan

astringentcardiac

tonica

ndfebrifu

geFilamentsareg

radedas

useful

inbu

rningsensations

oftheb

odysin

cethey

possessc

oolin

gandastringent

prop

ertie

sTh

esea

reused

totre

atbleeding

pilesa

ndmenorrhagiaandconstitutea

ningredient

ofcoolingmedicines

forc

utaneous

ailm

ents

Carefully

driedfragrant

stam

ensa

ctas

diuretic

andareu

sedforfl

avou

ringteaHelp

fulin

relieving

dryn

essinthec

hest

Smellin

gthe

flowersisb

eneficialforp

ersons

with

warm

temperament[5]

Ithasa

strin

gentdiuretic

andfebrifu

geprop

ertie

sNstellateWild

flowersp

ossessgastro

protectiv

eactio

nby

thes

uppressio

nof

pro-inflammatory

cytokinesa

ndfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ities

Ithasa

nti-a

poptoticeffectagainstethano

l-ind

uced

ulceratio

nTh

estudy

suggeststhatthee

xtractof

N

stellateflo

wersh

asantio

xidantanti-infl

ammatory

andanti-apop

totic

prop

ertie

s[47]

10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Punica

granatum

English

Pom

egranate

Sinh

alaDelu

m

Pomegranatewith

durvar

ootjuice

isgivento

stopbleeding

from

then

oseTh

erindof

the

fruitand

flowersc

ombinedwith

arom

atics

(clovecinnamon

etc)

asastringent

insuch

bowelaffectio

nno

taccom

panied

with

tenesm

us

Sour

pomegranateFlower

buds

bruisedare

givento

relieve

fevercoug

handbron

chitisTh

ejuiceise

ffectiveinredu

cing

burningsensation

inthec

hestandlesseningtheb

lood

heat

Itisantib

iliou

ssto

psnausea

andvomiting

increasesfrequ

ency

ofurinea

nditrsquos

more

pron

ounced

than

ofthes

weetvarie

tyFlowe

rsdriedandpo

wderedused

astoothpo

wder

strengthens

theg

umsa

ndactsas

haem

ostatic

forb

leedinggums

Fevera

ccom

panied

byvomiting

anddiarrhoea

isrelievedfollo

wingits

useAlso

beneficialin

jaun

dice

duetoheatTh

eflow

erof

thisplantis

also

used

asar

emedyford

iabetesdiarrhea

andvaginald

ischargeinUnani

andAy

urvedic

medicineAlso

itisu

sedforthe

treatmento

finjurie

sfrom

falls

andgrey

hairof

youn

gmen

[5]

Thea

lcoh

olicextracto

fpom

egranateflo

wers

possessesa

potent

freer

adicalscavenging

antio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivities

Accordingto

thisstu

dythea

lcoh

olicextractcon

tains

ahugea

mou

ntof

polyph

enolicsa

ndthee

xtractis

capableo

fprotectingagainsto

xidativ

edam

ageto

lipidsa

ndproteins

andalso

ofincreasin

gmaintaining

thelevels

ofantio

xidant

molecules

andenzymes

invivo

[48]

Nasiri

etal2015comparedthee

fficacy

ofpo

megranateflo

wer

extractw

iththatof

creams

containing

standard

1silversulfadiazine(SSD)

base

cream

andno

rmalsalin

efor

treatingthermal

burn

injurie

sinrats

Ther

esultshave

show

nthat

creamsc

ontainingtheP

granatum

flower

extract

have

remarkablyim

proved

theh

ealin

gof

burn

wou

ndsc

omparedwith

creamsS

SD[49]

Ethano

lextractof

pomegranate

flowersc

ontainsthe

compo

unds

ellagica

cid

33101584041015840 -tri-

O-m

ethylellagica

cid

ethylbrevifolin

carboxylate

urolicacidsmaslin

icacidsa

nddaucosterolAlso

thetwo

flavonesluteolin

andtricetin

werefou

ndin

amethano

licextracto

fpo

megranateflo

wers[50]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Rosa

damascene

Mill

English

Rose

Sinh

alaRo

sa

Rose

buds

arem

orea

stringent

than

thefull

blow

nflo

wersa

ndconsidered

cold

anddry

ceph

aliccardicalton

icandaperientrem

oving

bilio

usnessB

udsa

reconsidered

asastringent

aperientcardiacalcephalic

tonicremoving

bileandcold

humou

rsTh

erosefl

ower

isregarded

asrefrigeranttonifyingforthe

vital

organsstomachandintestineshasc

ompo

und

actio

nof

causingmild

purgationas

wellas

astringencyles

sens

theh

eatd

ueto

bilio

usness

givesfragrance

isperspiratio

nandredu

cesits

excessivee

xcretio

nEx

ternallyappliedgives

relieftowarm

inflammations

andassociated

painTh

eaqu

adistillateisu

sefulinirr

itated

affectio

nsof

eyes

Flow

ersh

elpin

curin

gbu

rningsensationsbud

odou

rfrom

mou

thfor

improvingappetite

relieving

headachetoo

thache

(asg

argles)

stomatitisbeneficially

used

inabno

rmal

functio

ning

ofkidn

eysliverchron

icfevers

inflammations

andintestinalaffectio

ns

Rose

oilisu

sedas

flavorin

gagentsto

maskthe

taste

ofmanyob

noxiou

spreparatio

nsA

conserve

ofrose

petalswith

othern

utritional

ingredientsh

asmild

laxativ

eaction

Itisuseful

toim

provea

ppetitesorethroatenlarged

tonsils

andsometim

esto

relieve

common

urogenitialdisordersa

ndurtic

arial

Thefl

owersh

avec

oolin

gmild

laxativ

eaphrod

isiac

antip

yreticcardioton

icandastringent

prop

ertie

s

Volatile

oilcon

tainsg

eraniol

citro

nello

leugeno

lTh

epetals

containvitamin

Cqu

ercitrin

quercitann

icacidgallic

acid

carotenenandredcolouring

matter[5]

Saraca

indica

Linn

Sinh

alaAs

oka

TamilAs

ogam

Asokap

lant

grow

swellinareaslike

Anu

radh

apura

Polonn

aruw

aBinthann

eaand

Mahiyanganaya

etc

Thejuice

offlo

werso

rsyrup

isuseful

cardiotonica

swellasb

rain

tonica

ndrelieves

dysentery[51]

Flow

ersa

realso

helpfulintre

atingdiabetes

haem

orrhoids

andforthe

treatmento

futerin

edisordersinfemales

[52]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

nantiu

lcer

activ

ityA

lsothefl

ower

extractshasa

lsoshow

n50cytotoxica

ctivity

againstD

altons

lymph

omaa

scitesa

ndSarcom

a-180tumou

rcells

with

outany

cytotoxica

ctivity

againsth

uman

norm

allymph

ocytes

[53]

Thes

tudies

have

show

nthatthefl

ower

areu

sedto

redu

ceskin

tumou

rsindu

cedby

712-dim

ethyl

benzanthracenetorejuvenateskin

complexion

toindu

cequ

ickhealingof

skin

injurie

sandto

redu

cefre

cklesa

ndexternalinflammations

ofthes

kinsin

cethee

xtractsc

ontain

flavono

ids[54]

Oleiclinoleicpalm

itica

ndste

aricacidsP-sitosterol

quercetin

kaem

pferol-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

equ

ercetin

-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

eapigenin-7-0-p-D

-glucosid

epelargon

idin-35diglucoside

cyanidin-35-diglucosid

epalm

iticste

ariclinolenic

linoleicleucocyanidinandgallic

acid

[54]

12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Sesbaniagrandiflora

Sinh

alaKa

turu

murum

ga

Thisisac

ommon

tree

which

canbe

foun

din

theb

ackyard

ofmost

oftheS

riLank

anho

mes

Sgrandiflora

flowersp

ossessanti-canceranalgesicandantip

yretic

activ

ities

[55]

Thep

heno

licextracto

fSgrand

iflorahassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstStaphylo

coccus

aureus

Shigellaflexneri2aSalm

onellaTyphiEscherich

iacoli

andVibriocholera

Also

ith

asshow

ntheg

rowth

prom

otingeffecto

nthec

ommon

prob

iotic

bacterium

Lactobacillus

acidophilus[56]

Sida

veronicaefo

liaSinh

alaBe

vila

TamilPalampasi

Acommon

plantin

thew

astegrou

ndof

low-cou

ntry

inSri

Lank

aespecially

inareaslikeB

attic

alo

Haragam

aetc

Paleyello

wsm

allfl

owersa

ndun

ripefruits

are

givenwith

sugarindecoctionforb

urning

sensationin

micturition[27]

Sphaeranthus

hirtusin

dicus

L English

Globe

flowerEast

Indian

glob

ethistle

Sinh

alaMud

amahana

Thesep

lantsa

regrow

nin

ther

icefi

eldin

SriL

ankaItis

common

inmoist

places

especially

padd

yfield

inthelow

coun

trylik

eKu

runagala

Theleafflo

wer

andseedso

fthisp

lant

are

grou

ndinto

apasteandappliedtopically

totre

atskin

diseases

especiallyin

itching

sskin

erup

tionseczem

aspsoria

sisvitiligoandpiles

Also

itisu

sedto

treatwe

akheartpalpitatio

ns

jointd

iseasesliver

diseases

especiallyjaun

dice

andin

chronicc

ough

Flowersa

reuseful

inprom

otingeyesight

andin

thetreatmento

fdiabetes

Flow

ersa

rehigh

lyesteem

edas

analternative

refrigeranttonicbloo

dpu

rifier

andin

the

treatmento

fcon

junctiv

itis

Flow

erpaste

isgivenin

emptysto

machto

cure

dysenterydiarrhoeaa

ndindigestion[57]

Sindicusfl

ower

extractshave

show

ntheb

road

spectrum

antib

acteria

lactivity

andthey

have

asig

nificantantifu

ngalandantip

rotozoalactiv

ity

Thefl

owersa

lsoconsist

ofneurolepticanx

iolytic

hepatoprotectiv

ehaem

olytichaemostatic

analgesic

andantia

rthritica

ctivities

Thefl

ower

headsa

refamou

sfor

their

neurop

rotectiveantia

mnesic

antihyperlip

idem

icandwou

ndhealingactiv

ities

Both

flowersa

ndthefl

ower

headsc

onsisto

fim

mun

ostim

ulatoryactiv

ity[58]

Sphaeranthanolidew

ithim

mun

ostim

ulantp

otentia

l

Eudesm

enolidetypeo

fsesquiterpeneg

lycosid

eand

sphaeranthanolide[57]

Spilanthesp

anicu

lata

Wall

Spilanthesa

cmella

Sinh

alaAkm

ella

TamilAkk

irakaram

Thep

lant

iscommon

upto

6000

feet

altitud

einSriL

anka

Thefl

ower

headso

fthisp

lant

arec

hewed

for

toothache[25]

Thefl

ower

ofSacmellaiskn

ownto

prod

ucelipase

inhibitio

nprop

ertie

sdiureticvasorelaxation

pancreaticprop

ertie

sand

antifun

galactivity

especiallyagainstA

spergillu

sparasiticusA

niger

Fusariu

mmoniliform

iand

Foxysporum

Itisfoun

dthatthee

xtractof

flower

headso

fthis

plantcon

tainsspilantho

lwhich

isactiv

eagainst

Plutellaxyloste

llaAc

cordingto

studies

thea

queous

extracto

fSpanicu

lata

flowersh

aspo

tent

diurectic

activ

ityTh

isactsas

aloo

pdiureticw

hich

increases

theu

rinaryNa+

andK+

levels[59]

Spilantho

l[60]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Stereospermum

suaveolen

s(Roxb)Bignonia

suaveolen

sRoxb

Sinh

alaPalol

TamillA

mbu

App

u

Thefl

ower

isused

totre

atmalariabronchitis

heartd

iseasescancerpu

rgativein

the

treatmento

fbleedingdiseasesdiarrho

eaof

the

pitta

type

anditisgood

forthe

throat

TheP

alolflo

wersa

realso

used

totre

athiccup

Th

esefl

owersa

remixed

with

honeyandgiven

orally[61]

Syzygium

arom

aticu

mEn

glish

Clove

Sinh

alaKa

rabu

-neti

TamilKa

ruvapp

u

Itallay

sthirstand

nausea

inchild

rensufferin

gfro

mwormsa

ndingestion

Along

with

other

ingredientsitcures

colicdise

ases

ofthec

hest

andthroatcou

ghhiccoug

hasthmadiarrhea

urinarydiseases

andremedyfora

rthritisa

ndrheumatism

[62]

Thefl

ower

buds

ofSarom

aticu

mhave

been

used

fortreatmento

fmales

exuald

isordersin

Ayurvedica

ndUnani

medicines

from

the

ancienttim

es[63]

They

consist

ofcarm

inativesto

machica

ndstimulant

activ

ity

Clovea

lsopo

ssessesa

ntise

pticantibacteria

lantifun

galantiv

iralantiemeticanti-infl

ammatory

cytotoxica

ndanestheticprop

ertie

sCloveo

ilisused

fortoo

thache

becauseo

fitsantib

iotic

andantiseptic

prop

ertie

s[63]

Volatile

oilcaryop

hyllin

eugenin

gumtannica

cidand

salicylicacidTh

emain

constituent

ofthev

olatile

oilof

clove

iseugeno

lItalso

contains

minor

amou

ntso

feugenol

acetate120573-cariofilenol

120572-hum

ulen120573

-pinenelim

onene

farnesolbenzaldehyde

2-heptanon

eand

ethylh

exanoate

[64]

Tabernaemontana

divaric

ataLinn

English

Crepe

jasm

inePinw

heelFlow

erSinh

alaWathu

sudd

a

Acommon

garden

plantinSriL

anka

Crepejasminefl

owersa

reused

totre

atcorneal

inflammationandop

hthalm

iaItisused

inUnani

medicinefor

the

managem

ento

fpain

Thefl

owerssoakedwater

issprin

kled

onsm

allpox

patie

nts

Inrecent

investigations

itisfoun

dou

tthatthese

flowersp

ossesses

Hippo

craticscreeningantia

nxiety

antic

onvulsa

ntantidiabetic

cytotoxicantifertility

anti-inflammatoryantio

xidantand

gastr

oprotectiv

eeffects

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

Tdivaric

atefl

owers

teste

don

Wistar

ratswith

chem

icallyindu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nshassho

wnthatitpo

ssessesg

astro

protectiv

eeffectsb

yenhancingthep

rodu

ctionof

the

gastric

mucosao

rpreventingits

depletionby

aggressiv

efactorsA

lsoitwas

foun

dou

tthatthese

extractsindu

cethea

ntioxidant

activ

ityin

chem

ically

indu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nin

rats

Aspido

spermatancoryn

anthean

ibogan

andplum

eran

sub-types

ofindo

lealkaloids[65]

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 3

Table1Medicinallyim

portanth

erbalfl

owersinSriL

anka

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

AbutilonindicumAbutilon

asiaticum

English

Cou

ntry

mallow

Sinh

alaAno

daTamilPerunu

tti

Dry

coun

tryof

Sri

Lank

a

Localapp

licationforthe

boils

andulcers[3]

Flow

ersa

reused

toincrease

thev

olum

eof

semen

inhu

man

beings

[4]

Ithase

mollient

prop

ertie

s[4]

AcaciaArabica

Sinh

alaBa

bbula

Along

thec

oastof

Sri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

ndpo

dsareu

sedas

astringent

indiarrhoeadysenteryspermatorrhoea

leucorrhoeaa

ndprem

aturee

jaculationin

the

form

ofpo

wder

ordecoction

Thisisused

externallyforw

ashing

bleeding

ulcersandwou

ndsa

ndin

redu

cing

body

temperatureearache

andas

aton

ic[5]

Ithasa

stringent

prop

ertie

s[5]

Stearic

acid

kaem

pferol-3-glucosid

eiso

quercetin

andleucocyanidin

[6]

Adhatoda

vasica

Sinh

alaPawattaAdh

atod

aTamil

Adadod

iKattumurun

gai

Dry

coun

tryof

Sri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

reregarded

asantiseptic

insecticidalandexpectorantused

totre

atcoug

hchronicb

ronchitis

andasthma

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

foro

phthalmia[78]

Flow

ersa

regivenas

aninfusio

nto

treatfever

andused

inthetreatmento

fgon

orrhea

jaun

dicerheum

atism

andabdo

minaltumou

r[9]Th

esea

realso

used

toim

proveb

lood

circulationandhecticheatof

bloo

d[10]

Flow

ersh

aveb

roncho

dilatorsedativ

eexpectorant

antiseptic

andantispasm

odicprop

ertie

s[11]

Ethylacetateextracto

fthese

flowersp

ossesses

significantantibacteria

land

antifun

galactivity

againstm

icroorganism

slike(Ba

cteria)S

almonella

typhiEscherich

iacoliEscherich

iafaecalis

Bcereus

and(fu

ngi)Ca

ndidalunataC

andida

albicans

[12]

Vasic

ine(Figure

1(a))ab

itter

quinazolinea

lkaloidand

chem

icalcompo

unds

such

astriterpenes

(a-amyrin)

flavono

ids(astragalin

kaem

pferolquercetin)alkanes

[9]a

nd21015840-4-dihydroxychalcone-

4-glucoside

[13]

Ascle

pias

curassa

vica

English

WestInd

ian

Ipecacuanh

aSinh

alaKa

nkum

bala

Com

mon

lyfoun

din

open

wasteplaces

particularlyalon

gthe

seac

oasts

ofSri

Lank

a

Thep

owderedflo

wersa

reused

fortreating

soresa

ndwou

nds[7]

4 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Bauh

iniavarie

gate

Sinh

alaKo

boleela

Drie

dbu

dsof

thisplantare

used

ford

ysentery

pileswormdiarrheaa

ndtumors

Thejuice

offlo

wer

isused

totre

atdiarrhea

dysenteryandotherstomachdisorders[14]

Flow

ersa

ndflo

wer

buds

have

laxativ

epropertiesa

ndfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ity[15]

Thefl

owersh

avec

hemop

reventiver

olea

gainst

712-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene

(DMBA

)-indu

ced

skin

carcinogenesisin

mice[14]

Thep

alew

hileflo

wersc

ontain

cynidin-3-glucoside

(Figure1(b))

malvidin-3-glucoside

(Figure1(c))

malvidin-3-diglucosidea

ndpeon

idin-3-glucosid

e(Figure1(d))and

peon

idin-3-diglucosid

eTh

ewhite

flowersc

ontain

kaem

pferol-3-galactosid

e(Figure1(g))and

kaem

pferol-3-rhamno

glucoside

[16]

Butea

frond

osamonosperm

aSinh

alaKe

la

Thefl

owersa

reuseful

inthetreatmento

fliver

disordersdiarrhealeprosyleucorrho

eagou

tandas

aton

ic[17]

Thefl

owersp

ossessantistre

ssdiureticastrin

gent

depu

rativ

eno

otropica

ctivities

andantifun

gal

activ

ityagainstH

elminthosporiu

msativ

um[17]

Triterpenesseveralflavono

ids

buteinbutinisobu

trin

coreop

sinisocoreop

sin(butin

7-glucoside)sulph

urein

mon

osperm

oside(bu

tein

3-e-D-glucosid

e)and

isomon

osperm

osidechalcones

auronesiso

butyinepalasitrin

3101584041015840 7-tr

ihydroxy

flavone

Myricylalcoho

lste

aricacid

palm

itica

cidarachidica

cid

ligno

ceric

acidglucosefructose

histidineasparticacidalanine

andph

enylalanine[18]

Boerhaaviadiffu

saSinh

alaPitasudu

sarana

Thefl

owersa

ndseedsa

reused

ascontraceptives

inayurvedicm

edicine[19]

Flow

ersh

aved

iuretic

andanti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[19

]

Ceibapentandra

English

Silk

cotto

nSinh

alaIm

bulP

ulun

gTamilIla

vam

Karukk

anam

Very

common

plant

inthelow

coun

try

They

aren

early

always

plantedas

fencep

ots

alon

gbo

undarie

sin

SriL

anka

Thee

thanolicextracto

fthe

bark

andflo

wer

isgivenforthree

days

totre

atsexu

aldiseases

like

leucorrhoeagono

rrho

eaandto

regulate

menstr

ualabn

ormalities

inwo

men

Thesea

reused

asan

astringent

andareu

sedfor

thetreatmento

fskintro

ublesspleno

megaly

andhaem

orrhoidsTh

eyareg

iven

with

seeds

ofPa

paversom

nifer

umsug

arand

milk

tocure

piles

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

possesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactivity

Thesea

lsopo

ssessa

ntioxidant

andantip

roliferative

activ

ityagainsth

uman

severalcancerc

elllines

120573-d-glucosid

eof120573

-sito

sterol

free120573

-sito

sterolhentria

contane

hentria

contanoltraceso

fessentialoilkaem

pferoland

quercetin

[20]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 5Ta

ble1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Chrysanthemum

indicum

Sinh

alaKa

puru

Thesefl

owersa

reused

totre

atsto

matitis

burningsensationsurin

arydischargesgleet

lumbagoinob

structivea

ffections

oftheb

rain

andcalculus

andto

removed

epressionsta

tes

Ithasb

eenused

inconjun

ctionwith

black

pepp

erforg

onorrhea

Flow

erheadsinfusionissaid

tobe

frequ

ently

appliedas

collyriu

min

eyea

ffectionsA

lsoadministered

forsoree

yesa

ndforthe

internal

orexternalabdo

minalinflammations

Thefl

owersa

reappliedon

thes

kinto

treat

leprosy[5]

Italso

used

asah

eat-c

learinganddetoxifying

herb

[21]

Thefl

owersh

avea

ntibacteria

lantio

xidant

andanti-inflammatoryprop

ertie

s[21]

Them

ainvolatile

oilspresentin

thefl

owersa

re266-trim

ethyl

bicycle[311]hept-2

-en-4-oland

2-(24-hexadiynylid

ene)-16-

dioxaspiro[44]non

-3-ene

germ

acrene

Da-neoclo

vene

eucalyptola-pinene

14-bis(1-m

ethylethyl)-benzene

asesqu

iphelland

rene

long

ipinanea

nd711-dimethyl-3

-methylene-1610

-dod

ecatrie

ne

Flavon

oids

area

lsopresentie

quercitrinm

yricetin

luteolin-7-glucosid

eVitexinand

apigenin

arethe

leastabu

ndant

flavono

idsinthep

lant

[22]

New

sesquiterpenoids

identifi

edare

7-epi-e

udesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-

11205733120573-diol(Figure

1(h))a

nd7-epi-

1120573-hydroxy-120573-eud

esmol

(Figure1(i))inthee

thanolic

extracto

fthe

flower

[21]

Cochlospermum

gossy

pium

English

Goldensilkcotto

nSinh

alaKinihiriy

a

Thep

owderedflo

wer

isgivento

child

renin

emptysto

machto

improveimmun

ityand

mem

orypo

wer

inchild

ren

Thefl

owersc

onsis

tofstim

ulantp

roperties[23]

Cymbopogonjwarancusa

English

Lem

ongrass

Sinh

alaSera

Thep

asteof

root

andflo

wer

buds

iseffectiv

ein

dissolving

theh

ardinflammations

inthe

internalorgansO

ilof

thefl

ower

budisag

ood

embrocation

also

useful

inmou

thgarglesto

strengthentheg

umsAlso

effectiv

easa

digestiveton

icandto

stopdiarrhoea[

24]

Eclipta

prostra

taEn

glish

False

daisy

Sinh

alaKikirin

diTamilKa

ikeshi

Adecoctionof

thefl

ower

tops

andleaves

isgivenforh

epatitis[25]

Flow

ersa

reused

forthe

treatmento

furin

ary

prob

lemsjaun

diceasthm

aand

coug

hs[26]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flower

hassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstPvulgarisSaureus

andSsaprophyticus

[26]

Hibiscus

rose-sinensis

English

Sho

eflow

erSinh

ala

Wadam

alSapaththu

mal

TamilAratta

m

Thesea

recommon

lycultivatedin

the

gardensItgrow

swell

anyw

here

from

the

seac

oastto

theh

illcoun

tryandin

the

dryzone

inSriL

anka

Shoe

flowersa

reused

asan

expectorantfor

bron

chitisparalysisdysmenorrhea

andcoug

hFlow

ersa

reeatenwith

papaya

seedstocause

abortio

nTh

esho

eflow

erleaves

andyoun

gflo

wer

buds

areu

sedas

apou

ltice

onbo

ilsand

swellin

gs

Thefl

owersp

ossessanti-spermatogenicand

rogenic

anti-tumou

ranti-diabeticandantic

onvulsa

ntactiv

ities

Smallamou

ntof

hibiscetin

[27]

6 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Hibiscus

tiliaceus

Sinh

alaBe

li-patta

TamilNir-paratth

i

Very

common

inthe

lowcoun

tryof

Sri

Lank

a

Flow

ersa

rebo

iledin

milk

totre

atearache[27]

Thes

limysapof

theb

arkbranches

andflo

wer

buds

areu

sedas

amild

laxativ

eora

salubricant

inchild

birthor

labo

rpains

andrubb

edon

stomachandto

treatbron

chitisTh

eaqu

eous

extracto

fwoo

dandfre

shflo

werso

fthisp

lant

isused

asatreatmentfor

skin

diseases

[28]

Thefl

owersc

onsisto

femollient

prop

ertie

sand

anti-depressant

likea

ctivity

[27]

Them

ethano

lextractconsistso

fstigmasterolstigm

astadienoland

stigmastadienon

e[29]

Horsfield

iairy

aghedhi

Sinh

alaRu

k

Oftenfoun

din

the

low-cou

ntry

upto

1000

feetaltitud

e

Thefl

owersa

reused

totre

atdysentery

hiccou

ghandwastin

gdiseases

[27]

Impatiens

balsa

mina

English

Jew

elweed

Sinh

alaKu

udalu

Grownas

agarden

plantcom

mon

lyin

SriL

anka

Flow

ersa

reappliedforb

urnsscaldslumbago

andintercostaln

euralgia[30]

Thefl

owersa

rehaving

coolingdemulcent

andtonic

effectanti-anaphylacticandanti-hypo

tensive

prop

ertie

sTh

ealcoh

olicextracto

fflow

ersh

asantib

iotic

activ

ityagainstFructicolaandotherp

atho

genicfun

giand

bacteriaandthem

ethano

licextracto

fthe

flowers

hasa

nti-tum

ourp

romotingactiv

ityperipheraland

centralanti-n

ociceptiv

eactivity

[3132]

Itwas

foun

dthatthee

ffectsw

erer

apid

andlong

lastingandthesee

ffectsw

erem

ediatedby

the

inhibitio

nof

opioid

receptorsa

ndperip

heral

inflammatorymediatorslik

ecyclooxygenase2

[33]

Thek

amph

erolandqu

ercetin

possessesa

ntibacteria

lactiv

ityagainstP

ropionibacteriu

macnes[34]

Also

the

isolatedkamph

erolhassho

wnmushroo

mtyrosin

aseinh

ibito

ryactiv

itywhich

proves

the

fairn

essa

ctivity

ofthefl

ower

extract[32]

Flavanolkam

pherolquercetin

myricetin

[35]pheno

liccompo

undsimpatie

nolate

balsa

minolatelaw

sone

methyl

etherkaem

pferol3-rutin

oside

2-hydroxy14-naphtho

quinon

ep-coum

aricandferulic

acids

[33]

Ipom

oeaaquatic

English

Water

spinach

Sinh

alaKa

ngkong

TamilKa

laka

Very

common

inshallowwater

and

moistplaces

inthe

dryregion

ofSri

Lank

a

Theb

udisappliedto

treatrin

gworm

infections

[25]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Ixoracoccinea

Sinh

alaRa

tmal

TamilVe

dchi

Thefl

owersa

refriedin

melted

butte

rrubb

eddo

wnwith

alittlecumin

andnagakesara

and

madeintoab

olus

with

sugarc

andyTh

ispreparationisused

asar

emedyford

ysentery

[3]Also

the

flowersa

refamou

sfor

itsuseto

treatcatarrhalbronchitisdysmenorrhea

hemop

tysis

andleucorrhoeainAy

urvedic

medicine[32]

Thea

queous

flower

extractshave

also

show

nanti-diarrhoealactiv

ityagainsta

casto

roilindu

ced

diarrhoeam

odelin

ratsandalcoho

licextracth

asshow

nwou

ndhealingactiv

ityin

dead

spacew

ound

mod

elin

rats[36]Th

emethano

licextractw

asrepo

rted

topo

ssessthe

analgesic

anti-infl

ammatory

antiu

lcerfairness[37]a

ndbroad-spectrum

anti-microbialactiv

ity[38]A

ntitu

mou

ractivity

ofI

coccinea

flowersw

asstu

died

onDaltonslym

phom

a(ascitica

ndsolid

tumou

rs)a

ndEh

rlich

Ascites

Carcinom

a(EA

C)tumou

rsin

micea

nditwas

repo

rted

thatthereisa

significantantitu

mou

ractiv

ityin

thefl

ower

extracts

Also

chem

oprotective

effecto

fflow

erse

xtractsh

asshow

nas

ignificant

effecto

ncisplatin

indu

cedtoxicityin

mice[37]

Essentialoilextractedfro

mthe

flowersc

ontainstriterpenes

mon

oterpenessesquiterpenes

andan

esterTh

econ

stituentsof

triterpenes

detected

areu

rsolic

acidoleanolicandlupeolwhile

geranylacetateisdetected

asthe

major

mon

oterpeneFurther

analysisof

them

ethano

licflo

wer

extracth

asrevealed

thep

resence

ofbiochinAm

yricetin

quercetin

rutindiadzeinand

form

onon

etin

compo

unds

[37]

Ixoraparviflora

English

Toreb

tree

Sinh

alaMahar

atam

bala

TamilKa

rank

utti

Thefl

owersp

ound

edin

milk

areg

iven

inwho

opingcoug

h[3]

Laws

oniaalba

English

Henna

Sinh

alaMarith

ondii

TamilMarito

ndi

Aninfusio

nof

flowe

rsof

thisplantissaidto

beag

oodapplicationto

bruises[3]D

ecoctio

nof

thefl

owersisu

sedas

anem

menagogue

[39]

Essentialoil(002)richin

iono

nes(90

)120572

-iono

nes

(Figure1(e))and120573-io

nones

(Figure1(f))in

which120573-io

nones

predom

inated

[39]

Mesua

ferrea

English

Ironwoo

dtre

eSinh

alaNa

TamilNagacuram

Thep

asteof

flowersisa

ppliedto

bleeding

piles

andforb

urning

ofthefeetasa

paste

madew

ithbu

ttera

ndsugarAlso

theyareu

sedagainst

snakea

ndscorpion

sting

[40]A

syrupof

the

flower

buds

isgivenin

treatmento

fdysentery

[3]Adecoctionof

2-3flo

wersw

ithsugar

cand

yisgiventwicea

dayfortosto

pbloo

dysto

olTh

eflow

erbu

dsareu

sedto

treatsore

throatcou

ghandasthma[

40]

Methano

licextracto

fthe

flower

consistso

fantio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivity

and

methano

licanddichloromethane

extracto

fthe

flower

hassho

wnantim

icrobialactiv

ityagainst

MicrococcusluteusE

coilCa

ndidaalbicans

and

Aspergillus

niger

Thefl

owersh

aves

tomachicexpectorantand

astringent

prop

ertie

s[40

]

120572-cop

aene

(Figure1(j))a

ndgerm

acrene

Dcompo

unds

[40]

8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineTa

ble1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Magnolia

fuscata

Sinh

alaMadana-kama

TamM

adanakam

-poo

Thisplantis

cultivatedbo

thin

the

hillcoun

tryandmid

coun

tryof

SriL

anka

Thes

eeds

andflo

werso

fthisp

lant

areu

sedfor

makingpreparations

forstre

ngtheningsexu

alvirility

[27]

Meliaazedarach

English

Beadtre

eIndian

Lilac

Sinh

alaMahanim

baTamilMalaivenb

u

Apaste

offlo

wersisa

ppliedon

theh

eadto

destroylicea

ndfore

ruptions

ofthes

calpTh

eflo

wersa

ndleaves

area

ppliedas

apou

ltice

torelieve

nervou

sheadaches

Theo

ilof

thefl

ower

contains

sulphu

rand

inorganicc

ombinatio

nandisuseful

fora

llcutaneou

sailm

entsandrheumatism

The

flowersa

realso

used

totre

atceph

alalgia

gastropathyverm

inosis

strangury

dysm

enorrhoeaa

ndfever

Accordingto

thes

tudiesthe

methano

licextracto

fMazedarach

flowersa

lsoshow

spotentantibacteria

lactiv

ity

Thefl

owersh

avea

stringentrefrig

erantanod

yne

stomachicverm

ifugediuretic

abo

rtifa

cient

deob

struentand

alexipharm

icactiv

ities

[41]

Nelumbo

nucifera

English

Chinese

water

lilySacred

lotus

Sinh

alaNelu

mTamilAmbal

Com

mon

inthetanks

ofdryzone

ofSri

Lank

a

Thes

tamenso

fthe

flowersa

reused

bleeding

pilesa

nddebilityandweakn

essinchild

ren

Thefl

owersw

ithstam

ensa

ndJuiceo

fflow

erstalkareu

sedford

iarrho

eacho

lerafevers

liver

complaintsandas

acardiac

tonic

Thefl

ower

ismadeintosyrupandgivenfor

coug

hsdysentery

andto

checkhaem

orrhages

from

bleeding

pilesTh

egroun

dpetalsare

administered

forsyphilis

inMalayaTh

emilk

yjuiceo

fthe

leaves

andflo

wer

stalkisgivenfor

diarrhoeaIn

Chinaa

ndMalayathe

dried

petalsandsta

men

ofthep

inkflo

wer

varie

tyare

used

asac

osmeticto

improvethe

complexion

Also

the

flowersa

reused

ascoolingand

astringent

agents

Thefl

ower

beveragesa

reused

totre

atcancerw

eakn

essa

ndbo

dyheat

balanceStam

ensa

reused

totre

atconsolidationof

kidn

eyfunctio

naphrod

isiac

males

exuald

isordersa

ndfemaleleucorrhea

Poun

dedpetalsof

thefl

owersa

reused

for

syph

ilisFlow

ersta

lkareu

sedto

treatuterine

bleeding

andflo

wer

receptaclestosto

pbleeding

andto

elim

inates

tagn

ated

bloo

dFlow

ersa

ndrhizom

esared

emulcent

astringentm

ildsedativ

espasmolytic

antiseptic

usedin

infusio

ninternallyfor

chronicd

iarrheaas

adou

chefor

leucorrhea

andvaginitis

asag

arglefor

sore

throatalso

giveninternallyforp

rosta

teprob

lems[42]

Thefl

ower

stalksa

reused

totre

atexcessive

menstr

uatio

nbleeding

gastr

iculcersand

postp

artum

haem

orrhageTh

elotus

honeyis

used

inthetreatmento

feye

infections

[43]

Flow

ersd

emon

strateh

ypoglycemicantipyretic

antid

iabetic

antioxidant

andfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ityantim

icrobialactiv

ityvasod

ilatin

geffects

antih

ypertensivea

ndantia

rrhythmicabilitie

sFlow

ersa

reric

hin

aldo

seredu

ctaseinh

ibito

ryactiv

ityantiplateletactivity

andaphrod

isiac

activ

itytoo[41]

Nornu

ciferin

eN-m

ethylasim

ilobine

N-m

ethylco

claurin

eiso

quercitrin

(hirsutrin

)dehydroemerineliriodenine

quercetin

dehydronu

ciferin

elirinidinedemethylcoclaurine

asim

ilobineluteolin

glucoside

andlin

aloo

l[44

]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Neriu

moleand

erSinh

alaKa

neru

TamilKa

naweeram

Thisplantis

cultivatedas

agarden

plantm

ostly

inNorth

Centralprovince

ofSriL

anka

Thee

thanolicextracto

fthese

flowersh

asshow

na

significantantioxidant

activ

ityandantim

icrobial

activ

ityagainstB

acillus

subtilisStaphylococcus

aureusE

scheric

hiacoliSalm

onellaandPseudomonas

aeruginosa

andantifun

galactivity

againstA

spergillu

snigerA

flavusA

fumigatesandRh

izopus

species

[45]Th

edichlorom

ethane

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

ntheh

ighestcytotoxica

ctivity

againstT

47D

HepG-2

andK5

62celllin

es[46]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidstannins

sapo

ninscarbo

hydrates

and

phenols

Nymphaeaste

llate

English

Water

lily

Sinh

alaNilmanel

Thefl

owersa

reused

asan

astringentcardiac

tonica

ndfebrifu

geFilamentsareg

radedas

useful

inbu

rningsensations

oftheb

odysin

cethey

possessc

oolin

gandastringent

prop

ertie

sTh

esea

reused

totre

atbleeding

pilesa

ndmenorrhagiaandconstitutea

ningredient

ofcoolingmedicines

forc

utaneous

ailm

ents

Carefully

driedfragrant

stam

ensa

ctas

diuretic

andareu

sedforfl

avou

ringteaHelp

fulin

relieving

dryn

essinthec

hest

Smellin

gthe

flowersisb

eneficialforp

ersons

with

warm

temperament[5]

Ithasa

strin

gentdiuretic

andfebrifu

geprop

ertie

sNstellateWild

flowersp

ossessgastro

protectiv

eactio

nby

thes

uppressio

nof

pro-inflammatory

cytokinesa

ndfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ities

Ithasa

nti-a

poptoticeffectagainstethano

l-ind

uced

ulceratio

nTh

estudy

suggeststhatthee

xtractof

N

stellateflo

wersh

asantio

xidantanti-infl

ammatory

andanti-apop

totic

prop

ertie

s[47]

10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Punica

granatum

English

Pom

egranate

Sinh

alaDelu

m

Pomegranatewith

durvar

ootjuice

isgivento

stopbleeding

from

then

oseTh

erindof

the

fruitand

flowersc

ombinedwith

arom

atics

(clovecinnamon

etc)

asastringent

insuch

bowelaffectio

nno

taccom

panied

with

tenesm

us

Sour

pomegranateFlower

buds

bruisedare

givento

relieve

fevercoug

handbron

chitisTh

ejuiceise

ffectiveinredu

cing

burningsensation

inthec

hestandlesseningtheb

lood

heat

Itisantib

iliou

ssto

psnausea

andvomiting

increasesfrequ

ency

ofurinea

nditrsquos

more

pron

ounced

than

ofthes

weetvarie

tyFlowe

rsdriedandpo

wderedused

astoothpo

wder

strengthens

theg

umsa

ndactsas

haem

ostatic

forb

leedinggums

Fevera

ccom

panied

byvomiting

anddiarrhoea

isrelievedfollo

wingits

useAlso

beneficialin

jaun

dice

duetoheatTh

eflow

erof

thisplantis

also

used

asar

emedyford

iabetesdiarrhea

andvaginald

ischargeinUnani

andAy

urvedic

medicineAlso

itisu

sedforthe

treatmento

finjurie

sfrom

falls

andgrey

hairof

youn

gmen

[5]

Thea

lcoh

olicextracto

fpom

egranateflo

wers

possessesa

potent

freer

adicalscavenging

antio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivities

Accordingto

thisstu

dythea

lcoh

olicextractcon

tains

ahugea

mou

ntof

polyph

enolicsa

ndthee

xtractis

capableo

fprotectingagainsto

xidativ

edam

ageto

lipidsa

ndproteins

andalso

ofincreasin

gmaintaining

thelevels

ofantio

xidant

molecules

andenzymes

invivo

[48]

Nasiri

etal2015comparedthee

fficacy

ofpo

megranateflo

wer

extractw

iththatof

creams

containing

standard

1silversulfadiazine(SSD)

base

cream

andno

rmalsalin

efor

treatingthermal

burn

injurie

sinrats

Ther

esultshave

show

nthat

creamsc

ontainingtheP

granatum

flower

extract

have

remarkablyim

proved

theh

ealin

gof

burn

wou

ndsc

omparedwith

creamsS

SD[49]

Ethano

lextractof

pomegranate

flowersc

ontainsthe

compo

unds

ellagica

cid

33101584041015840 -tri-

O-m

ethylellagica

cid

ethylbrevifolin

carboxylate

urolicacidsmaslin

icacidsa

nddaucosterolAlso

thetwo

flavonesluteolin

andtricetin

werefou

ndin

amethano

licextracto

fpo

megranateflo

wers[50]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Rosa

damascene

Mill

English

Rose

Sinh

alaRo

sa

Rose

buds

arem

orea

stringent

than

thefull

blow

nflo

wersa

ndconsidered

cold

anddry

ceph

aliccardicalton

icandaperientrem

oving

bilio

usnessB

udsa

reconsidered

asastringent

aperientcardiacalcephalic

tonicremoving

bileandcold

humou

rsTh

erosefl

ower

isregarded

asrefrigeranttonifyingforthe

vital

organsstomachandintestineshasc

ompo

und

actio

nof

causingmild

purgationas

wellas

astringencyles

sens

theh

eatd

ueto

bilio

usness

givesfragrance

isperspiratio

nandredu

cesits

excessivee

xcretio

nEx

ternallyappliedgives

relieftowarm

inflammations

andassociated

painTh

eaqu

adistillateisu

sefulinirr

itated

affectio

nsof

eyes

Flow

ersh

elpin

curin

gbu

rningsensationsbud

odou

rfrom

mou

thfor

improvingappetite

relieving

headachetoo

thache

(asg

argles)

stomatitisbeneficially

used

inabno

rmal

functio

ning

ofkidn

eysliverchron

icfevers

inflammations

andintestinalaffectio

ns

Rose

oilisu

sedas

flavorin

gagentsto

maskthe

taste

ofmanyob

noxiou

spreparatio

nsA

conserve

ofrose

petalswith

othern

utritional

ingredientsh

asmild

laxativ

eaction

Itisuseful

toim

provea

ppetitesorethroatenlarged

tonsils

andsometim

esto

relieve

common

urogenitialdisordersa

ndurtic

arial

Thefl

owersh

avec

oolin

gmild

laxativ

eaphrod

isiac

antip

yreticcardioton

icandastringent

prop

ertie

s

Volatile

oilcon

tainsg

eraniol

citro

nello

leugeno

lTh

epetals

containvitamin

Cqu

ercitrin

quercitann

icacidgallic

acid

carotenenandredcolouring

matter[5]

Saraca

indica

Linn

Sinh

alaAs

oka

TamilAs

ogam

Asokap

lant

grow

swellinareaslike

Anu

radh

apura

Polonn

aruw

aBinthann

eaand

Mahiyanganaya

etc

Thejuice

offlo

werso

rsyrup

isuseful

cardiotonica

swellasb

rain

tonica

ndrelieves

dysentery[51]

Flow

ersa

realso

helpfulintre

atingdiabetes

haem

orrhoids

andforthe

treatmento

futerin

edisordersinfemales

[52]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

nantiu

lcer

activ

ityA

lsothefl

ower

extractshasa

lsoshow

n50cytotoxica

ctivity

againstD

altons

lymph

omaa

scitesa

ndSarcom

a-180tumou

rcells

with

outany

cytotoxica

ctivity

againsth

uman

norm

allymph

ocytes

[53]

Thes

tudies

have

show

nthatthefl

ower

areu

sedto

redu

ceskin

tumou

rsindu

cedby

712-dim

ethyl

benzanthracenetorejuvenateskin

complexion

toindu

cequ

ickhealingof

skin

injurie

sandto

redu

cefre

cklesa

ndexternalinflammations

ofthes

kinsin

cethee

xtractsc

ontain

flavono

ids[54]

Oleiclinoleicpalm

itica

ndste

aricacidsP-sitosterol

quercetin

kaem

pferol-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

equ

ercetin

-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

eapigenin-7-0-p-D

-glucosid

epelargon

idin-35diglucoside

cyanidin-35-diglucosid

epalm

iticste

ariclinolenic

linoleicleucocyanidinandgallic

acid

[54]

12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Sesbaniagrandiflora

Sinh

alaKa

turu

murum

ga

Thisisac

ommon

tree

which

canbe

foun

din

theb

ackyard

ofmost

oftheS

riLank

anho

mes

Sgrandiflora

flowersp

ossessanti-canceranalgesicandantip

yretic

activ

ities

[55]

Thep

heno

licextracto

fSgrand

iflorahassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstStaphylo

coccus

aureus

Shigellaflexneri2aSalm

onellaTyphiEscherich

iacoli

andVibriocholera

Also

ith

asshow

ntheg

rowth

prom

otingeffecto

nthec

ommon

prob

iotic

bacterium

Lactobacillus

acidophilus[56]

Sida

veronicaefo

liaSinh

alaBe

vila

TamilPalampasi

Acommon

plantin

thew

astegrou

ndof

low-cou

ntry

inSri

Lank

aespecially

inareaslikeB

attic

alo

Haragam

aetc

Paleyello

wsm

allfl

owersa

ndun

ripefruits

are

givenwith

sugarindecoctionforb

urning

sensationin

micturition[27]

Sphaeranthus

hirtusin

dicus

L English

Globe

flowerEast

Indian

glob

ethistle

Sinh

alaMud

amahana

Thesep

lantsa

regrow

nin

ther

icefi

eldin

SriL

ankaItis

common

inmoist

places

especially

padd

yfield

inthelow

coun

trylik

eKu

runagala

Theleafflo

wer

andseedso

fthisp

lant

are

grou

ndinto

apasteandappliedtopically

totre

atskin

diseases

especiallyin

itching

sskin

erup

tionseczem

aspsoria

sisvitiligoandpiles

Also

itisu

sedto

treatwe

akheartpalpitatio

ns

jointd

iseasesliver

diseases

especiallyjaun

dice

andin

chronicc

ough

Flowersa

reuseful

inprom

otingeyesight

andin

thetreatmento

fdiabetes

Flow

ersa

rehigh

lyesteem

edas

analternative

refrigeranttonicbloo

dpu

rifier

andin

the

treatmento

fcon

junctiv

itis

Flow

erpaste

isgivenin

emptysto

machto

cure

dysenterydiarrhoeaa

ndindigestion[57]

Sindicusfl

ower

extractshave

show

ntheb

road

spectrum

antib

acteria

lactivity

andthey

have

asig

nificantantifu

ngalandantip

rotozoalactiv

ity

Thefl

owersa

lsoconsist

ofneurolepticanx

iolytic

hepatoprotectiv

ehaem

olytichaemostatic

analgesic

andantia

rthritica

ctivities

Thefl

ower

headsa

refamou

sfor

their

neurop

rotectiveantia

mnesic

antihyperlip

idem

icandwou

ndhealingactiv

ities

Both

flowersa

ndthefl

ower

headsc

onsisto

fim

mun

ostim

ulatoryactiv

ity[58]

Sphaeranthanolidew

ithim

mun

ostim

ulantp

otentia

l

Eudesm

enolidetypeo

fsesquiterpeneg

lycosid

eand

sphaeranthanolide[57]

Spilanthesp

anicu

lata

Wall

Spilanthesa

cmella

Sinh

alaAkm

ella

TamilAkk

irakaram

Thep

lant

iscommon

upto

6000

feet

altitud

einSriL

anka

Thefl

ower

headso

fthisp

lant

arec

hewed

for

toothache[25]

Thefl

ower

ofSacmellaiskn

ownto

prod

ucelipase

inhibitio

nprop

ertie

sdiureticvasorelaxation

pancreaticprop

ertie

sand

antifun

galactivity

especiallyagainstA

spergillu

sparasiticusA

niger

Fusariu

mmoniliform

iand

Foxysporum

Itisfoun

dthatthee

xtractof

flower

headso

fthis

plantcon

tainsspilantho

lwhich

isactiv

eagainst

Plutellaxyloste

llaAc

cordingto

studies

thea

queous

extracto

fSpanicu

lata

flowersh

aspo

tent

diurectic

activ

ityTh

isactsas

aloo

pdiureticw

hich

increases

theu

rinaryNa+

andK+

levels[59]

Spilantho

l[60]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Stereospermum

suaveolen

s(Roxb)Bignonia

suaveolen

sRoxb

Sinh

alaPalol

TamillA

mbu

App

u

Thefl

ower

isused

totre

atmalariabronchitis

heartd

iseasescancerpu

rgativein

the

treatmento

fbleedingdiseasesdiarrho

eaof

the

pitta

type

anditisgood

forthe

throat

TheP

alolflo

wersa

realso

used

totre

athiccup

Th

esefl

owersa

remixed

with

honeyandgiven

orally[61]

Syzygium

arom

aticu

mEn

glish

Clove

Sinh

alaKa

rabu

-neti

TamilKa

ruvapp

u

Itallay

sthirstand

nausea

inchild

rensufferin

gfro

mwormsa

ndingestion

Along

with

other

ingredientsitcures

colicdise

ases

ofthec

hest

andthroatcou

ghhiccoug

hasthmadiarrhea

urinarydiseases

andremedyfora

rthritisa

ndrheumatism

[62]

Thefl

ower

buds

ofSarom

aticu

mhave

been

used

fortreatmento

fmales

exuald

isordersin

Ayurvedica

ndUnani

medicines

from

the

ancienttim

es[63]

They

consist

ofcarm

inativesto

machica

ndstimulant

activ

ity

Clovea

lsopo

ssessesa

ntise

pticantibacteria

lantifun

galantiv

iralantiemeticanti-infl

ammatory

cytotoxica

ndanestheticprop

ertie

sCloveo

ilisused

fortoo

thache

becauseo

fitsantib

iotic

andantiseptic

prop

ertie

s[63]

Volatile

oilcaryop

hyllin

eugenin

gumtannica

cidand

salicylicacidTh

emain

constituent

ofthev

olatile

oilof

clove

iseugeno

lItalso

contains

minor

amou

ntso

feugenol

acetate120573-cariofilenol

120572-hum

ulen120573

-pinenelim

onene

farnesolbenzaldehyde

2-heptanon

eand

ethylh

exanoate

[64]

Tabernaemontana

divaric

ataLinn

English

Crepe

jasm

inePinw

heelFlow

erSinh

alaWathu

sudd

a

Acommon

garden

plantinSriL

anka

Crepejasminefl

owersa

reused

totre

atcorneal

inflammationandop

hthalm

iaItisused

inUnani

medicinefor

the

managem

ento

fpain

Thefl

owerssoakedwater

issprin

kled

onsm

allpox

patie

nts

Inrecent

investigations

itisfoun

dou

tthatthese

flowersp

ossesses

Hippo

craticscreeningantia

nxiety

antic

onvulsa

ntantidiabetic

cytotoxicantifertility

anti-inflammatoryantio

xidantand

gastr

oprotectiv

eeffects

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

Tdivaric

atefl

owers

teste

don

Wistar

ratswith

chem

icallyindu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nshassho

wnthatitpo

ssessesg

astro

protectiv

eeffectsb

yenhancingthep

rodu

ctionof

the

gastric

mucosao

rpreventingits

depletionby

aggressiv

efactorsA

lsoitwas

foun

dou

tthatthese

extractsindu

cethea

ntioxidant

activ

ityin

chem

ically

indu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nin

rats

Aspido

spermatancoryn

anthean

ibogan

andplum

eran

sub-types

ofindo

lealkaloids[65]

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

4 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Bauh

iniavarie

gate

Sinh

alaKo

boleela

Drie

dbu

dsof

thisplantare

used

ford

ysentery

pileswormdiarrheaa

ndtumors

Thejuice

offlo

wer

isused

totre

atdiarrhea

dysenteryandotherstomachdisorders[14]

Flow

ersa

ndflo

wer

buds

have

laxativ

epropertiesa

ndfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ity[15]

Thefl

owersh

avec

hemop

reventiver

olea

gainst

712-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene

(DMBA

)-indu

ced

skin

carcinogenesisin

mice[14]

Thep

alew

hileflo

wersc

ontain

cynidin-3-glucoside

(Figure1(b))

malvidin-3-glucoside

(Figure1(c))

malvidin-3-diglucosidea

ndpeon

idin-3-glucosid

e(Figure1(d))and

peon

idin-3-diglucosid

eTh

ewhite

flowersc

ontain

kaem

pferol-3-galactosid

e(Figure1(g))and

kaem

pferol-3-rhamno

glucoside

[16]

Butea

frond

osamonosperm

aSinh

alaKe

la

Thefl

owersa

reuseful

inthetreatmento

fliver

disordersdiarrhealeprosyleucorrho

eagou

tandas

aton

ic[17]

Thefl

owersp

ossessantistre

ssdiureticastrin

gent

depu

rativ

eno

otropica

ctivities

andantifun

gal

activ

ityagainstH

elminthosporiu

msativ

um[17]

Triterpenesseveralflavono

ids

buteinbutinisobu

trin

coreop

sinisocoreop

sin(butin

7-glucoside)sulph

urein

mon

osperm

oside(bu

tein

3-e-D-glucosid

e)and

isomon

osperm

osidechalcones

auronesiso

butyinepalasitrin

3101584041015840 7-tr

ihydroxy

flavone

Myricylalcoho

lste

aricacid

palm

itica

cidarachidica

cid

ligno

ceric

acidglucosefructose

histidineasparticacidalanine

andph

enylalanine[18]

Boerhaaviadiffu

saSinh

alaPitasudu

sarana

Thefl

owersa

ndseedsa

reused

ascontraceptives

inayurvedicm

edicine[19]

Flow

ersh

aved

iuretic

andanti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[19

]

Ceibapentandra

English

Silk

cotto

nSinh

alaIm

bulP

ulun

gTamilIla

vam

Karukk

anam

Very

common

plant

inthelow

coun

try

They

aren

early

always

plantedas

fencep

ots

alon

gbo

undarie

sin

SriL

anka

Thee

thanolicextracto

fthe

bark

andflo

wer

isgivenforthree

days

totre

atsexu

aldiseases

like

leucorrhoeagono

rrho

eaandto

regulate

menstr

ualabn

ormalities

inwo

men

Thesea

reused

asan

astringent

andareu

sedfor

thetreatmento

fskintro

ublesspleno

megaly

andhaem

orrhoidsTh

eyareg

iven

with

seeds

ofPa

paversom

nifer

umsug

arand

milk

tocure

piles

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

possesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactivity

Thesea

lsopo

ssessa

ntioxidant

andantip

roliferative

activ

ityagainsth

uman

severalcancerc

elllines

120573-d-glucosid

eof120573

-sito

sterol

free120573

-sito

sterolhentria

contane

hentria

contanoltraceso

fessentialoilkaem

pferoland

quercetin

[20]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 5Ta

ble1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Chrysanthemum

indicum

Sinh

alaKa

puru

Thesefl

owersa

reused

totre

atsto

matitis

burningsensationsurin

arydischargesgleet

lumbagoinob

structivea

ffections

oftheb

rain

andcalculus

andto

removed

epressionsta

tes

Ithasb

eenused

inconjun

ctionwith

black

pepp

erforg

onorrhea

Flow

erheadsinfusionissaid

tobe

frequ

ently

appliedas

collyriu

min

eyea

ffectionsA

lsoadministered

forsoree

yesa

ndforthe

internal

orexternalabdo

minalinflammations

Thefl

owersa

reappliedon

thes

kinto

treat

leprosy[5]

Italso

used

asah

eat-c

learinganddetoxifying

herb

[21]

Thefl

owersh

avea

ntibacteria

lantio

xidant

andanti-inflammatoryprop

ertie

s[21]

Them

ainvolatile

oilspresentin

thefl

owersa

re266-trim

ethyl

bicycle[311]hept-2

-en-4-oland

2-(24-hexadiynylid

ene)-16-

dioxaspiro[44]non

-3-ene

germ

acrene

Da-neoclo

vene

eucalyptola-pinene

14-bis(1-m

ethylethyl)-benzene

asesqu

iphelland

rene

long

ipinanea

nd711-dimethyl-3

-methylene-1610

-dod

ecatrie

ne

Flavon

oids

area

lsopresentie

quercitrinm

yricetin

luteolin-7-glucosid

eVitexinand

apigenin

arethe

leastabu

ndant

flavono

idsinthep

lant

[22]

New

sesquiterpenoids

identifi

edare

7-epi-e

udesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-

11205733120573-diol(Figure

1(h))a

nd7-epi-

1120573-hydroxy-120573-eud

esmol

(Figure1(i))inthee

thanolic

extracto

fthe

flower

[21]

Cochlospermum

gossy

pium

English

Goldensilkcotto

nSinh

alaKinihiriy

a

Thep

owderedflo

wer

isgivento

child

renin

emptysto

machto

improveimmun

ityand

mem

orypo

wer

inchild

ren

Thefl

owersc

onsis

tofstim

ulantp

roperties[23]

Cymbopogonjwarancusa

English

Lem

ongrass

Sinh

alaSera

Thep

asteof

root

andflo

wer

buds

iseffectiv

ein

dissolving

theh

ardinflammations

inthe

internalorgansO

ilof

thefl

ower

budisag

ood

embrocation

also

useful

inmou

thgarglesto

strengthentheg

umsAlso

effectiv

easa

digestiveton

icandto

stopdiarrhoea[

24]

Eclipta

prostra

taEn

glish

False

daisy

Sinh

alaKikirin

diTamilKa

ikeshi

Adecoctionof

thefl

ower

tops

andleaves

isgivenforh

epatitis[25]

Flow

ersa

reused

forthe

treatmento

furin

ary

prob

lemsjaun

diceasthm

aand

coug

hs[26]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flower

hassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstPvulgarisSaureus

andSsaprophyticus

[26]

Hibiscus

rose-sinensis

English

Sho

eflow

erSinh

ala

Wadam

alSapaththu

mal

TamilAratta

m

Thesea

recommon

lycultivatedin

the

gardensItgrow

swell

anyw

here

from

the

seac

oastto

theh

illcoun

tryandin

the

dryzone

inSriL

anka

Shoe

flowersa

reused

asan

expectorantfor

bron

chitisparalysisdysmenorrhea

andcoug

hFlow

ersa

reeatenwith

papaya

seedstocause

abortio

nTh

esho

eflow

erleaves

andyoun

gflo

wer

buds

areu

sedas

apou

ltice

onbo

ilsand

swellin

gs

Thefl

owersp

ossessanti-spermatogenicand

rogenic

anti-tumou

ranti-diabeticandantic

onvulsa

ntactiv

ities

Smallamou

ntof

hibiscetin

[27]

6 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Hibiscus

tiliaceus

Sinh

alaBe

li-patta

TamilNir-paratth

i

Very

common

inthe

lowcoun

tryof

Sri

Lank

a

Flow

ersa

rebo

iledin

milk

totre

atearache[27]

Thes

limysapof

theb

arkbranches

andflo

wer

buds

areu

sedas

amild

laxativ

eora

salubricant

inchild

birthor

labo

rpains

andrubb

edon

stomachandto

treatbron

chitisTh

eaqu

eous

extracto

fwoo

dandfre

shflo

werso

fthisp

lant

isused

asatreatmentfor

skin

diseases

[28]

Thefl

owersc

onsisto

femollient

prop

ertie

sand

anti-depressant

likea

ctivity

[27]

Them

ethano

lextractconsistso

fstigmasterolstigm

astadienoland

stigmastadienon

e[29]

Horsfield

iairy

aghedhi

Sinh

alaRu

k

Oftenfoun

din

the

low-cou

ntry

upto

1000

feetaltitud

e

Thefl

owersa

reused

totre

atdysentery

hiccou

ghandwastin

gdiseases

[27]

Impatiens

balsa

mina

English

Jew

elweed

Sinh

alaKu

udalu

Grownas

agarden

plantcom

mon

lyin

SriL

anka

Flow

ersa

reappliedforb

urnsscaldslumbago

andintercostaln

euralgia[30]

Thefl

owersa

rehaving

coolingdemulcent

andtonic

effectanti-anaphylacticandanti-hypo

tensive

prop

ertie

sTh

ealcoh

olicextracto

fflow

ersh

asantib

iotic

activ

ityagainstFructicolaandotherp

atho

genicfun

giand

bacteriaandthem

ethano

licextracto

fthe

flowers

hasa

nti-tum

ourp

romotingactiv

ityperipheraland

centralanti-n

ociceptiv

eactivity

[3132]

Itwas

foun

dthatthee

ffectsw

erer

apid

andlong

lastingandthesee

ffectsw

erem

ediatedby

the

inhibitio

nof

opioid

receptorsa

ndperip

heral

inflammatorymediatorslik

ecyclooxygenase2

[33]

Thek

amph

erolandqu

ercetin

possessesa

ntibacteria

lactiv

ityagainstP

ropionibacteriu

macnes[34]

Also

the

isolatedkamph

erolhassho

wnmushroo

mtyrosin

aseinh

ibito

ryactiv

itywhich

proves

the

fairn

essa

ctivity

ofthefl

ower

extract[32]

Flavanolkam

pherolquercetin

myricetin

[35]pheno

liccompo

undsimpatie

nolate

balsa

minolatelaw

sone

methyl

etherkaem

pferol3-rutin

oside

2-hydroxy14-naphtho

quinon

ep-coum

aricandferulic

acids

[33]

Ipom

oeaaquatic

English

Water

spinach

Sinh

alaKa

ngkong

TamilKa

laka

Very

common

inshallowwater

and

moistplaces

inthe

dryregion

ofSri

Lank

a

Theb

udisappliedto

treatrin

gworm

infections

[25]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Ixoracoccinea

Sinh

alaRa

tmal

TamilVe

dchi

Thefl

owersa

refriedin

melted

butte

rrubb

eddo

wnwith

alittlecumin

andnagakesara

and

madeintoab

olus

with

sugarc

andyTh

ispreparationisused

asar

emedyford

ysentery

[3]Also

the

flowersa

refamou

sfor

itsuseto

treatcatarrhalbronchitisdysmenorrhea

hemop

tysis

andleucorrhoeainAy

urvedic

medicine[32]

Thea

queous

flower

extractshave

also

show

nanti-diarrhoealactiv

ityagainsta

casto

roilindu

ced

diarrhoeam

odelin

ratsandalcoho

licextracth

asshow

nwou

ndhealingactiv

ityin

dead

spacew

ound

mod

elin

rats[36]Th

emethano

licextractw

asrepo

rted

topo

ssessthe

analgesic

anti-infl

ammatory

antiu

lcerfairness[37]a

ndbroad-spectrum

anti-microbialactiv

ity[38]A

ntitu

mou

ractivity

ofI

coccinea

flowersw

asstu

died

onDaltonslym

phom

a(ascitica

ndsolid

tumou

rs)a

ndEh

rlich

Ascites

Carcinom

a(EA

C)tumou

rsin

micea

nditwas

repo

rted

thatthereisa

significantantitu

mou

ractiv

ityin

thefl

ower

extracts

Also

chem

oprotective

effecto

fflow

erse

xtractsh

asshow

nas

ignificant

effecto

ncisplatin

indu

cedtoxicityin

mice[37]

Essentialoilextractedfro

mthe

flowersc

ontainstriterpenes

mon

oterpenessesquiterpenes

andan

esterTh

econ

stituentsof

triterpenes

detected

areu

rsolic

acidoleanolicandlupeolwhile

geranylacetateisdetected

asthe

major

mon

oterpeneFurther

analysisof

them

ethano

licflo

wer

extracth

asrevealed

thep

resence

ofbiochinAm

yricetin

quercetin

rutindiadzeinand

form

onon

etin

compo

unds

[37]

Ixoraparviflora

English

Toreb

tree

Sinh

alaMahar

atam

bala

TamilKa

rank

utti

Thefl

owersp

ound

edin

milk

areg

iven

inwho

opingcoug

h[3]

Laws

oniaalba

English

Henna

Sinh

alaMarith

ondii

TamilMarito

ndi

Aninfusio

nof

flowe

rsof

thisplantissaidto

beag

oodapplicationto

bruises[3]D

ecoctio

nof

thefl

owersisu

sedas

anem

menagogue

[39]

Essentialoil(002)richin

iono

nes(90

)120572

-iono

nes

(Figure1(e))and120573-io

nones

(Figure1(f))in

which120573-io

nones

predom

inated

[39]

Mesua

ferrea

English

Ironwoo

dtre

eSinh

alaNa

TamilNagacuram

Thep

asteof

flowersisa

ppliedto

bleeding

piles

andforb

urning

ofthefeetasa

paste

madew

ithbu

ttera

ndsugarAlso

theyareu

sedagainst

snakea

ndscorpion

sting

[40]A

syrupof

the

flower

buds

isgivenin

treatmento

fdysentery

[3]Adecoctionof

2-3flo

wersw

ithsugar

cand

yisgiventwicea

dayfortosto

pbloo

dysto

olTh

eflow

erbu

dsareu

sedto

treatsore

throatcou

ghandasthma[

40]

Methano

licextracto

fthe

flower

consistso

fantio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivity

and

methano

licanddichloromethane

extracto

fthe

flower

hassho

wnantim

icrobialactiv

ityagainst

MicrococcusluteusE

coilCa

ndidaalbicans

and

Aspergillus

niger

Thefl

owersh

aves

tomachicexpectorantand

astringent

prop

ertie

s[40

]

120572-cop

aene

(Figure1(j))a

ndgerm

acrene

Dcompo

unds

[40]

8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineTa

ble1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Magnolia

fuscata

Sinh

alaMadana-kama

TamM

adanakam

-poo

Thisplantis

cultivatedbo

thin

the

hillcoun

tryandmid

coun

tryof

SriL

anka

Thes

eeds

andflo

werso

fthisp

lant

areu

sedfor

makingpreparations

forstre

ngtheningsexu

alvirility

[27]

Meliaazedarach

English

Beadtre

eIndian

Lilac

Sinh

alaMahanim

baTamilMalaivenb

u

Apaste

offlo

wersisa

ppliedon

theh

eadto

destroylicea

ndfore

ruptions

ofthes

calpTh

eflo

wersa

ndleaves

area

ppliedas

apou

ltice

torelieve

nervou

sheadaches

Theo

ilof

thefl

ower

contains

sulphu

rand

inorganicc

ombinatio

nandisuseful

fora

llcutaneou

sailm

entsandrheumatism

The

flowersa

realso

used

totre

atceph

alalgia

gastropathyverm

inosis

strangury

dysm

enorrhoeaa

ndfever

Accordingto

thes

tudiesthe

methano

licextracto

fMazedarach

flowersa

lsoshow

spotentantibacteria

lactiv

ity

Thefl

owersh

avea

stringentrefrig

erantanod

yne

stomachicverm

ifugediuretic

abo

rtifa

cient

deob

struentand

alexipharm

icactiv

ities

[41]

Nelumbo

nucifera

English

Chinese

water

lilySacred

lotus

Sinh

alaNelu

mTamilAmbal

Com

mon

inthetanks

ofdryzone

ofSri

Lank

a

Thes

tamenso

fthe

flowersa

reused

bleeding

pilesa

nddebilityandweakn

essinchild

ren

Thefl

owersw

ithstam

ensa

ndJuiceo

fflow

erstalkareu

sedford

iarrho

eacho

lerafevers

liver

complaintsandas

acardiac

tonic

Thefl

ower

ismadeintosyrupandgivenfor

coug

hsdysentery

andto

checkhaem

orrhages

from

bleeding

pilesTh

egroun

dpetalsare

administered

forsyphilis

inMalayaTh

emilk

yjuiceo

fthe

leaves

andflo

wer

stalkisgivenfor

diarrhoeaIn

Chinaa

ndMalayathe

dried

petalsandsta

men

ofthep

inkflo

wer

varie

tyare

used

asac

osmeticto

improvethe

complexion

Also

the

flowersa

reused

ascoolingand

astringent

agents

Thefl

ower

beveragesa

reused

totre

atcancerw

eakn

essa

ndbo

dyheat

balanceStam

ensa

reused

totre

atconsolidationof

kidn

eyfunctio

naphrod

isiac

males

exuald

isordersa

ndfemaleleucorrhea

Poun

dedpetalsof

thefl

owersa

reused

for

syph

ilisFlow

ersta

lkareu

sedto

treatuterine

bleeding

andflo

wer

receptaclestosto

pbleeding

andto

elim

inates

tagn

ated

bloo

dFlow

ersa

ndrhizom

esared

emulcent

astringentm

ildsedativ

espasmolytic

antiseptic

usedin

infusio

ninternallyfor

chronicd

iarrheaas

adou

chefor

leucorrhea

andvaginitis

asag

arglefor

sore

throatalso

giveninternallyforp

rosta

teprob

lems[42]

Thefl

ower

stalksa

reused

totre

atexcessive

menstr

uatio

nbleeding

gastr

iculcersand

postp

artum

haem

orrhageTh

elotus

honeyis

used

inthetreatmento

feye

infections

[43]

Flow

ersd

emon

strateh

ypoglycemicantipyretic

antid

iabetic

antioxidant

andfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ityantim

icrobialactiv

ityvasod

ilatin

geffects

antih

ypertensivea

ndantia

rrhythmicabilitie

sFlow

ersa

reric

hin

aldo

seredu

ctaseinh

ibito

ryactiv

ityantiplateletactivity

andaphrod

isiac

activ

itytoo[41]

Nornu

ciferin

eN-m

ethylasim

ilobine

N-m

ethylco

claurin

eiso

quercitrin

(hirsutrin

)dehydroemerineliriodenine

quercetin

dehydronu

ciferin

elirinidinedemethylcoclaurine

asim

ilobineluteolin

glucoside

andlin

aloo

l[44

]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Neriu

moleand

erSinh

alaKa

neru

TamilKa

naweeram

Thisplantis

cultivatedas

agarden

plantm

ostly

inNorth

Centralprovince

ofSriL

anka

Thee

thanolicextracto

fthese

flowersh

asshow

na

significantantioxidant

activ

ityandantim

icrobial

activ

ityagainstB

acillus

subtilisStaphylococcus

aureusE

scheric

hiacoliSalm

onellaandPseudomonas

aeruginosa

andantifun

galactivity

againstA

spergillu

snigerA

flavusA

fumigatesandRh

izopus

species

[45]Th

edichlorom

ethane

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

ntheh

ighestcytotoxica

ctivity

againstT

47D

HepG-2

andK5

62celllin

es[46]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidstannins

sapo

ninscarbo

hydrates

and

phenols

Nymphaeaste

llate

English

Water

lily

Sinh

alaNilmanel

Thefl

owersa

reused

asan

astringentcardiac

tonica

ndfebrifu

geFilamentsareg

radedas

useful

inbu

rningsensations

oftheb

odysin

cethey

possessc

oolin

gandastringent

prop

ertie

sTh

esea

reused

totre

atbleeding

pilesa

ndmenorrhagiaandconstitutea

ningredient

ofcoolingmedicines

forc

utaneous

ailm

ents

Carefully

driedfragrant

stam

ensa

ctas

diuretic

andareu

sedforfl

avou

ringteaHelp

fulin

relieving

dryn

essinthec

hest

Smellin

gthe

flowersisb

eneficialforp

ersons

with

warm

temperament[5]

Ithasa

strin

gentdiuretic

andfebrifu

geprop

ertie

sNstellateWild

flowersp

ossessgastro

protectiv

eactio

nby

thes

uppressio

nof

pro-inflammatory

cytokinesa

ndfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ities

Ithasa

nti-a

poptoticeffectagainstethano

l-ind

uced

ulceratio

nTh

estudy

suggeststhatthee

xtractof

N

stellateflo

wersh

asantio

xidantanti-infl

ammatory

andanti-apop

totic

prop

ertie

s[47]

10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Punica

granatum

English

Pom

egranate

Sinh

alaDelu

m

Pomegranatewith

durvar

ootjuice

isgivento

stopbleeding

from

then

oseTh

erindof

the

fruitand

flowersc

ombinedwith

arom

atics

(clovecinnamon

etc)

asastringent

insuch

bowelaffectio

nno

taccom

panied

with

tenesm

us

Sour

pomegranateFlower

buds

bruisedare

givento

relieve

fevercoug

handbron

chitisTh

ejuiceise

ffectiveinredu

cing

burningsensation

inthec

hestandlesseningtheb

lood

heat

Itisantib

iliou

ssto

psnausea

andvomiting

increasesfrequ

ency

ofurinea

nditrsquos

more

pron

ounced

than

ofthes

weetvarie

tyFlowe

rsdriedandpo

wderedused

astoothpo

wder

strengthens

theg

umsa

ndactsas

haem

ostatic

forb

leedinggums

Fevera

ccom

panied

byvomiting

anddiarrhoea

isrelievedfollo

wingits

useAlso

beneficialin

jaun

dice

duetoheatTh

eflow

erof

thisplantis

also

used

asar

emedyford

iabetesdiarrhea

andvaginald

ischargeinUnani

andAy

urvedic

medicineAlso

itisu

sedforthe

treatmento

finjurie

sfrom

falls

andgrey

hairof

youn

gmen

[5]

Thea

lcoh

olicextracto

fpom

egranateflo

wers

possessesa

potent

freer

adicalscavenging

antio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivities

Accordingto

thisstu

dythea

lcoh

olicextractcon

tains

ahugea

mou

ntof

polyph

enolicsa

ndthee

xtractis

capableo

fprotectingagainsto

xidativ

edam

ageto

lipidsa

ndproteins

andalso

ofincreasin

gmaintaining

thelevels

ofantio

xidant

molecules

andenzymes

invivo

[48]

Nasiri

etal2015comparedthee

fficacy

ofpo

megranateflo

wer

extractw

iththatof

creams

containing

standard

1silversulfadiazine(SSD)

base

cream

andno

rmalsalin

efor

treatingthermal

burn

injurie

sinrats

Ther

esultshave

show

nthat

creamsc

ontainingtheP

granatum

flower

extract

have

remarkablyim

proved

theh

ealin

gof

burn

wou

ndsc

omparedwith

creamsS

SD[49]

Ethano

lextractof

pomegranate

flowersc

ontainsthe

compo

unds

ellagica

cid

33101584041015840 -tri-

O-m

ethylellagica

cid

ethylbrevifolin

carboxylate

urolicacidsmaslin

icacidsa

nddaucosterolAlso

thetwo

flavonesluteolin

andtricetin

werefou

ndin

amethano

licextracto

fpo

megranateflo

wers[50]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Rosa

damascene

Mill

English

Rose

Sinh

alaRo

sa

Rose

buds

arem

orea

stringent

than

thefull

blow

nflo

wersa

ndconsidered

cold

anddry

ceph

aliccardicalton

icandaperientrem

oving

bilio

usnessB

udsa

reconsidered

asastringent

aperientcardiacalcephalic

tonicremoving

bileandcold

humou

rsTh

erosefl

ower

isregarded

asrefrigeranttonifyingforthe

vital

organsstomachandintestineshasc

ompo

und

actio

nof

causingmild

purgationas

wellas

astringencyles

sens

theh

eatd

ueto

bilio

usness

givesfragrance

isperspiratio

nandredu

cesits

excessivee

xcretio

nEx

ternallyappliedgives

relieftowarm

inflammations

andassociated

painTh

eaqu

adistillateisu

sefulinirr

itated

affectio

nsof

eyes

Flow

ersh

elpin

curin

gbu

rningsensationsbud

odou

rfrom

mou

thfor

improvingappetite

relieving

headachetoo

thache

(asg

argles)

stomatitisbeneficially

used

inabno

rmal

functio

ning

ofkidn

eysliverchron

icfevers

inflammations

andintestinalaffectio

ns

Rose

oilisu

sedas

flavorin

gagentsto

maskthe

taste

ofmanyob

noxiou

spreparatio

nsA

conserve

ofrose

petalswith

othern

utritional

ingredientsh

asmild

laxativ

eaction

Itisuseful

toim

provea

ppetitesorethroatenlarged

tonsils

andsometim

esto

relieve

common

urogenitialdisordersa

ndurtic

arial

Thefl

owersh

avec

oolin

gmild

laxativ

eaphrod

isiac

antip

yreticcardioton

icandastringent

prop

ertie

s

Volatile

oilcon

tainsg

eraniol

citro

nello

leugeno

lTh

epetals

containvitamin

Cqu

ercitrin

quercitann

icacidgallic

acid

carotenenandredcolouring

matter[5]

Saraca

indica

Linn

Sinh

alaAs

oka

TamilAs

ogam

Asokap

lant

grow

swellinareaslike

Anu

radh

apura

Polonn

aruw

aBinthann

eaand

Mahiyanganaya

etc

Thejuice

offlo

werso

rsyrup

isuseful

cardiotonica

swellasb

rain

tonica

ndrelieves

dysentery[51]

Flow

ersa

realso

helpfulintre

atingdiabetes

haem

orrhoids

andforthe

treatmento

futerin

edisordersinfemales

[52]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

nantiu

lcer

activ

ityA

lsothefl

ower

extractshasa

lsoshow

n50cytotoxica

ctivity

againstD

altons

lymph

omaa

scitesa

ndSarcom

a-180tumou

rcells

with

outany

cytotoxica

ctivity

againsth

uman

norm

allymph

ocytes

[53]

Thes

tudies

have

show

nthatthefl

ower

areu

sedto

redu

ceskin

tumou

rsindu

cedby

712-dim

ethyl

benzanthracenetorejuvenateskin

complexion

toindu

cequ

ickhealingof

skin

injurie

sandto

redu

cefre

cklesa

ndexternalinflammations

ofthes

kinsin

cethee

xtractsc

ontain

flavono

ids[54]

Oleiclinoleicpalm

itica

ndste

aricacidsP-sitosterol

quercetin

kaem

pferol-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

equ

ercetin

-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

eapigenin-7-0-p-D

-glucosid

epelargon

idin-35diglucoside

cyanidin-35-diglucosid

epalm

iticste

ariclinolenic

linoleicleucocyanidinandgallic

acid

[54]

12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Sesbaniagrandiflora

Sinh

alaKa

turu

murum

ga

Thisisac

ommon

tree

which

canbe

foun

din

theb

ackyard

ofmost

oftheS

riLank

anho

mes

Sgrandiflora

flowersp

ossessanti-canceranalgesicandantip

yretic

activ

ities

[55]

Thep

heno

licextracto

fSgrand

iflorahassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstStaphylo

coccus

aureus

Shigellaflexneri2aSalm

onellaTyphiEscherich

iacoli

andVibriocholera

Also

ith

asshow

ntheg

rowth

prom

otingeffecto

nthec

ommon

prob

iotic

bacterium

Lactobacillus

acidophilus[56]

Sida

veronicaefo

liaSinh

alaBe

vila

TamilPalampasi

Acommon

plantin

thew

astegrou

ndof

low-cou

ntry

inSri

Lank

aespecially

inareaslikeB

attic

alo

Haragam

aetc

Paleyello

wsm

allfl

owersa

ndun

ripefruits

are

givenwith

sugarindecoctionforb

urning

sensationin

micturition[27]

Sphaeranthus

hirtusin

dicus

L English

Globe

flowerEast

Indian

glob

ethistle

Sinh

alaMud

amahana

Thesep

lantsa

regrow

nin

ther

icefi

eldin

SriL

ankaItis

common

inmoist

places

especially

padd

yfield

inthelow

coun

trylik

eKu

runagala

Theleafflo

wer

andseedso

fthisp

lant

are

grou

ndinto

apasteandappliedtopically

totre

atskin

diseases

especiallyin

itching

sskin

erup

tionseczem

aspsoria

sisvitiligoandpiles

Also

itisu

sedto

treatwe

akheartpalpitatio

ns

jointd

iseasesliver

diseases

especiallyjaun

dice

andin

chronicc

ough

Flowersa

reuseful

inprom

otingeyesight

andin

thetreatmento

fdiabetes

Flow

ersa

rehigh

lyesteem

edas

analternative

refrigeranttonicbloo

dpu

rifier

andin

the

treatmento

fcon

junctiv

itis

Flow

erpaste

isgivenin

emptysto

machto

cure

dysenterydiarrhoeaa

ndindigestion[57]

Sindicusfl

ower

extractshave

show

ntheb

road

spectrum

antib

acteria

lactivity

andthey

have

asig

nificantantifu

ngalandantip

rotozoalactiv

ity

Thefl

owersa

lsoconsist

ofneurolepticanx

iolytic

hepatoprotectiv

ehaem

olytichaemostatic

analgesic

andantia

rthritica

ctivities

Thefl

ower

headsa

refamou

sfor

their

neurop

rotectiveantia

mnesic

antihyperlip

idem

icandwou

ndhealingactiv

ities

Both

flowersa

ndthefl

ower

headsc

onsisto

fim

mun

ostim

ulatoryactiv

ity[58]

Sphaeranthanolidew

ithim

mun

ostim

ulantp

otentia

l

Eudesm

enolidetypeo

fsesquiterpeneg

lycosid

eand

sphaeranthanolide[57]

Spilanthesp

anicu

lata

Wall

Spilanthesa

cmella

Sinh

alaAkm

ella

TamilAkk

irakaram

Thep

lant

iscommon

upto

6000

feet

altitud

einSriL

anka

Thefl

ower

headso

fthisp

lant

arec

hewed

for

toothache[25]

Thefl

ower

ofSacmellaiskn

ownto

prod

ucelipase

inhibitio

nprop

ertie

sdiureticvasorelaxation

pancreaticprop

ertie

sand

antifun

galactivity

especiallyagainstA

spergillu

sparasiticusA

niger

Fusariu

mmoniliform

iand

Foxysporum

Itisfoun

dthatthee

xtractof

flower

headso

fthis

plantcon

tainsspilantho

lwhich

isactiv

eagainst

Plutellaxyloste

llaAc

cordingto

studies

thea

queous

extracto

fSpanicu

lata

flowersh

aspo

tent

diurectic

activ

ityTh

isactsas

aloo

pdiureticw

hich

increases

theu

rinaryNa+

andK+

levels[59]

Spilantho

l[60]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Stereospermum

suaveolen

s(Roxb)Bignonia

suaveolen

sRoxb

Sinh

alaPalol

TamillA

mbu

App

u

Thefl

ower

isused

totre

atmalariabronchitis

heartd

iseasescancerpu

rgativein

the

treatmento

fbleedingdiseasesdiarrho

eaof

the

pitta

type

anditisgood

forthe

throat

TheP

alolflo

wersa

realso

used

totre

athiccup

Th

esefl

owersa

remixed

with

honeyandgiven

orally[61]

Syzygium

arom

aticu

mEn

glish

Clove

Sinh

alaKa

rabu

-neti

TamilKa

ruvapp

u

Itallay

sthirstand

nausea

inchild

rensufferin

gfro

mwormsa

ndingestion

Along

with

other

ingredientsitcures

colicdise

ases

ofthec

hest

andthroatcou

ghhiccoug

hasthmadiarrhea

urinarydiseases

andremedyfora

rthritisa

ndrheumatism

[62]

Thefl

ower

buds

ofSarom

aticu

mhave

been

used

fortreatmento

fmales

exuald

isordersin

Ayurvedica

ndUnani

medicines

from

the

ancienttim

es[63]

They

consist

ofcarm

inativesto

machica

ndstimulant

activ

ity

Clovea

lsopo

ssessesa

ntise

pticantibacteria

lantifun

galantiv

iralantiemeticanti-infl

ammatory

cytotoxica

ndanestheticprop

ertie

sCloveo

ilisused

fortoo

thache

becauseo

fitsantib

iotic

andantiseptic

prop

ertie

s[63]

Volatile

oilcaryop

hyllin

eugenin

gumtannica

cidand

salicylicacidTh

emain

constituent

ofthev

olatile

oilof

clove

iseugeno

lItalso

contains

minor

amou

ntso

feugenol

acetate120573-cariofilenol

120572-hum

ulen120573

-pinenelim

onene

farnesolbenzaldehyde

2-heptanon

eand

ethylh

exanoate

[64]

Tabernaemontana

divaric

ataLinn

English

Crepe

jasm

inePinw

heelFlow

erSinh

alaWathu

sudd

a

Acommon

garden

plantinSriL

anka

Crepejasminefl

owersa

reused

totre

atcorneal

inflammationandop

hthalm

iaItisused

inUnani

medicinefor

the

managem

ento

fpain

Thefl

owerssoakedwater

issprin

kled

onsm

allpox

patie

nts

Inrecent

investigations

itisfoun

dou

tthatthese

flowersp

ossesses

Hippo

craticscreeningantia

nxiety

antic

onvulsa

ntantidiabetic

cytotoxicantifertility

anti-inflammatoryantio

xidantand

gastr

oprotectiv

eeffects

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

Tdivaric

atefl

owers

teste

don

Wistar

ratswith

chem

icallyindu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nshassho

wnthatitpo

ssessesg

astro

protectiv

eeffectsb

yenhancingthep

rodu

ctionof

the

gastric

mucosao

rpreventingits

depletionby

aggressiv

efactorsA

lsoitwas

foun

dou

tthatthese

extractsindu

cethea

ntioxidant

activ

ityin

chem

ically

indu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nin

rats

Aspido

spermatancoryn

anthean

ibogan

andplum

eran

sub-types

ofindo

lealkaloids[65]

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 5Ta

ble1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Chrysanthemum

indicum

Sinh

alaKa

puru

Thesefl

owersa

reused

totre

atsto

matitis

burningsensationsurin

arydischargesgleet

lumbagoinob

structivea

ffections

oftheb

rain

andcalculus

andto

removed

epressionsta

tes

Ithasb

eenused

inconjun

ctionwith

black

pepp

erforg

onorrhea

Flow

erheadsinfusionissaid

tobe

frequ

ently

appliedas

collyriu

min

eyea

ffectionsA

lsoadministered

forsoree

yesa

ndforthe

internal

orexternalabdo

minalinflammations

Thefl

owersa

reappliedon

thes

kinto

treat

leprosy[5]

Italso

used

asah

eat-c

learinganddetoxifying

herb

[21]

Thefl

owersh

avea

ntibacteria

lantio

xidant

andanti-inflammatoryprop

ertie

s[21]

Them

ainvolatile

oilspresentin

thefl

owersa

re266-trim

ethyl

bicycle[311]hept-2

-en-4-oland

2-(24-hexadiynylid

ene)-16-

dioxaspiro[44]non

-3-ene

germ

acrene

Da-neoclo

vene

eucalyptola-pinene

14-bis(1-m

ethylethyl)-benzene

asesqu

iphelland

rene

long

ipinanea

nd711-dimethyl-3

-methylene-1610

-dod

ecatrie

ne

Flavon

oids

area

lsopresentie

quercitrinm

yricetin

luteolin-7-glucosid

eVitexinand

apigenin

arethe

leastabu

ndant

flavono

idsinthep

lant

[22]

New

sesquiterpenoids

identifi

edare

7-epi-e

udesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-

11205733120573-diol(Figure

1(h))a

nd7-epi-

1120573-hydroxy-120573-eud

esmol

(Figure1(i))inthee

thanolic

extracto

fthe

flower

[21]

Cochlospermum

gossy

pium

English

Goldensilkcotto

nSinh

alaKinihiriy

a

Thep

owderedflo

wer

isgivento

child

renin

emptysto

machto

improveimmun

ityand

mem

orypo

wer

inchild

ren

Thefl

owersc

onsis

tofstim

ulantp

roperties[23]

Cymbopogonjwarancusa

English

Lem

ongrass

Sinh

alaSera

Thep

asteof

root

andflo

wer

buds

iseffectiv

ein

dissolving

theh

ardinflammations

inthe

internalorgansO

ilof

thefl

ower

budisag

ood

embrocation

also

useful

inmou

thgarglesto

strengthentheg

umsAlso

effectiv

easa

digestiveton

icandto

stopdiarrhoea[

24]

Eclipta

prostra

taEn

glish

False

daisy

Sinh

alaKikirin

diTamilKa

ikeshi

Adecoctionof

thefl

ower

tops

andleaves

isgivenforh

epatitis[25]

Flow

ersa

reused

forthe

treatmento

furin

ary

prob

lemsjaun

diceasthm

aand

coug

hs[26]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flower

hassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstPvulgarisSaureus

andSsaprophyticus

[26]

Hibiscus

rose-sinensis

English

Sho

eflow

erSinh

ala

Wadam

alSapaththu

mal

TamilAratta

m

Thesea

recommon

lycultivatedin

the

gardensItgrow

swell

anyw

here

from

the

seac

oastto

theh

illcoun

tryandin

the

dryzone

inSriL

anka

Shoe

flowersa

reused

asan

expectorantfor

bron

chitisparalysisdysmenorrhea

andcoug

hFlow

ersa

reeatenwith

papaya

seedstocause

abortio

nTh

esho

eflow

erleaves

andyoun

gflo

wer

buds

areu

sedas

apou

ltice

onbo

ilsand

swellin

gs

Thefl

owersp

ossessanti-spermatogenicand

rogenic

anti-tumou

ranti-diabeticandantic

onvulsa

ntactiv

ities

Smallamou

ntof

hibiscetin

[27]

6 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Hibiscus

tiliaceus

Sinh

alaBe

li-patta

TamilNir-paratth

i

Very

common

inthe

lowcoun

tryof

Sri

Lank

a

Flow

ersa

rebo

iledin

milk

totre

atearache[27]

Thes

limysapof

theb

arkbranches

andflo

wer

buds

areu

sedas

amild

laxativ

eora

salubricant

inchild

birthor

labo

rpains

andrubb

edon

stomachandto

treatbron

chitisTh

eaqu

eous

extracto

fwoo

dandfre

shflo

werso

fthisp

lant

isused

asatreatmentfor

skin

diseases

[28]

Thefl

owersc

onsisto

femollient

prop

ertie

sand

anti-depressant

likea

ctivity

[27]

Them

ethano

lextractconsistso

fstigmasterolstigm

astadienoland

stigmastadienon

e[29]

Horsfield

iairy

aghedhi

Sinh

alaRu

k

Oftenfoun

din

the

low-cou

ntry

upto

1000

feetaltitud

e

Thefl

owersa

reused

totre

atdysentery

hiccou

ghandwastin

gdiseases

[27]

Impatiens

balsa

mina

English

Jew

elweed

Sinh

alaKu

udalu

Grownas

agarden

plantcom

mon

lyin

SriL

anka

Flow

ersa

reappliedforb

urnsscaldslumbago

andintercostaln

euralgia[30]

Thefl

owersa

rehaving

coolingdemulcent

andtonic

effectanti-anaphylacticandanti-hypo

tensive

prop

ertie

sTh

ealcoh

olicextracto

fflow

ersh

asantib

iotic

activ

ityagainstFructicolaandotherp

atho

genicfun

giand

bacteriaandthem

ethano

licextracto

fthe

flowers

hasa

nti-tum

ourp

romotingactiv

ityperipheraland

centralanti-n

ociceptiv

eactivity

[3132]

Itwas

foun

dthatthee

ffectsw

erer

apid

andlong

lastingandthesee

ffectsw

erem

ediatedby

the

inhibitio

nof

opioid

receptorsa

ndperip

heral

inflammatorymediatorslik

ecyclooxygenase2

[33]

Thek

amph

erolandqu

ercetin

possessesa

ntibacteria

lactiv

ityagainstP

ropionibacteriu

macnes[34]

Also

the

isolatedkamph

erolhassho

wnmushroo

mtyrosin

aseinh

ibito

ryactiv

itywhich

proves

the

fairn

essa

ctivity

ofthefl

ower

extract[32]

Flavanolkam

pherolquercetin

myricetin

[35]pheno

liccompo

undsimpatie

nolate

balsa

minolatelaw

sone

methyl

etherkaem

pferol3-rutin

oside

2-hydroxy14-naphtho

quinon

ep-coum

aricandferulic

acids

[33]

Ipom

oeaaquatic

English

Water

spinach

Sinh

alaKa

ngkong

TamilKa

laka

Very

common

inshallowwater

and

moistplaces

inthe

dryregion

ofSri

Lank

a

Theb

udisappliedto

treatrin

gworm

infections

[25]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Ixoracoccinea

Sinh

alaRa

tmal

TamilVe

dchi

Thefl

owersa

refriedin

melted

butte

rrubb

eddo

wnwith

alittlecumin

andnagakesara

and

madeintoab

olus

with

sugarc

andyTh

ispreparationisused

asar

emedyford

ysentery

[3]Also

the

flowersa

refamou

sfor

itsuseto

treatcatarrhalbronchitisdysmenorrhea

hemop

tysis

andleucorrhoeainAy

urvedic

medicine[32]

Thea

queous

flower

extractshave

also

show

nanti-diarrhoealactiv

ityagainsta

casto

roilindu

ced

diarrhoeam

odelin

ratsandalcoho

licextracth

asshow

nwou

ndhealingactiv

ityin

dead

spacew

ound

mod

elin

rats[36]Th

emethano

licextractw

asrepo

rted

topo

ssessthe

analgesic

anti-infl

ammatory

antiu

lcerfairness[37]a

ndbroad-spectrum

anti-microbialactiv

ity[38]A

ntitu

mou

ractivity

ofI

coccinea

flowersw

asstu

died

onDaltonslym

phom

a(ascitica

ndsolid

tumou

rs)a

ndEh

rlich

Ascites

Carcinom

a(EA

C)tumou

rsin

micea

nditwas

repo

rted

thatthereisa

significantantitu

mou

ractiv

ityin

thefl

ower

extracts

Also

chem

oprotective

effecto

fflow

erse

xtractsh

asshow

nas

ignificant

effecto

ncisplatin

indu

cedtoxicityin

mice[37]

Essentialoilextractedfro

mthe

flowersc

ontainstriterpenes

mon

oterpenessesquiterpenes

andan

esterTh

econ

stituentsof

triterpenes

detected

areu

rsolic

acidoleanolicandlupeolwhile

geranylacetateisdetected

asthe

major

mon

oterpeneFurther

analysisof

them

ethano

licflo

wer

extracth

asrevealed

thep

resence

ofbiochinAm

yricetin

quercetin

rutindiadzeinand

form

onon

etin

compo

unds

[37]

Ixoraparviflora

English

Toreb

tree

Sinh

alaMahar

atam

bala

TamilKa

rank

utti

Thefl

owersp

ound

edin

milk

areg

iven

inwho

opingcoug

h[3]

Laws

oniaalba

English

Henna

Sinh

alaMarith

ondii

TamilMarito

ndi

Aninfusio

nof

flowe

rsof

thisplantissaidto

beag

oodapplicationto

bruises[3]D

ecoctio

nof

thefl

owersisu

sedas

anem

menagogue

[39]

Essentialoil(002)richin

iono

nes(90

)120572

-iono

nes

(Figure1(e))and120573-io

nones

(Figure1(f))in

which120573-io

nones

predom

inated

[39]

Mesua

ferrea

English

Ironwoo

dtre

eSinh

alaNa

TamilNagacuram

Thep

asteof

flowersisa

ppliedto

bleeding

piles

andforb

urning

ofthefeetasa

paste

madew

ithbu

ttera

ndsugarAlso

theyareu

sedagainst

snakea

ndscorpion

sting

[40]A

syrupof

the

flower

buds

isgivenin

treatmento

fdysentery

[3]Adecoctionof

2-3flo

wersw

ithsugar

cand

yisgiventwicea

dayfortosto

pbloo

dysto

olTh

eflow

erbu

dsareu

sedto

treatsore

throatcou

ghandasthma[

40]

Methano

licextracto

fthe

flower

consistso

fantio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivity

and

methano

licanddichloromethane

extracto

fthe

flower

hassho

wnantim

icrobialactiv

ityagainst

MicrococcusluteusE

coilCa

ndidaalbicans

and

Aspergillus

niger

Thefl

owersh

aves

tomachicexpectorantand

astringent

prop

ertie

s[40

]

120572-cop

aene

(Figure1(j))a

ndgerm

acrene

Dcompo

unds

[40]

8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineTa

ble1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Magnolia

fuscata

Sinh

alaMadana-kama

TamM

adanakam

-poo

Thisplantis

cultivatedbo

thin

the

hillcoun

tryandmid

coun

tryof

SriL

anka

Thes

eeds

andflo

werso

fthisp

lant

areu

sedfor

makingpreparations

forstre

ngtheningsexu

alvirility

[27]

Meliaazedarach

English

Beadtre

eIndian

Lilac

Sinh

alaMahanim

baTamilMalaivenb

u

Apaste

offlo

wersisa

ppliedon

theh

eadto

destroylicea

ndfore

ruptions

ofthes

calpTh

eflo

wersa

ndleaves

area

ppliedas

apou

ltice

torelieve

nervou

sheadaches

Theo

ilof

thefl

ower

contains

sulphu

rand

inorganicc

ombinatio

nandisuseful

fora

llcutaneou

sailm

entsandrheumatism

The

flowersa

realso

used

totre

atceph

alalgia

gastropathyverm

inosis

strangury

dysm

enorrhoeaa

ndfever

Accordingto

thes

tudiesthe

methano

licextracto

fMazedarach

flowersa

lsoshow

spotentantibacteria

lactiv

ity

Thefl

owersh

avea

stringentrefrig

erantanod

yne

stomachicverm

ifugediuretic

abo

rtifa

cient

deob

struentand

alexipharm

icactiv

ities

[41]

Nelumbo

nucifera

English

Chinese

water

lilySacred

lotus

Sinh

alaNelu

mTamilAmbal

Com

mon

inthetanks

ofdryzone

ofSri

Lank

a

Thes

tamenso

fthe

flowersa

reused

bleeding

pilesa

nddebilityandweakn

essinchild

ren

Thefl

owersw

ithstam

ensa

ndJuiceo

fflow

erstalkareu

sedford

iarrho

eacho

lerafevers

liver

complaintsandas

acardiac

tonic

Thefl

ower

ismadeintosyrupandgivenfor

coug

hsdysentery

andto

checkhaem

orrhages

from

bleeding

pilesTh

egroun

dpetalsare

administered

forsyphilis

inMalayaTh

emilk

yjuiceo

fthe

leaves

andflo

wer

stalkisgivenfor

diarrhoeaIn

Chinaa

ndMalayathe

dried

petalsandsta

men

ofthep

inkflo

wer

varie

tyare

used

asac

osmeticto

improvethe

complexion

Also

the

flowersa

reused

ascoolingand

astringent

agents

Thefl

ower

beveragesa

reused

totre

atcancerw

eakn

essa

ndbo

dyheat

balanceStam

ensa

reused

totre

atconsolidationof

kidn

eyfunctio

naphrod

isiac

males

exuald

isordersa

ndfemaleleucorrhea

Poun

dedpetalsof

thefl

owersa

reused

for

syph

ilisFlow

ersta

lkareu

sedto

treatuterine

bleeding

andflo

wer

receptaclestosto

pbleeding

andto

elim

inates

tagn

ated

bloo

dFlow

ersa

ndrhizom

esared

emulcent

astringentm

ildsedativ

espasmolytic

antiseptic

usedin

infusio

ninternallyfor

chronicd

iarrheaas

adou

chefor

leucorrhea

andvaginitis

asag

arglefor

sore

throatalso

giveninternallyforp

rosta

teprob

lems[42]

Thefl

ower

stalksa

reused

totre

atexcessive

menstr

uatio

nbleeding

gastr

iculcersand

postp

artum

haem

orrhageTh

elotus

honeyis

used

inthetreatmento

feye

infections

[43]

Flow

ersd

emon

strateh

ypoglycemicantipyretic

antid

iabetic

antioxidant

andfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ityantim

icrobialactiv

ityvasod

ilatin

geffects

antih

ypertensivea

ndantia

rrhythmicabilitie

sFlow

ersa

reric

hin

aldo

seredu

ctaseinh

ibito

ryactiv

ityantiplateletactivity

andaphrod

isiac

activ

itytoo[41]

Nornu

ciferin

eN-m

ethylasim

ilobine

N-m

ethylco

claurin

eiso

quercitrin

(hirsutrin

)dehydroemerineliriodenine

quercetin

dehydronu

ciferin

elirinidinedemethylcoclaurine

asim

ilobineluteolin

glucoside

andlin

aloo

l[44

]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Neriu

moleand

erSinh

alaKa

neru

TamilKa

naweeram

Thisplantis

cultivatedas

agarden

plantm

ostly

inNorth

Centralprovince

ofSriL

anka

Thee

thanolicextracto

fthese

flowersh

asshow

na

significantantioxidant

activ

ityandantim

icrobial

activ

ityagainstB

acillus

subtilisStaphylococcus

aureusE

scheric

hiacoliSalm

onellaandPseudomonas

aeruginosa

andantifun

galactivity

againstA

spergillu

snigerA

flavusA

fumigatesandRh

izopus

species

[45]Th

edichlorom

ethane

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

ntheh

ighestcytotoxica

ctivity

againstT

47D

HepG-2

andK5

62celllin

es[46]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidstannins

sapo

ninscarbo

hydrates

and

phenols

Nymphaeaste

llate

English

Water

lily

Sinh

alaNilmanel

Thefl

owersa

reused

asan

astringentcardiac

tonica

ndfebrifu

geFilamentsareg

radedas

useful

inbu

rningsensations

oftheb

odysin

cethey

possessc

oolin

gandastringent

prop

ertie

sTh

esea

reused

totre

atbleeding

pilesa

ndmenorrhagiaandconstitutea

ningredient

ofcoolingmedicines

forc

utaneous

ailm

ents

Carefully

driedfragrant

stam

ensa

ctas

diuretic

andareu

sedforfl

avou

ringteaHelp

fulin

relieving

dryn

essinthec

hest

Smellin

gthe

flowersisb

eneficialforp

ersons

with

warm

temperament[5]

Ithasa

strin

gentdiuretic

andfebrifu

geprop

ertie

sNstellateWild

flowersp

ossessgastro

protectiv

eactio

nby

thes

uppressio

nof

pro-inflammatory

cytokinesa

ndfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ities

Ithasa

nti-a

poptoticeffectagainstethano

l-ind

uced

ulceratio

nTh

estudy

suggeststhatthee

xtractof

N

stellateflo

wersh

asantio

xidantanti-infl

ammatory

andanti-apop

totic

prop

ertie

s[47]

10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Punica

granatum

English

Pom

egranate

Sinh

alaDelu

m

Pomegranatewith

durvar

ootjuice

isgivento

stopbleeding

from

then

oseTh

erindof

the

fruitand

flowersc

ombinedwith

arom

atics

(clovecinnamon

etc)

asastringent

insuch

bowelaffectio

nno

taccom

panied

with

tenesm

us

Sour

pomegranateFlower

buds

bruisedare

givento

relieve

fevercoug

handbron

chitisTh

ejuiceise

ffectiveinredu

cing

burningsensation

inthec

hestandlesseningtheb

lood

heat

Itisantib

iliou

ssto

psnausea

andvomiting

increasesfrequ

ency

ofurinea

nditrsquos

more

pron

ounced

than

ofthes

weetvarie

tyFlowe

rsdriedandpo

wderedused

astoothpo

wder

strengthens

theg

umsa

ndactsas

haem

ostatic

forb

leedinggums

Fevera

ccom

panied

byvomiting

anddiarrhoea

isrelievedfollo

wingits

useAlso

beneficialin

jaun

dice

duetoheatTh

eflow

erof

thisplantis

also

used

asar

emedyford

iabetesdiarrhea

andvaginald

ischargeinUnani

andAy

urvedic

medicineAlso

itisu

sedforthe

treatmento

finjurie

sfrom

falls

andgrey

hairof

youn

gmen

[5]

Thea

lcoh

olicextracto

fpom

egranateflo

wers

possessesa

potent

freer

adicalscavenging

antio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivities

Accordingto

thisstu

dythea

lcoh

olicextractcon

tains

ahugea

mou

ntof

polyph

enolicsa

ndthee

xtractis

capableo

fprotectingagainsto

xidativ

edam

ageto

lipidsa

ndproteins

andalso

ofincreasin

gmaintaining

thelevels

ofantio

xidant

molecules

andenzymes

invivo

[48]

Nasiri

etal2015comparedthee

fficacy

ofpo

megranateflo

wer

extractw

iththatof

creams

containing

standard

1silversulfadiazine(SSD)

base

cream

andno

rmalsalin

efor

treatingthermal

burn

injurie

sinrats

Ther

esultshave

show

nthat

creamsc

ontainingtheP

granatum

flower

extract

have

remarkablyim

proved

theh

ealin

gof

burn

wou

ndsc

omparedwith

creamsS

SD[49]

Ethano

lextractof

pomegranate

flowersc

ontainsthe

compo

unds

ellagica

cid

33101584041015840 -tri-

O-m

ethylellagica

cid

ethylbrevifolin

carboxylate

urolicacidsmaslin

icacidsa

nddaucosterolAlso

thetwo

flavonesluteolin

andtricetin

werefou

ndin

amethano

licextracto

fpo

megranateflo

wers[50]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Rosa

damascene

Mill

English

Rose

Sinh

alaRo

sa

Rose

buds

arem

orea

stringent

than

thefull

blow

nflo

wersa

ndconsidered

cold

anddry

ceph

aliccardicalton

icandaperientrem

oving

bilio

usnessB

udsa

reconsidered

asastringent

aperientcardiacalcephalic

tonicremoving

bileandcold

humou

rsTh

erosefl

ower

isregarded

asrefrigeranttonifyingforthe

vital

organsstomachandintestineshasc

ompo

und

actio

nof

causingmild

purgationas

wellas

astringencyles

sens

theh

eatd

ueto

bilio

usness

givesfragrance

isperspiratio

nandredu

cesits

excessivee

xcretio

nEx

ternallyappliedgives

relieftowarm

inflammations

andassociated

painTh

eaqu

adistillateisu

sefulinirr

itated

affectio

nsof

eyes

Flow

ersh

elpin

curin

gbu

rningsensationsbud

odou

rfrom

mou

thfor

improvingappetite

relieving

headachetoo

thache

(asg

argles)

stomatitisbeneficially

used

inabno

rmal

functio

ning

ofkidn

eysliverchron

icfevers

inflammations

andintestinalaffectio

ns

Rose

oilisu

sedas

flavorin

gagentsto

maskthe

taste

ofmanyob

noxiou

spreparatio

nsA

conserve

ofrose

petalswith

othern

utritional

ingredientsh

asmild

laxativ

eaction

Itisuseful

toim

provea

ppetitesorethroatenlarged

tonsils

andsometim

esto

relieve

common

urogenitialdisordersa

ndurtic

arial

Thefl

owersh

avec

oolin

gmild

laxativ

eaphrod

isiac

antip

yreticcardioton

icandastringent

prop

ertie

s

Volatile

oilcon

tainsg

eraniol

citro

nello

leugeno

lTh

epetals

containvitamin

Cqu

ercitrin

quercitann

icacidgallic

acid

carotenenandredcolouring

matter[5]

Saraca

indica

Linn

Sinh

alaAs

oka

TamilAs

ogam

Asokap

lant

grow

swellinareaslike

Anu

radh

apura

Polonn

aruw

aBinthann

eaand

Mahiyanganaya

etc

Thejuice

offlo

werso

rsyrup

isuseful

cardiotonica

swellasb

rain

tonica

ndrelieves

dysentery[51]

Flow

ersa

realso

helpfulintre

atingdiabetes

haem

orrhoids

andforthe

treatmento

futerin

edisordersinfemales

[52]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

nantiu

lcer

activ

ityA

lsothefl

ower

extractshasa

lsoshow

n50cytotoxica

ctivity

againstD

altons

lymph

omaa

scitesa

ndSarcom

a-180tumou

rcells

with

outany

cytotoxica

ctivity

againsth

uman

norm

allymph

ocytes

[53]

Thes

tudies

have

show

nthatthefl

ower

areu

sedto

redu

ceskin

tumou

rsindu

cedby

712-dim

ethyl

benzanthracenetorejuvenateskin

complexion

toindu

cequ

ickhealingof

skin

injurie

sandto

redu

cefre

cklesa

ndexternalinflammations

ofthes

kinsin

cethee

xtractsc

ontain

flavono

ids[54]

Oleiclinoleicpalm

itica

ndste

aricacidsP-sitosterol

quercetin

kaem

pferol-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

equ

ercetin

-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

eapigenin-7-0-p-D

-glucosid

epelargon

idin-35diglucoside

cyanidin-35-diglucosid

epalm

iticste

ariclinolenic

linoleicleucocyanidinandgallic

acid

[54]

12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Sesbaniagrandiflora

Sinh

alaKa

turu

murum

ga

Thisisac

ommon

tree

which

canbe

foun

din

theb

ackyard

ofmost

oftheS

riLank

anho

mes

Sgrandiflora

flowersp

ossessanti-canceranalgesicandantip

yretic

activ

ities

[55]

Thep

heno

licextracto

fSgrand

iflorahassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstStaphylo

coccus

aureus

Shigellaflexneri2aSalm

onellaTyphiEscherich

iacoli

andVibriocholera

Also

ith

asshow

ntheg

rowth

prom

otingeffecto

nthec

ommon

prob

iotic

bacterium

Lactobacillus

acidophilus[56]

Sida

veronicaefo

liaSinh

alaBe

vila

TamilPalampasi

Acommon

plantin

thew

astegrou

ndof

low-cou

ntry

inSri

Lank

aespecially

inareaslikeB

attic

alo

Haragam

aetc

Paleyello

wsm

allfl

owersa

ndun

ripefruits

are

givenwith

sugarindecoctionforb

urning

sensationin

micturition[27]

Sphaeranthus

hirtusin

dicus

L English

Globe

flowerEast

Indian

glob

ethistle

Sinh

alaMud

amahana

Thesep

lantsa

regrow

nin

ther

icefi

eldin

SriL

ankaItis

common

inmoist

places

especially

padd

yfield

inthelow

coun

trylik

eKu

runagala

Theleafflo

wer

andseedso

fthisp

lant

are

grou

ndinto

apasteandappliedtopically

totre

atskin

diseases

especiallyin

itching

sskin

erup

tionseczem

aspsoria

sisvitiligoandpiles

Also

itisu

sedto

treatwe

akheartpalpitatio

ns

jointd

iseasesliver

diseases

especiallyjaun

dice

andin

chronicc

ough

Flowersa

reuseful

inprom

otingeyesight

andin

thetreatmento

fdiabetes

Flow

ersa

rehigh

lyesteem

edas

analternative

refrigeranttonicbloo

dpu

rifier

andin

the

treatmento

fcon

junctiv

itis

Flow

erpaste

isgivenin

emptysto

machto

cure

dysenterydiarrhoeaa

ndindigestion[57]

Sindicusfl

ower

extractshave

show

ntheb

road

spectrum

antib

acteria

lactivity

andthey

have

asig

nificantantifu

ngalandantip

rotozoalactiv

ity

Thefl

owersa

lsoconsist

ofneurolepticanx

iolytic

hepatoprotectiv

ehaem

olytichaemostatic

analgesic

andantia

rthritica

ctivities

Thefl

ower

headsa

refamou

sfor

their

neurop

rotectiveantia

mnesic

antihyperlip

idem

icandwou

ndhealingactiv

ities

Both

flowersa

ndthefl

ower

headsc

onsisto

fim

mun

ostim

ulatoryactiv

ity[58]

Sphaeranthanolidew

ithim

mun

ostim

ulantp

otentia

l

Eudesm

enolidetypeo

fsesquiterpeneg

lycosid

eand

sphaeranthanolide[57]

Spilanthesp

anicu

lata

Wall

Spilanthesa

cmella

Sinh

alaAkm

ella

TamilAkk

irakaram

Thep

lant

iscommon

upto

6000

feet

altitud

einSriL

anka

Thefl

ower

headso

fthisp

lant

arec

hewed

for

toothache[25]

Thefl

ower

ofSacmellaiskn

ownto

prod

ucelipase

inhibitio

nprop

ertie

sdiureticvasorelaxation

pancreaticprop

ertie

sand

antifun

galactivity

especiallyagainstA

spergillu

sparasiticusA

niger

Fusariu

mmoniliform

iand

Foxysporum

Itisfoun

dthatthee

xtractof

flower

headso

fthis

plantcon

tainsspilantho

lwhich

isactiv

eagainst

Plutellaxyloste

llaAc

cordingto

studies

thea

queous

extracto

fSpanicu

lata

flowersh

aspo

tent

diurectic

activ

ityTh

isactsas

aloo

pdiureticw

hich

increases

theu

rinaryNa+

andK+

levels[59]

Spilantho

l[60]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Stereospermum

suaveolen

s(Roxb)Bignonia

suaveolen

sRoxb

Sinh

alaPalol

TamillA

mbu

App

u

Thefl

ower

isused

totre

atmalariabronchitis

heartd

iseasescancerpu

rgativein

the

treatmento

fbleedingdiseasesdiarrho

eaof

the

pitta

type

anditisgood

forthe

throat

TheP

alolflo

wersa

realso

used

totre

athiccup

Th

esefl

owersa

remixed

with

honeyandgiven

orally[61]

Syzygium

arom

aticu

mEn

glish

Clove

Sinh

alaKa

rabu

-neti

TamilKa

ruvapp

u

Itallay

sthirstand

nausea

inchild

rensufferin

gfro

mwormsa

ndingestion

Along

with

other

ingredientsitcures

colicdise

ases

ofthec

hest

andthroatcou

ghhiccoug

hasthmadiarrhea

urinarydiseases

andremedyfora

rthritisa

ndrheumatism

[62]

Thefl

ower

buds

ofSarom

aticu

mhave

been

used

fortreatmento

fmales

exuald

isordersin

Ayurvedica

ndUnani

medicines

from

the

ancienttim

es[63]

They

consist

ofcarm

inativesto

machica

ndstimulant

activ

ity

Clovea

lsopo

ssessesa

ntise

pticantibacteria

lantifun

galantiv

iralantiemeticanti-infl

ammatory

cytotoxica

ndanestheticprop

ertie

sCloveo

ilisused

fortoo

thache

becauseo

fitsantib

iotic

andantiseptic

prop

ertie

s[63]

Volatile

oilcaryop

hyllin

eugenin

gumtannica

cidand

salicylicacidTh

emain

constituent

ofthev

olatile

oilof

clove

iseugeno

lItalso

contains

minor

amou

ntso

feugenol

acetate120573-cariofilenol

120572-hum

ulen120573

-pinenelim

onene

farnesolbenzaldehyde

2-heptanon

eand

ethylh

exanoate

[64]

Tabernaemontana

divaric

ataLinn

English

Crepe

jasm

inePinw

heelFlow

erSinh

alaWathu

sudd

a

Acommon

garden

plantinSriL

anka

Crepejasminefl

owersa

reused

totre

atcorneal

inflammationandop

hthalm

iaItisused

inUnani

medicinefor

the

managem

ento

fpain

Thefl

owerssoakedwater

issprin

kled

onsm

allpox

patie

nts

Inrecent

investigations

itisfoun

dou

tthatthese

flowersp

ossesses

Hippo

craticscreeningantia

nxiety

antic

onvulsa

ntantidiabetic

cytotoxicantifertility

anti-inflammatoryantio

xidantand

gastr

oprotectiv

eeffects

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

Tdivaric

atefl

owers

teste

don

Wistar

ratswith

chem

icallyindu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nshassho

wnthatitpo

ssessesg

astro

protectiv

eeffectsb

yenhancingthep

rodu

ctionof

the

gastric

mucosao

rpreventingits

depletionby

aggressiv

efactorsA

lsoitwas

foun

dou

tthatthese

extractsindu

cethea

ntioxidant

activ

ityin

chem

ically

indu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nin

rats

Aspido

spermatancoryn

anthean

ibogan

andplum

eran

sub-types

ofindo

lealkaloids[65]

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

6 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Hibiscus

tiliaceus

Sinh

alaBe

li-patta

TamilNir-paratth

i

Very

common

inthe

lowcoun

tryof

Sri

Lank

a

Flow

ersa

rebo

iledin

milk

totre

atearache[27]

Thes

limysapof

theb

arkbranches

andflo

wer

buds

areu

sedas

amild

laxativ

eora

salubricant

inchild

birthor

labo

rpains

andrubb

edon

stomachandto

treatbron

chitisTh

eaqu

eous

extracto

fwoo

dandfre

shflo

werso

fthisp

lant

isused

asatreatmentfor

skin

diseases

[28]

Thefl

owersc

onsisto

femollient

prop

ertie

sand

anti-depressant

likea

ctivity

[27]

Them

ethano

lextractconsistso

fstigmasterolstigm

astadienoland

stigmastadienon

e[29]

Horsfield

iairy

aghedhi

Sinh

alaRu

k

Oftenfoun

din

the

low-cou

ntry

upto

1000

feetaltitud

e

Thefl

owersa

reused

totre

atdysentery

hiccou

ghandwastin

gdiseases

[27]

Impatiens

balsa

mina

English

Jew

elweed

Sinh

alaKu

udalu

Grownas

agarden

plantcom

mon

lyin

SriL

anka

Flow

ersa

reappliedforb

urnsscaldslumbago

andintercostaln

euralgia[30]

Thefl

owersa

rehaving

coolingdemulcent

andtonic

effectanti-anaphylacticandanti-hypo

tensive

prop

ertie

sTh

ealcoh

olicextracto

fflow

ersh

asantib

iotic

activ

ityagainstFructicolaandotherp

atho

genicfun

giand

bacteriaandthem

ethano

licextracto

fthe

flowers

hasa

nti-tum

ourp

romotingactiv

ityperipheraland

centralanti-n

ociceptiv

eactivity

[3132]

Itwas

foun

dthatthee

ffectsw

erer

apid

andlong

lastingandthesee

ffectsw

erem

ediatedby

the

inhibitio

nof

opioid

receptorsa

ndperip

heral

inflammatorymediatorslik

ecyclooxygenase2

[33]

Thek

amph

erolandqu

ercetin

possessesa

ntibacteria

lactiv

ityagainstP

ropionibacteriu

macnes[34]

Also

the

isolatedkamph

erolhassho

wnmushroo

mtyrosin

aseinh

ibito

ryactiv

itywhich

proves

the

fairn

essa

ctivity

ofthefl

ower

extract[32]

Flavanolkam

pherolquercetin

myricetin

[35]pheno

liccompo

undsimpatie

nolate

balsa

minolatelaw

sone

methyl

etherkaem

pferol3-rutin

oside

2-hydroxy14-naphtho

quinon

ep-coum

aricandferulic

acids

[33]

Ipom

oeaaquatic

English

Water

spinach

Sinh

alaKa

ngkong

TamilKa

laka

Very

common

inshallowwater

and

moistplaces

inthe

dryregion

ofSri

Lank

a

Theb

udisappliedto

treatrin

gworm

infections

[25]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Ixoracoccinea

Sinh

alaRa

tmal

TamilVe

dchi

Thefl

owersa

refriedin

melted

butte

rrubb

eddo

wnwith

alittlecumin

andnagakesara

and

madeintoab

olus

with

sugarc

andyTh

ispreparationisused

asar

emedyford

ysentery

[3]Also

the

flowersa

refamou

sfor

itsuseto

treatcatarrhalbronchitisdysmenorrhea

hemop

tysis

andleucorrhoeainAy

urvedic

medicine[32]

Thea

queous

flower

extractshave

also

show

nanti-diarrhoealactiv

ityagainsta

casto

roilindu

ced

diarrhoeam

odelin

ratsandalcoho

licextracth

asshow

nwou

ndhealingactiv

ityin

dead

spacew

ound

mod

elin

rats[36]Th

emethano

licextractw

asrepo

rted

topo

ssessthe

analgesic

anti-infl

ammatory

antiu

lcerfairness[37]a

ndbroad-spectrum

anti-microbialactiv

ity[38]A

ntitu

mou

ractivity

ofI

coccinea

flowersw

asstu

died

onDaltonslym

phom

a(ascitica

ndsolid

tumou

rs)a

ndEh

rlich

Ascites

Carcinom

a(EA

C)tumou

rsin

micea

nditwas

repo

rted

thatthereisa

significantantitu

mou

ractiv

ityin

thefl

ower

extracts

Also

chem

oprotective

effecto

fflow

erse

xtractsh

asshow

nas

ignificant

effecto

ncisplatin

indu

cedtoxicityin

mice[37]

Essentialoilextractedfro

mthe

flowersc

ontainstriterpenes

mon

oterpenessesquiterpenes

andan

esterTh

econ

stituentsof

triterpenes

detected

areu

rsolic

acidoleanolicandlupeolwhile

geranylacetateisdetected

asthe

major

mon

oterpeneFurther

analysisof

them

ethano

licflo

wer

extracth

asrevealed

thep

resence

ofbiochinAm

yricetin

quercetin

rutindiadzeinand

form

onon

etin

compo

unds

[37]

Ixoraparviflora

English

Toreb

tree

Sinh

alaMahar

atam

bala

TamilKa

rank

utti

Thefl

owersp

ound

edin

milk

areg

iven

inwho

opingcoug

h[3]

Laws

oniaalba

English

Henna

Sinh

alaMarith

ondii

TamilMarito

ndi

Aninfusio

nof

flowe

rsof

thisplantissaidto

beag

oodapplicationto

bruises[3]D

ecoctio

nof

thefl

owersisu

sedas

anem

menagogue

[39]

Essentialoil(002)richin

iono

nes(90

)120572

-iono

nes

(Figure1(e))and120573-io

nones

(Figure1(f))in

which120573-io

nones

predom

inated

[39]

Mesua

ferrea

English

Ironwoo

dtre

eSinh

alaNa

TamilNagacuram

Thep

asteof

flowersisa

ppliedto

bleeding

piles

andforb

urning

ofthefeetasa

paste

madew

ithbu

ttera

ndsugarAlso

theyareu

sedagainst

snakea

ndscorpion

sting

[40]A

syrupof

the

flower

buds

isgivenin

treatmento

fdysentery

[3]Adecoctionof

2-3flo

wersw

ithsugar

cand

yisgiventwicea

dayfortosto

pbloo

dysto

olTh

eflow

erbu

dsareu

sedto

treatsore

throatcou

ghandasthma[

40]

Methano

licextracto

fthe

flower

consistso

fantio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivity

and

methano

licanddichloromethane

extracto

fthe

flower

hassho

wnantim

icrobialactiv

ityagainst

MicrococcusluteusE

coilCa

ndidaalbicans

and

Aspergillus

niger

Thefl

owersh

aves

tomachicexpectorantand

astringent

prop

ertie

s[40

]

120572-cop

aene

(Figure1(j))a

ndgerm

acrene

Dcompo

unds

[40]

8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineTa

ble1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Magnolia

fuscata

Sinh

alaMadana-kama

TamM

adanakam

-poo

Thisplantis

cultivatedbo

thin

the

hillcoun

tryandmid

coun

tryof

SriL

anka

Thes

eeds

andflo

werso

fthisp

lant

areu

sedfor

makingpreparations

forstre

ngtheningsexu

alvirility

[27]

Meliaazedarach

English

Beadtre

eIndian

Lilac

Sinh

alaMahanim

baTamilMalaivenb

u

Apaste

offlo

wersisa

ppliedon

theh

eadto

destroylicea

ndfore

ruptions

ofthes

calpTh

eflo

wersa

ndleaves

area

ppliedas

apou

ltice

torelieve

nervou

sheadaches

Theo

ilof

thefl

ower

contains

sulphu

rand

inorganicc

ombinatio

nandisuseful

fora

llcutaneou

sailm

entsandrheumatism

The

flowersa

realso

used

totre

atceph

alalgia

gastropathyverm

inosis

strangury

dysm

enorrhoeaa

ndfever

Accordingto

thes

tudiesthe

methano

licextracto

fMazedarach

flowersa

lsoshow

spotentantibacteria

lactiv

ity

Thefl

owersh

avea

stringentrefrig

erantanod

yne

stomachicverm

ifugediuretic

abo

rtifa

cient

deob

struentand

alexipharm

icactiv

ities

[41]

Nelumbo

nucifera

English

Chinese

water

lilySacred

lotus

Sinh

alaNelu

mTamilAmbal

Com

mon

inthetanks

ofdryzone

ofSri

Lank

a

Thes

tamenso

fthe

flowersa

reused

bleeding

pilesa

nddebilityandweakn

essinchild

ren

Thefl

owersw

ithstam

ensa

ndJuiceo

fflow

erstalkareu

sedford

iarrho

eacho

lerafevers

liver

complaintsandas

acardiac

tonic

Thefl

ower

ismadeintosyrupandgivenfor

coug

hsdysentery

andto

checkhaem

orrhages

from

bleeding

pilesTh

egroun

dpetalsare

administered

forsyphilis

inMalayaTh

emilk

yjuiceo

fthe

leaves

andflo

wer

stalkisgivenfor

diarrhoeaIn

Chinaa

ndMalayathe

dried

petalsandsta

men

ofthep

inkflo

wer

varie

tyare

used

asac

osmeticto

improvethe

complexion

Also

the

flowersa

reused

ascoolingand

astringent

agents

Thefl

ower

beveragesa

reused

totre

atcancerw

eakn

essa

ndbo

dyheat

balanceStam

ensa

reused

totre

atconsolidationof

kidn

eyfunctio

naphrod

isiac

males

exuald

isordersa

ndfemaleleucorrhea

Poun

dedpetalsof

thefl

owersa

reused

for

syph

ilisFlow

ersta

lkareu

sedto

treatuterine

bleeding

andflo

wer

receptaclestosto

pbleeding

andto

elim

inates

tagn

ated

bloo

dFlow

ersa

ndrhizom

esared

emulcent

astringentm

ildsedativ

espasmolytic

antiseptic

usedin

infusio

ninternallyfor

chronicd

iarrheaas

adou

chefor

leucorrhea

andvaginitis

asag

arglefor

sore

throatalso

giveninternallyforp

rosta

teprob

lems[42]

Thefl

ower

stalksa

reused

totre

atexcessive

menstr

uatio

nbleeding

gastr

iculcersand

postp

artum

haem

orrhageTh

elotus

honeyis

used

inthetreatmento

feye

infections

[43]

Flow

ersd

emon

strateh

ypoglycemicantipyretic

antid

iabetic

antioxidant

andfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ityantim

icrobialactiv

ityvasod

ilatin

geffects

antih

ypertensivea

ndantia

rrhythmicabilitie

sFlow

ersa

reric

hin

aldo

seredu

ctaseinh

ibito

ryactiv

ityantiplateletactivity

andaphrod

isiac

activ

itytoo[41]

Nornu

ciferin

eN-m

ethylasim

ilobine

N-m

ethylco

claurin

eiso

quercitrin

(hirsutrin

)dehydroemerineliriodenine

quercetin

dehydronu

ciferin

elirinidinedemethylcoclaurine

asim

ilobineluteolin

glucoside

andlin

aloo

l[44

]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Neriu

moleand

erSinh

alaKa

neru

TamilKa

naweeram

Thisplantis

cultivatedas

agarden

plantm

ostly

inNorth

Centralprovince

ofSriL

anka

Thee

thanolicextracto

fthese

flowersh

asshow

na

significantantioxidant

activ

ityandantim

icrobial

activ

ityagainstB

acillus

subtilisStaphylococcus

aureusE

scheric

hiacoliSalm

onellaandPseudomonas

aeruginosa

andantifun

galactivity

againstA

spergillu

snigerA

flavusA

fumigatesandRh

izopus

species

[45]Th

edichlorom

ethane

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

ntheh

ighestcytotoxica

ctivity

againstT

47D

HepG-2

andK5

62celllin

es[46]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidstannins

sapo

ninscarbo

hydrates

and

phenols

Nymphaeaste

llate

English

Water

lily

Sinh

alaNilmanel

Thefl

owersa

reused

asan

astringentcardiac

tonica

ndfebrifu

geFilamentsareg

radedas

useful

inbu

rningsensations

oftheb

odysin

cethey

possessc

oolin

gandastringent

prop

ertie

sTh

esea

reused

totre

atbleeding

pilesa

ndmenorrhagiaandconstitutea

ningredient

ofcoolingmedicines

forc

utaneous

ailm

ents

Carefully

driedfragrant

stam

ensa

ctas

diuretic

andareu

sedforfl

avou

ringteaHelp

fulin

relieving

dryn

essinthec

hest

Smellin

gthe

flowersisb

eneficialforp

ersons

with

warm

temperament[5]

Ithasa

strin

gentdiuretic

andfebrifu

geprop

ertie

sNstellateWild

flowersp

ossessgastro

protectiv

eactio

nby

thes

uppressio

nof

pro-inflammatory

cytokinesa

ndfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ities

Ithasa

nti-a

poptoticeffectagainstethano

l-ind

uced

ulceratio

nTh

estudy

suggeststhatthee

xtractof

N

stellateflo

wersh

asantio

xidantanti-infl

ammatory

andanti-apop

totic

prop

ertie

s[47]

10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Punica

granatum

English

Pom

egranate

Sinh

alaDelu

m

Pomegranatewith

durvar

ootjuice

isgivento

stopbleeding

from

then

oseTh

erindof

the

fruitand

flowersc

ombinedwith

arom

atics

(clovecinnamon

etc)

asastringent

insuch

bowelaffectio

nno

taccom

panied

with

tenesm

us

Sour

pomegranateFlower

buds

bruisedare

givento

relieve

fevercoug

handbron

chitisTh

ejuiceise

ffectiveinredu

cing

burningsensation

inthec

hestandlesseningtheb

lood

heat

Itisantib

iliou

ssto

psnausea

andvomiting

increasesfrequ

ency

ofurinea

nditrsquos

more

pron

ounced

than

ofthes

weetvarie

tyFlowe

rsdriedandpo

wderedused

astoothpo

wder

strengthens

theg

umsa

ndactsas

haem

ostatic

forb

leedinggums

Fevera

ccom

panied

byvomiting

anddiarrhoea

isrelievedfollo

wingits

useAlso

beneficialin

jaun

dice

duetoheatTh

eflow

erof

thisplantis

also

used

asar

emedyford

iabetesdiarrhea

andvaginald

ischargeinUnani

andAy

urvedic

medicineAlso

itisu

sedforthe

treatmento

finjurie

sfrom

falls

andgrey

hairof

youn

gmen

[5]

Thea

lcoh

olicextracto

fpom

egranateflo

wers

possessesa

potent

freer

adicalscavenging

antio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivities

Accordingto

thisstu

dythea

lcoh

olicextractcon

tains

ahugea

mou

ntof

polyph

enolicsa

ndthee

xtractis

capableo

fprotectingagainsto

xidativ

edam

ageto

lipidsa

ndproteins

andalso

ofincreasin

gmaintaining

thelevels

ofantio

xidant

molecules

andenzymes

invivo

[48]

Nasiri

etal2015comparedthee

fficacy

ofpo

megranateflo

wer

extractw

iththatof

creams

containing

standard

1silversulfadiazine(SSD)

base

cream

andno

rmalsalin

efor

treatingthermal

burn

injurie

sinrats

Ther

esultshave

show

nthat

creamsc

ontainingtheP

granatum

flower

extract

have

remarkablyim

proved

theh

ealin

gof

burn

wou

ndsc

omparedwith

creamsS

SD[49]

Ethano

lextractof

pomegranate

flowersc

ontainsthe

compo

unds

ellagica

cid

33101584041015840 -tri-

O-m

ethylellagica

cid

ethylbrevifolin

carboxylate

urolicacidsmaslin

icacidsa

nddaucosterolAlso

thetwo

flavonesluteolin

andtricetin

werefou

ndin

amethano

licextracto

fpo

megranateflo

wers[50]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Rosa

damascene

Mill

English

Rose

Sinh

alaRo

sa

Rose

buds

arem

orea

stringent

than

thefull

blow

nflo

wersa

ndconsidered

cold

anddry

ceph

aliccardicalton

icandaperientrem

oving

bilio

usnessB

udsa

reconsidered

asastringent

aperientcardiacalcephalic

tonicremoving

bileandcold

humou

rsTh

erosefl

ower

isregarded

asrefrigeranttonifyingforthe

vital

organsstomachandintestineshasc

ompo

und

actio

nof

causingmild

purgationas

wellas

astringencyles

sens

theh

eatd

ueto

bilio

usness

givesfragrance

isperspiratio

nandredu

cesits

excessivee

xcretio

nEx

ternallyappliedgives

relieftowarm

inflammations

andassociated

painTh

eaqu

adistillateisu

sefulinirr

itated

affectio

nsof

eyes

Flow

ersh

elpin

curin

gbu

rningsensationsbud

odou

rfrom

mou

thfor

improvingappetite

relieving

headachetoo

thache

(asg

argles)

stomatitisbeneficially

used

inabno

rmal

functio

ning

ofkidn

eysliverchron

icfevers

inflammations

andintestinalaffectio

ns

Rose

oilisu

sedas

flavorin

gagentsto

maskthe

taste

ofmanyob

noxiou

spreparatio

nsA

conserve

ofrose

petalswith

othern

utritional

ingredientsh

asmild

laxativ

eaction

Itisuseful

toim

provea

ppetitesorethroatenlarged

tonsils

andsometim

esto

relieve

common

urogenitialdisordersa

ndurtic

arial

Thefl

owersh

avec

oolin

gmild

laxativ

eaphrod

isiac

antip

yreticcardioton

icandastringent

prop

ertie

s

Volatile

oilcon

tainsg

eraniol

citro

nello

leugeno

lTh

epetals

containvitamin

Cqu

ercitrin

quercitann

icacidgallic

acid

carotenenandredcolouring

matter[5]

Saraca

indica

Linn

Sinh

alaAs

oka

TamilAs

ogam

Asokap

lant

grow

swellinareaslike

Anu

radh

apura

Polonn

aruw

aBinthann

eaand

Mahiyanganaya

etc

Thejuice

offlo

werso

rsyrup

isuseful

cardiotonica

swellasb

rain

tonica

ndrelieves

dysentery[51]

Flow

ersa

realso

helpfulintre

atingdiabetes

haem

orrhoids

andforthe

treatmento

futerin

edisordersinfemales

[52]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

nantiu

lcer

activ

ityA

lsothefl

ower

extractshasa

lsoshow

n50cytotoxica

ctivity

againstD

altons

lymph

omaa

scitesa

ndSarcom

a-180tumou

rcells

with

outany

cytotoxica

ctivity

againsth

uman

norm

allymph

ocytes

[53]

Thes

tudies

have

show

nthatthefl

ower

areu

sedto

redu

ceskin

tumou

rsindu

cedby

712-dim

ethyl

benzanthracenetorejuvenateskin

complexion

toindu

cequ

ickhealingof

skin

injurie

sandto

redu

cefre

cklesa

ndexternalinflammations

ofthes

kinsin

cethee

xtractsc

ontain

flavono

ids[54]

Oleiclinoleicpalm

itica

ndste

aricacidsP-sitosterol

quercetin

kaem

pferol-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

equ

ercetin

-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

eapigenin-7-0-p-D

-glucosid

epelargon

idin-35diglucoside

cyanidin-35-diglucosid

epalm

iticste

ariclinolenic

linoleicleucocyanidinandgallic

acid

[54]

12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Sesbaniagrandiflora

Sinh

alaKa

turu

murum

ga

Thisisac

ommon

tree

which

canbe

foun

din

theb

ackyard

ofmost

oftheS

riLank

anho

mes

Sgrandiflora

flowersp

ossessanti-canceranalgesicandantip

yretic

activ

ities

[55]

Thep

heno

licextracto

fSgrand

iflorahassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstStaphylo

coccus

aureus

Shigellaflexneri2aSalm

onellaTyphiEscherich

iacoli

andVibriocholera

Also

ith

asshow

ntheg

rowth

prom

otingeffecto

nthec

ommon

prob

iotic

bacterium

Lactobacillus

acidophilus[56]

Sida

veronicaefo

liaSinh

alaBe

vila

TamilPalampasi

Acommon

plantin

thew

astegrou

ndof

low-cou

ntry

inSri

Lank

aespecially

inareaslikeB

attic

alo

Haragam

aetc

Paleyello

wsm

allfl

owersa

ndun

ripefruits

are

givenwith

sugarindecoctionforb

urning

sensationin

micturition[27]

Sphaeranthus

hirtusin

dicus

L English

Globe

flowerEast

Indian

glob

ethistle

Sinh

alaMud

amahana

Thesep

lantsa

regrow

nin

ther

icefi

eldin

SriL

ankaItis

common

inmoist

places

especially

padd

yfield

inthelow

coun

trylik

eKu

runagala

Theleafflo

wer

andseedso

fthisp

lant

are

grou

ndinto

apasteandappliedtopically

totre

atskin

diseases

especiallyin

itching

sskin

erup

tionseczem

aspsoria

sisvitiligoandpiles

Also

itisu

sedto

treatwe

akheartpalpitatio

ns

jointd

iseasesliver

diseases

especiallyjaun

dice

andin

chronicc

ough

Flowersa

reuseful

inprom

otingeyesight

andin

thetreatmento

fdiabetes

Flow

ersa

rehigh

lyesteem

edas

analternative

refrigeranttonicbloo

dpu

rifier

andin

the

treatmento

fcon

junctiv

itis

Flow

erpaste

isgivenin

emptysto

machto

cure

dysenterydiarrhoeaa

ndindigestion[57]

Sindicusfl

ower

extractshave

show

ntheb

road

spectrum

antib

acteria

lactivity

andthey

have

asig

nificantantifu

ngalandantip

rotozoalactiv

ity

Thefl

owersa

lsoconsist

ofneurolepticanx

iolytic

hepatoprotectiv

ehaem

olytichaemostatic

analgesic

andantia

rthritica

ctivities

Thefl

ower

headsa

refamou

sfor

their

neurop

rotectiveantia

mnesic

antihyperlip

idem

icandwou

ndhealingactiv

ities

Both

flowersa

ndthefl

ower

headsc

onsisto

fim

mun

ostim

ulatoryactiv

ity[58]

Sphaeranthanolidew

ithim

mun

ostim

ulantp

otentia

l

Eudesm

enolidetypeo

fsesquiterpeneg

lycosid

eand

sphaeranthanolide[57]

Spilanthesp

anicu

lata

Wall

Spilanthesa

cmella

Sinh

alaAkm

ella

TamilAkk

irakaram

Thep

lant

iscommon

upto

6000

feet

altitud

einSriL

anka

Thefl

ower

headso

fthisp

lant

arec

hewed

for

toothache[25]

Thefl

ower

ofSacmellaiskn

ownto

prod

ucelipase

inhibitio

nprop

ertie

sdiureticvasorelaxation

pancreaticprop

ertie

sand

antifun

galactivity

especiallyagainstA

spergillu

sparasiticusA

niger

Fusariu

mmoniliform

iand

Foxysporum

Itisfoun

dthatthee

xtractof

flower

headso

fthis

plantcon

tainsspilantho

lwhich

isactiv

eagainst

Plutellaxyloste

llaAc

cordingto

studies

thea

queous

extracto

fSpanicu

lata

flowersh

aspo

tent

diurectic

activ

ityTh

isactsas

aloo

pdiureticw

hich

increases

theu

rinaryNa+

andK+

levels[59]

Spilantho

l[60]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Stereospermum

suaveolen

s(Roxb)Bignonia

suaveolen

sRoxb

Sinh

alaPalol

TamillA

mbu

App

u

Thefl

ower

isused

totre

atmalariabronchitis

heartd

iseasescancerpu

rgativein

the

treatmento

fbleedingdiseasesdiarrho

eaof

the

pitta

type

anditisgood

forthe

throat

TheP

alolflo

wersa

realso

used

totre

athiccup

Th

esefl

owersa

remixed

with

honeyandgiven

orally[61]

Syzygium

arom

aticu

mEn

glish

Clove

Sinh

alaKa

rabu

-neti

TamilKa

ruvapp

u

Itallay

sthirstand

nausea

inchild

rensufferin

gfro

mwormsa

ndingestion

Along

with

other

ingredientsitcures

colicdise

ases

ofthec

hest

andthroatcou

ghhiccoug

hasthmadiarrhea

urinarydiseases

andremedyfora

rthritisa

ndrheumatism

[62]

Thefl

ower

buds

ofSarom

aticu

mhave

been

used

fortreatmento

fmales

exuald

isordersin

Ayurvedica

ndUnani

medicines

from

the

ancienttim

es[63]

They

consist

ofcarm

inativesto

machica

ndstimulant

activ

ity

Clovea

lsopo

ssessesa

ntise

pticantibacteria

lantifun

galantiv

iralantiemeticanti-infl

ammatory

cytotoxica

ndanestheticprop

ertie

sCloveo

ilisused

fortoo

thache

becauseo

fitsantib

iotic

andantiseptic

prop

ertie

s[63]

Volatile

oilcaryop

hyllin

eugenin

gumtannica

cidand

salicylicacidTh

emain

constituent

ofthev

olatile

oilof

clove

iseugeno

lItalso

contains

minor

amou

ntso

feugenol

acetate120573-cariofilenol

120572-hum

ulen120573

-pinenelim

onene

farnesolbenzaldehyde

2-heptanon

eand

ethylh

exanoate

[64]

Tabernaemontana

divaric

ataLinn

English

Crepe

jasm

inePinw

heelFlow

erSinh

alaWathu

sudd

a

Acommon

garden

plantinSriL

anka

Crepejasminefl

owersa

reused

totre

atcorneal

inflammationandop

hthalm

iaItisused

inUnani

medicinefor

the

managem

ento

fpain

Thefl

owerssoakedwater

issprin

kled

onsm

allpox

patie

nts

Inrecent

investigations

itisfoun

dou

tthatthese

flowersp

ossesses

Hippo

craticscreeningantia

nxiety

antic

onvulsa

ntantidiabetic

cytotoxicantifertility

anti-inflammatoryantio

xidantand

gastr

oprotectiv

eeffects

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

Tdivaric

atefl

owers

teste

don

Wistar

ratswith

chem

icallyindu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nshassho

wnthatitpo

ssessesg

astro

protectiv

eeffectsb

yenhancingthep

rodu

ctionof

the

gastric

mucosao

rpreventingits

depletionby

aggressiv

efactorsA

lsoitwas

foun

dou

tthatthese

extractsindu

cethea

ntioxidant

activ

ityin

chem

ically

indu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nin

rats

Aspido

spermatancoryn

anthean

ibogan

andplum

eran

sub-types

ofindo

lealkaloids[65]

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 7

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Ixoracoccinea

Sinh

alaRa

tmal

TamilVe

dchi

Thefl

owersa

refriedin

melted

butte

rrubb

eddo

wnwith

alittlecumin

andnagakesara

and

madeintoab

olus

with

sugarc

andyTh

ispreparationisused

asar

emedyford

ysentery

[3]Also

the

flowersa

refamou

sfor

itsuseto

treatcatarrhalbronchitisdysmenorrhea

hemop

tysis

andleucorrhoeainAy

urvedic

medicine[32]

Thea

queous

flower

extractshave

also

show

nanti-diarrhoealactiv

ityagainsta

casto

roilindu

ced

diarrhoeam

odelin

ratsandalcoho

licextracth

asshow

nwou

ndhealingactiv

ityin

dead

spacew

ound

mod

elin

rats[36]Th

emethano

licextractw

asrepo

rted

topo

ssessthe

analgesic

anti-infl

ammatory

antiu

lcerfairness[37]a

ndbroad-spectrum

anti-microbialactiv

ity[38]A

ntitu

mou

ractivity

ofI

coccinea

flowersw

asstu

died

onDaltonslym

phom

a(ascitica

ndsolid

tumou

rs)a

ndEh

rlich

Ascites

Carcinom

a(EA

C)tumou

rsin

micea

nditwas

repo

rted

thatthereisa

significantantitu

mou

ractiv

ityin

thefl

ower

extracts

Also

chem

oprotective

effecto

fflow

erse

xtractsh

asshow

nas

ignificant

effecto

ncisplatin

indu

cedtoxicityin

mice[37]

Essentialoilextractedfro

mthe

flowersc

ontainstriterpenes

mon

oterpenessesquiterpenes

andan

esterTh

econ

stituentsof

triterpenes

detected

areu

rsolic

acidoleanolicandlupeolwhile

geranylacetateisdetected

asthe

major

mon

oterpeneFurther

analysisof

them

ethano

licflo

wer

extracth

asrevealed

thep

resence

ofbiochinAm

yricetin

quercetin

rutindiadzeinand

form

onon

etin

compo

unds

[37]

Ixoraparviflora

English

Toreb

tree

Sinh

alaMahar

atam

bala

TamilKa

rank

utti

Thefl

owersp

ound

edin

milk

areg

iven

inwho

opingcoug

h[3]

Laws

oniaalba

English

Henna

Sinh

alaMarith

ondii

TamilMarito

ndi

Aninfusio

nof

flowe

rsof

thisplantissaidto

beag

oodapplicationto

bruises[3]D

ecoctio

nof

thefl

owersisu

sedas

anem

menagogue

[39]

Essentialoil(002)richin

iono

nes(90

)120572

-iono

nes

(Figure1(e))and120573-io

nones

(Figure1(f))in

which120573-io

nones

predom

inated

[39]

Mesua

ferrea

English

Ironwoo

dtre

eSinh

alaNa

TamilNagacuram

Thep

asteof

flowersisa

ppliedto

bleeding

piles

andforb

urning

ofthefeetasa

paste

madew

ithbu

ttera

ndsugarAlso

theyareu

sedagainst

snakea

ndscorpion

sting

[40]A

syrupof

the

flower

buds

isgivenin

treatmento

fdysentery

[3]Adecoctionof

2-3flo

wersw

ithsugar

cand

yisgiventwicea

dayfortosto

pbloo

dysto

olTh

eflow

erbu

dsareu

sedto

treatsore

throatcou

ghandasthma[

40]

Methano

licextracto

fthe

flower

consistso

fantio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivity

and

methano

licanddichloromethane

extracto

fthe

flower

hassho

wnantim

icrobialactiv

ityagainst

MicrococcusluteusE

coilCa

ndidaalbicans

and

Aspergillus

niger

Thefl

owersh

aves

tomachicexpectorantand

astringent

prop

ertie

s[40

]

120572-cop

aene

(Figure1(j))a

ndgerm

acrene

Dcompo

unds

[40]

8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineTa

ble1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Magnolia

fuscata

Sinh

alaMadana-kama

TamM

adanakam

-poo

Thisplantis

cultivatedbo

thin

the

hillcoun

tryandmid

coun

tryof

SriL

anka

Thes

eeds

andflo

werso

fthisp

lant

areu

sedfor

makingpreparations

forstre

ngtheningsexu

alvirility

[27]

Meliaazedarach

English

Beadtre

eIndian

Lilac

Sinh

alaMahanim

baTamilMalaivenb

u

Apaste

offlo

wersisa

ppliedon

theh

eadto

destroylicea

ndfore

ruptions

ofthes

calpTh

eflo

wersa

ndleaves

area

ppliedas

apou

ltice

torelieve

nervou

sheadaches

Theo

ilof

thefl

ower

contains

sulphu

rand

inorganicc

ombinatio

nandisuseful

fora

llcutaneou

sailm

entsandrheumatism

The

flowersa

realso

used

totre

atceph

alalgia

gastropathyverm

inosis

strangury

dysm

enorrhoeaa

ndfever

Accordingto

thes

tudiesthe

methano

licextracto

fMazedarach

flowersa

lsoshow

spotentantibacteria

lactiv

ity

Thefl

owersh

avea

stringentrefrig

erantanod

yne

stomachicverm

ifugediuretic

abo

rtifa

cient

deob

struentand

alexipharm

icactiv

ities

[41]

Nelumbo

nucifera

English

Chinese

water

lilySacred

lotus

Sinh

alaNelu

mTamilAmbal

Com

mon

inthetanks

ofdryzone

ofSri

Lank

a

Thes

tamenso

fthe

flowersa

reused

bleeding

pilesa

nddebilityandweakn

essinchild

ren

Thefl

owersw

ithstam

ensa

ndJuiceo

fflow

erstalkareu

sedford

iarrho

eacho

lerafevers

liver

complaintsandas

acardiac

tonic

Thefl

ower

ismadeintosyrupandgivenfor

coug

hsdysentery

andto

checkhaem

orrhages

from

bleeding

pilesTh

egroun

dpetalsare

administered

forsyphilis

inMalayaTh

emilk

yjuiceo

fthe

leaves

andflo

wer

stalkisgivenfor

diarrhoeaIn

Chinaa

ndMalayathe

dried

petalsandsta

men

ofthep

inkflo

wer

varie

tyare

used

asac

osmeticto

improvethe

complexion

Also

the

flowersa

reused

ascoolingand

astringent

agents

Thefl

ower

beveragesa

reused

totre

atcancerw

eakn

essa

ndbo

dyheat

balanceStam

ensa

reused

totre

atconsolidationof

kidn

eyfunctio

naphrod

isiac

males

exuald

isordersa

ndfemaleleucorrhea

Poun

dedpetalsof

thefl

owersa

reused

for

syph

ilisFlow

ersta

lkareu

sedto

treatuterine

bleeding

andflo

wer

receptaclestosto

pbleeding

andto

elim

inates

tagn

ated

bloo

dFlow

ersa

ndrhizom

esared

emulcent

astringentm

ildsedativ

espasmolytic

antiseptic

usedin

infusio

ninternallyfor

chronicd

iarrheaas

adou

chefor

leucorrhea

andvaginitis

asag

arglefor

sore

throatalso

giveninternallyforp

rosta

teprob

lems[42]

Thefl

ower

stalksa

reused

totre

atexcessive

menstr

uatio

nbleeding

gastr

iculcersand

postp

artum

haem

orrhageTh

elotus

honeyis

used

inthetreatmento

feye

infections

[43]

Flow

ersd

emon

strateh

ypoglycemicantipyretic

antid

iabetic

antioxidant

andfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ityantim

icrobialactiv

ityvasod

ilatin

geffects

antih

ypertensivea

ndantia

rrhythmicabilitie

sFlow

ersa

reric

hin

aldo

seredu

ctaseinh

ibito

ryactiv

ityantiplateletactivity

andaphrod

isiac

activ

itytoo[41]

Nornu

ciferin

eN-m

ethylasim

ilobine

N-m

ethylco

claurin

eiso

quercitrin

(hirsutrin

)dehydroemerineliriodenine

quercetin

dehydronu

ciferin

elirinidinedemethylcoclaurine

asim

ilobineluteolin

glucoside

andlin

aloo

l[44

]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Neriu

moleand

erSinh

alaKa

neru

TamilKa

naweeram

Thisplantis

cultivatedas

agarden

plantm

ostly

inNorth

Centralprovince

ofSriL

anka

Thee

thanolicextracto

fthese

flowersh

asshow

na

significantantioxidant

activ

ityandantim

icrobial

activ

ityagainstB

acillus

subtilisStaphylococcus

aureusE

scheric

hiacoliSalm

onellaandPseudomonas

aeruginosa

andantifun

galactivity

againstA

spergillu

snigerA

flavusA

fumigatesandRh

izopus

species

[45]Th

edichlorom

ethane

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

ntheh

ighestcytotoxica

ctivity

againstT

47D

HepG-2

andK5

62celllin

es[46]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidstannins

sapo

ninscarbo

hydrates

and

phenols

Nymphaeaste

llate

English

Water

lily

Sinh

alaNilmanel

Thefl

owersa

reused

asan

astringentcardiac

tonica

ndfebrifu

geFilamentsareg

radedas

useful

inbu

rningsensations

oftheb

odysin

cethey

possessc

oolin

gandastringent

prop

ertie

sTh

esea

reused

totre

atbleeding

pilesa

ndmenorrhagiaandconstitutea

ningredient

ofcoolingmedicines

forc

utaneous

ailm

ents

Carefully

driedfragrant

stam

ensa

ctas

diuretic

andareu

sedforfl

avou

ringteaHelp

fulin

relieving

dryn

essinthec

hest

Smellin

gthe

flowersisb

eneficialforp

ersons

with

warm

temperament[5]

Ithasa

strin

gentdiuretic

andfebrifu

geprop

ertie

sNstellateWild

flowersp

ossessgastro

protectiv

eactio

nby

thes

uppressio

nof

pro-inflammatory

cytokinesa

ndfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ities

Ithasa

nti-a

poptoticeffectagainstethano

l-ind

uced

ulceratio

nTh

estudy

suggeststhatthee

xtractof

N

stellateflo

wersh

asantio

xidantanti-infl

ammatory

andanti-apop

totic

prop

ertie

s[47]

10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Punica

granatum

English

Pom

egranate

Sinh

alaDelu

m

Pomegranatewith

durvar

ootjuice

isgivento

stopbleeding

from

then

oseTh

erindof

the

fruitand

flowersc

ombinedwith

arom

atics

(clovecinnamon

etc)

asastringent

insuch

bowelaffectio

nno

taccom

panied

with

tenesm

us

Sour

pomegranateFlower

buds

bruisedare

givento

relieve

fevercoug

handbron

chitisTh

ejuiceise

ffectiveinredu

cing

burningsensation

inthec

hestandlesseningtheb

lood

heat

Itisantib

iliou

ssto

psnausea

andvomiting

increasesfrequ

ency

ofurinea

nditrsquos

more

pron

ounced

than

ofthes

weetvarie

tyFlowe

rsdriedandpo

wderedused

astoothpo

wder

strengthens

theg

umsa

ndactsas

haem

ostatic

forb

leedinggums

Fevera

ccom

panied

byvomiting

anddiarrhoea

isrelievedfollo

wingits

useAlso

beneficialin

jaun

dice

duetoheatTh

eflow

erof

thisplantis

also

used

asar

emedyford

iabetesdiarrhea

andvaginald

ischargeinUnani

andAy

urvedic

medicineAlso

itisu

sedforthe

treatmento

finjurie

sfrom

falls

andgrey

hairof

youn

gmen

[5]

Thea

lcoh

olicextracto

fpom

egranateflo

wers

possessesa

potent

freer

adicalscavenging

antio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivities

Accordingto

thisstu

dythea

lcoh

olicextractcon

tains

ahugea

mou

ntof

polyph

enolicsa

ndthee

xtractis

capableo

fprotectingagainsto

xidativ

edam

ageto

lipidsa

ndproteins

andalso

ofincreasin

gmaintaining

thelevels

ofantio

xidant

molecules

andenzymes

invivo

[48]

Nasiri

etal2015comparedthee

fficacy

ofpo

megranateflo

wer

extractw

iththatof

creams

containing

standard

1silversulfadiazine(SSD)

base

cream

andno

rmalsalin

efor

treatingthermal

burn

injurie

sinrats

Ther

esultshave

show

nthat

creamsc

ontainingtheP

granatum

flower

extract

have

remarkablyim

proved

theh

ealin

gof

burn

wou

ndsc

omparedwith

creamsS

SD[49]

Ethano

lextractof

pomegranate

flowersc

ontainsthe

compo

unds

ellagica

cid

33101584041015840 -tri-

O-m

ethylellagica

cid

ethylbrevifolin

carboxylate

urolicacidsmaslin

icacidsa

nddaucosterolAlso

thetwo

flavonesluteolin

andtricetin

werefou

ndin

amethano

licextracto

fpo

megranateflo

wers[50]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Rosa

damascene

Mill

English

Rose

Sinh

alaRo

sa

Rose

buds

arem

orea

stringent

than

thefull

blow

nflo

wersa

ndconsidered

cold

anddry

ceph

aliccardicalton

icandaperientrem

oving

bilio

usnessB

udsa

reconsidered

asastringent

aperientcardiacalcephalic

tonicremoving

bileandcold

humou

rsTh

erosefl

ower

isregarded

asrefrigeranttonifyingforthe

vital

organsstomachandintestineshasc

ompo

und

actio

nof

causingmild

purgationas

wellas

astringencyles

sens

theh

eatd

ueto

bilio

usness

givesfragrance

isperspiratio

nandredu

cesits

excessivee

xcretio

nEx

ternallyappliedgives

relieftowarm

inflammations

andassociated

painTh

eaqu

adistillateisu

sefulinirr

itated

affectio

nsof

eyes

Flow

ersh

elpin

curin

gbu

rningsensationsbud

odou

rfrom

mou

thfor

improvingappetite

relieving

headachetoo

thache

(asg

argles)

stomatitisbeneficially

used

inabno

rmal

functio

ning

ofkidn

eysliverchron

icfevers

inflammations

andintestinalaffectio

ns

Rose

oilisu

sedas

flavorin

gagentsto

maskthe

taste

ofmanyob

noxiou

spreparatio

nsA

conserve

ofrose

petalswith

othern

utritional

ingredientsh

asmild

laxativ

eaction

Itisuseful

toim

provea

ppetitesorethroatenlarged

tonsils

andsometim

esto

relieve

common

urogenitialdisordersa

ndurtic

arial

Thefl

owersh

avec

oolin

gmild

laxativ

eaphrod

isiac

antip

yreticcardioton

icandastringent

prop

ertie

s

Volatile

oilcon

tainsg

eraniol

citro

nello

leugeno

lTh

epetals

containvitamin

Cqu

ercitrin

quercitann

icacidgallic

acid

carotenenandredcolouring

matter[5]

Saraca

indica

Linn

Sinh

alaAs

oka

TamilAs

ogam

Asokap

lant

grow

swellinareaslike

Anu

radh

apura

Polonn

aruw

aBinthann

eaand

Mahiyanganaya

etc

Thejuice

offlo

werso

rsyrup

isuseful

cardiotonica

swellasb

rain

tonica

ndrelieves

dysentery[51]

Flow

ersa

realso

helpfulintre

atingdiabetes

haem

orrhoids

andforthe

treatmento

futerin

edisordersinfemales

[52]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

nantiu

lcer

activ

ityA

lsothefl

ower

extractshasa

lsoshow

n50cytotoxica

ctivity

againstD

altons

lymph

omaa

scitesa

ndSarcom

a-180tumou

rcells

with

outany

cytotoxica

ctivity

againsth

uman

norm

allymph

ocytes

[53]

Thes

tudies

have

show

nthatthefl

ower

areu

sedto

redu

ceskin

tumou

rsindu

cedby

712-dim

ethyl

benzanthracenetorejuvenateskin

complexion

toindu

cequ

ickhealingof

skin

injurie

sandto

redu

cefre

cklesa

ndexternalinflammations

ofthes

kinsin

cethee

xtractsc

ontain

flavono

ids[54]

Oleiclinoleicpalm

itica

ndste

aricacidsP-sitosterol

quercetin

kaem

pferol-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

equ

ercetin

-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

eapigenin-7-0-p-D

-glucosid

epelargon

idin-35diglucoside

cyanidin-35-diglucosid

epalm

iticste

ariclinolenic

linoleicleucocyanidinandgallic

acid

[54]

12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Sesbaniagrandiflora

Sinh

alaKa

turu

murum

ga

Thisisac

ommon

tree

which

canbe

foun

din

theb

ackyard

ofmost

oftheS

riLank

anho

mes

Sgrandiflora

flowersp

ossessanti-canceranalgesicandantip

yretic

activ

ities

[55]

Thep

heno

licextracto

fSgrand

iflorahassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstStaphylo

coccus

aureus

Shigellaflexneri2aSalm

onellaTyphiEscherich

iacoli

andVibriocholera

Also

ith

asshow

ntheg

rowth

prom

otingeffecto

nthec

ommon

prob

iotic

bacterium

Lactobacillus

acidophilus[56]

Sida

veronicaefo

liaSinh

alaBe

vila

TamilPalampasi

Acommon

plantin

thew

astegrou

ndof

low-cou

ntry

inSri

Lank

aespecially

inareaslikeB

attic

alo

Haragam

aetc

Paleyello

wsm

allfl

owersa

ndun

ripefruits

are

givenwith

sugarindecoctionforb

urning

sensationin

micturition[27]

Sphaeranthus

hirtusin

dicus

L English

Globe

flowerEast

Indian

glob

ethistle

Sinh

alaMud

amahana

Thesep

lantsa

regrow

nin

ther

icefi

eldin

SriL

ankaItis

common

inmoist

places

especially

padd

yfield

inthelow

coun

trylik

eKu

runagala

Theleafflo

wer

andseedso

fthisp

lant

are

grou

ndinto

apasteandappliedtopically

totre

atskin

diseases

especiallyin

itching

sskin

erup

tionseczem

aspsoria

sisvitiligoandpiles

Also

itisu

sedto

treatwe

akheartpalpitatio

ns

jointd

iseasesliver

diseases

especiallyjaun

dice

andin

chronicc

ough

Flowersa

reuseful

inprom

otingeyesight

andin

thetreatmento

fdiabetes

Flow

ersa

rehigh

lyesteem

edas

analternative

refrigeranttonicbloo

dpu

rifier

andin

the

treatmento

fcon

junctiv

itis

Flow

erpaste

isgivenin

emptysto

machto

cure

dysenterydiarrhoeaa

ndindigestion[57]

Sindicusfl

ower

extractshave

show

ntheb

road

spectrum

antib

acteria

lactivity

andthey

have

asig

nificantantifu

ngalandantip

rotozoalactiv

ity

Thefl

owersa

lsoconsist

ofneurolepticanx

iolytic

hepatoprotectiv

ehaem

olytichaemostatic

analgesic

andantia

rthritica

ctivities

Thefl

ower

headsa

refamou

sfor

their

neurop

rotectiveantia

mnesic

antihyperlip

idem

icandwou

ndhealingactiv

ities

Both

flowersa

ndthefl

ower

headsc

onsisto

fim

mun

ostim

ulatoryactiv

ity[58]

Sphaeranthanolidew

ithim

mun

ostim

ulantp

otentia

l

Eudesm

enolidetypeo

fsesquiterpeneg

lycosid

eand

sphaeranthanolide[57]

Spilanthesp

anicu

lata

Wall

Spilanthesa

cmella

Sinh

alaAkm

ella

TamilAkk

irakaram

Thep

lant

iscommon

upto

6000

feet

altitud

einSriL

anka

Thefl

ower

headso

fthisp

lant

arec

hewed

for

toothache[25]

Thefl

ower

ofSacmellaiskn

ownto

prod

ucelipase

inhibitio

nprop

ertie

sdiureticvasorelaxation

pancreaticprop

ertie

sand

antifun

galactivity

especiallyagainstA

spergillu

sparasiticusA

niger

Fusariu

mmoniliform

iand

Foxysporum

Itisfoun

dthatthee

xtractof

flower

headso

fthis

plantcon

tainsspilantho

lwhich

isactiv

eagainst

Plutellaxyloste

llaAc

cordingto

studies

thea

queous

extracto

fSpanicu

lata

flowersh

aspo

tent

diurectic

activ

ityTh

isactsas

aloo

pdiureticw

hich

increases

theu

rinaryNa+

andK+

levels[59]

Spilantho

l[60]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Stereospermum

suaveolen

s(Roxb)Bignonia

suaveolen

sRoxb

Sinh

alaPalol

TamillA

mbu

App

u

Thefl

ower

isused

totre

atmalariabronchitis

heartd

iseasescancerpu

rgativein

the

treatmento

fbleedingdiseasesdiarrho

eaof

the

pitta

type

anditisgood

forthe

throat

TheP

alolflo

wersa

realso

used

totre

athiccup

Th

esefl

owersa

remixed

with

honeyandgiven

orally[61]

Syzygium

arom

aticu

mEn

glish

Clove

Sinh

alaKa

rabu

-neti

TamilKa

ruvapp

u

Itallay

sthirstand

nausea

inchild

rensufferin

gfro

mwormsa

ndingestion

Along

with

other

ingredientsitcures

colicdise

ases

ofthec

hest

andthroatcou

ghhiccoug

hasthmadiarrhea

urinarydiseases

andremedyfora

rthritisa

ndrheumatism

[62]

Thefl

ower

buds

ofSarom

aticu

mhave

been

used

fortreatmento

fmales

exuald

isordersin

Ayurvedica

ndUnani

medicines

from

the

ancienttim

es[63]

They

consist

ofcarm

inativesto

machica

ndstimulant

activ

ity

Clovea

lsopo

ssessesa

ntise

pticantibacteria

lantifun

galantiv

iralantiemeticanti-infl

ammatory

cytotoxica

ndanestheticprop

ertie

sCloveo

ilisused

fortoo

thache

becauseo

fitsantib

iotic

andantiseptic

prop

ertie

s[63]

Volatile

oilcaryop

hyllin

eugenin

gumtannica

cidand

salicylicacidTh

emain

constituent

ofthev

olatile

oilof

clove

iseugeno

lItalso

contains

minor

amou

ntso

feugenol

acetate120573-cariofilenol

120572-hum

ulen120573

-pinenelim

onene

farnesolbenzaldehyde

2-heptanon

eand

ethylh

exanoate

[64]

Tabernaemontana

divaric

ataLinn

English

Crepe

jasm

inePinw

heelFlow

erSinh

alaWathu

sudd

a

Acommon

garden

plantinSriL

anka

Crepejasminefl

owersa

reused

totre

atcorneal

inflammationandop

hthalm

iaItisused

inUnani

medicinefor

the

managem

ento

fpain

Thefl

owerssoakedwater

issprin

kled

onsm

allpox

patie

nts

Inrecent

investigations

itisfoun

dou

tthatthese

flowersp

ossesses

Hippo

craticscreeningantia

nxiety

antic

onvulsa

ntantidiabetic

cytotoxicantifertility

anti-inflammatoryantio

xidantand

gastr

oprotectiv

eeffects

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

Tdivaric

atefl

owers

teste

don

Wistar

ratswith

chem

icallyindu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nshassho

wnthatitpo

ssessesg

astro

protectiv

eeffectsb

yenhancingthep

rodu

ctionof

the

gastric

mucosao

rpreventingits

depletionby

aggressiv

efactorsA

lsoitwas

foun

dou

tthatthese

extractsindu

cethea

ntioxidant

activ

ityin

chem

ically

indu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nin

rats

Aspido

spermatancoryn

anthean

ibogan

andplum

eran

sub-types

ofindo

lealkaloids[65]

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

8 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative MedicineTa

ble1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Magnolia

fuscata

Sinh

alaMadana-kama

TamM

adanakam

-poo

Thisplantis

cultivatedbo

thin

the

hillcoun

tryandmid

coun

tryof

SriL

anka

Thes

eeds

andflo

werso

fthisp

lant

areu

sedfor

makingpreparations

forstre

ngtheningsexu

alvirility

[27]

Meliaazedarach

English

Beadtre

eIndian

Lilac

Sinh

alaMahanim

baTamilMalaivenb

u

Apaste

offlo

wersisa

ppliedon

theh

eadto

destroylicea

ndfore

ruptions

ofthes

calpTh

eflo

wersa

ndleaves

area

ppliedas

apou

ltice

torelieve

nervou

sheadaches

Theo

ilof

thefl

ower

contains

sulphu

rand

inorganicc

ombinatio

nandisuseful

fora

llcutaneou

sailm

entsandrheumatism

The

flowersa

realso

used

totre

atceph

alalgia

gastropathyverm

inosis

strangury

dysm

enorrhoeaa

ndfever

Accordingto

thes

tudiesthe

methano

licextracto

fMazedarach

flowersa

lsoshow

spotentantibacteria

lactiv

ity

Thefl

owersh

avea

stringentrefrig

erantanod

yne

stomachicverm

ifugediuretic

abo

rtifa

cient

deob

struentand

alexipharm

icactiv

ities

[41]

Nelumbo

nucifera

English

Chinese

water

lilySacred

lotus

Sinh

alaNelu

mTamilAmbal

Com

mon

inthetanks

ofdryzone

ofSri

Lank

a

Thes

tamenso

fthe

flowersa

reused

bleeding

pilesa

nddebilityandweakn

essinchild

ren

Thefl

owersw

ithstam

ensa

ndJuiceo

fflow

erstalkareu

sedford

iarrho

eacho

lerafevers

liver

complaintsandas

acardiac

tonic

Thefl

ower

ismadeintosyrupandgivenfor

coug

hsdysentery

andto

checkhaem

orrhages

from

bleeding

pilesTh

egroun

dpetalsare

administered

forsyphilis

inMalayaTh

emilk

yjuiceo

fthe

leaves

andflo

wer

stalkisgivenfor

diarrhoeaIn

Chinaa

ndMalayathe

dried

petalsandsta

men

ofthep

inkflo

wer

varie

tyare

used

asac

osmeticto

improvethe

complexion

Also

the

flowersa

reused

ascoolingand

astringent

agents

Thefl

ower

beveragesa

reused

totre

atcancerw

eakn

essa

ndbo

dyheat

balanceStam

ensa

reused

totre

atconsolidationof

kidn

eyfunctio

naphrod

isiac

males

exuald

isordersa

ndfemaleleucorrhea

Poun

dedpetalsof

thefl

owersa

reused

for

syph

ilisFlow

ersta

lkareu

sedto

treatuterine

bleeding

andflo

wer

receptaclestosto

pbleeding

andto

elim

inates

tagn

ated

bloo

dFlow

ersa

ndrhizom

esared

emulcent

astringentm

ildsedativ

espasmolytic

antiseptic

usedin

infusio

ninternallyfor

chronicd

iarrheaas

adou

chefor

leucorrhea

andvaginitis

asag

arglefor

sore

throatalso

giveninternallyforp

rosta

teprob

lems[42]

Thefl

ower

stalksa

reused

totre

atexcessive

menstr

uatio

nbleeding

gastr

iculcersand

postp

artum

haem

orrhageTh

elotus

honeyis

used

inthetreatmento

feye

infections

[43]

Flow

ersd

emon

strateh

ypoglycemicantipyretic

antid

iabetic

antioxidant

andfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ityantim

icrobialactiv

ityvasod

ilatin

geffects

antih

ypertensivea

ndantia

rrhythmicabilitie

sFlow

ersa

reric

hin

aldo

seredu

ctaseinh

ibito

ryactiv

ityantiplateletactivity

andaphrod

isiac

activ

itytoo[41]

Nornu

ciferin

eN-m

ethylasim

ilobine

N-m

ethylco

claurin

eiso

quercitrin

(hirsutrin

)dehydroemerineliriodenine

quercetin

dehydronu

ciferin

elirinidinedemethylcoclaurine

asim

ilobineluteolin

glucoside

andlin

aloo

l[44

]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Neriu

moleand

erSinh

alaKa

neru

TamilKa

naweeram

Thisplantis

cultivatedas

agarden

plantm

ostly

inNorth

Centralprovince

ofSriL

anka

Thee

thanolicextracto

fthese

flowersh

asshow

na

significantantioxidant

activ

ityandantim

icrobial

activ

ityagainstB

acillus

subtilisStaphylococcus

aureusE

scheric

hiacoliSalm

onellaandPseudomonas

aeruginosa

andantifun

galactivity

againstA

spergillu

snigerA

flavusA

fumigatesandRh

izopus

species

[45]Th

edichlorom

ethane

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

ntheh

ighestcytotoxica

ctivity

againstT

47D

HepG-2

andK5

62celllin

es[46]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidstannins

sapo

ninscarbo

hydrates

and

phenols

Nymphaeaste

llate

English

Water

lily

Sinh

alaNilmanel

Thefl

owersa

reused

asan

astringentcardiac

tonica

ndfebrifu

geFilamentsareg

radedas

useful

inbu

rningsensations

oftheb

odysin

cethey

possessc

oolin

gandastringent

prop

ertie

sTh

esea

reused

totre

atbleeding

pilesa

ndmenorrhagiaandconstitutea

ningredient

ofcoolingmedicines

forc

utaneous

ailm

ents

Carefully

driedfragrant

stam

ensa

ctas

diuretic

andareu

sedforfl

avou

ringteaHelp

fulin

relieving

dryn

essinthec

hest

Smellin

gthe

flowersisb

eneficialforp

ersons

with

warm

temperament[5]

Ithasa

strin

gentdiuretic

andfebrifu

geprop

ertie

sNstellateWild

flowersp

ossessgastro

protectiv

eactio

nby

thes

uppressio

nof

pro-inflammatory

cytokinesa

ndfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ities

Ithasa

nti-a

poptoticeffectagainstethano

l-ind

uced

ulceratio

nTh

estudy

suggeststhatthee

xtractof

N

stellateflo

wersh

asantio

xidantanti-infl

ammatory

andanti-apop

totic

prop

ertie

s[47]

10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Punica

granatum

English

Pom

egranate

Sinh

alaDelu

m

Pomegranatewith

durvar

ootjuice

isgivento

stopbleeding

from

then

oseTh

erindof

the

fruitand

flowersc

ombinedwith

arom

atics

(clovecinnamon

etc)

asastringent

insuch

bowelaffectio

nno

taccom

panied

with

tenesm

us

Sour

pomegranateFlower

buds

bruisedare

givento

relieve

fevercoug

handbron

chitisTh

ejuiceise

ffectiveinredu

cing

burningsensation

inthec

hestandlesseningtheb

lood

heat

Itisantib

iliou

ssto

psnausea

andvomiting

increasesfrequ

ency

ofurinea

nditrsquos

more

pron

ounced

than

ofthes

weetvarie

tyFlowe

rsdriedandpo

wderedused

astoothpo

wder

strengthens

theg

umsa

ndactsas

haem

ostatic

forb

leedinggums

Fevera

ccom

panied

byvomiting

anddiarrhoea

isrelievedfollo

wingits

useAlso

beneficialin

jaun

dice

duetoheatTh

eflow

erof

thisplantis

also

used

asar

emedyford

iabetesdiarrhea

andvaginald

ischargeinUnani

andAy

urvedic

medicineAlso

itisu

sedforthe

treatmento

finjurie

sfrom

falls

andgrey

hairof

youn

gmen

[5]

Thea

lcoh

olicextracto

fpom

egranateflo

wers

possessesa

potent

freer

adicalscavenging

antio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivities

Accordingto

thisstu

dythea

lcoh

olicextractcon

tains

ahugea

mou

ntof

polyph

enolicsa

ndthee

xtractis

capableo

fprotectingagainsto

xidativ

edam

ageto

lipidsa

ndproteins

andalso

ofincreasin

gmaintaining

thelevels

ofantio

xidant

molecules

andenzymes

invivo

[48]

Nasiri

etal2015comparedthee

fficacy

ofpo

megranateflo

wer

extractw

iththatof

creams

containing

standard

1silversulfadiazine(SSD)

base

cream

andno

rmalsalin

efor

treatingthermal

burn

injurie

sinrats

Ther

esultshave

show

nthat

creamsc

ontainingtheP

granatum

flower

extract

have

remarkablyim

proved

theh

ealin

gof

burn

wou

ndsc

omparedwith

creamsS

SD[49]

Ethano

lextractof

pomegranate

flowersc

ontainsthe

compo

unds

ellagica

cid

33101584041015840 -tri-

O-m

ethylellagica

cid

ethylbrevifolin

carboxylate

urolicacidsmaslin

icacidsa

nddaucosterolAlso

thetwo

flavonesluteolin

andtricetin

werefou

ndin

amethano

licextracto

fpo

megranateflo

wers[50]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Rosa

damascene

Mill

English

Rose

Sinh

alaRo

sa

Rose

buds

arem

orea

stringent

than

thefull

blow

nflo

wersa

ndconsidered

cold

anddry

ceph

aliccardicalton

icandaperientrem

oving

bilio

usnessB

udsa

reconsidered

asastringent

aperientcardiacalcephalic

tonicremoving

bileandcold

humou

rsTh

erosefl

ower

isregarded

asrefrigeranttonifyingforthe

vital

organsstomachandintestineshasc

ompo

und

actio

nof

causingmild

purgationas

wellas

astringencyles

sens

theh

eatd

ueto

bilio

usness

givesfragrance

isperspiratio

nandredu

cesits

excessivee

xcretio

nEx

ternallyappliedgives

relieftowarm

inflammations

andassociated

painTh

eaqu

adistillateisu

sefulinirr

itated

affectio

nsof

eyes

Flow

ersh

elpin

curin

gbu

rningsensationsbud

odou

rfrom

mou

thfor

improvingappetite

relieving

headachetoo

thache

(asg

argles)

stomatitisbeneficially

used

inabno

rmal

functio

ning

ofkidn

eysliverchron

icfevers

inflammations

andintestinalaffectio

ns

Rose

oilisu

sedas

flavorin

gagentsto

maskthe

taste

ofmanyob

noxiou

spreparatio

nsA

conserve

ofrose

petalswith

othern

utritional

ingredientsh

asmild

laxativ

eaction

Itisuseful

toim

provea

ppetitesorethroatenlarged

tonsils

andsometim

esto

relieve

common

urogenitialdisordersa

ndurtic

arial

Thefl

owersh

avec

oolin

gmild

laxativ

eaphrod

isiac

antip

yreticcardioton

icandastringent

prop

ertie

s

Volatile

oilcon

tainsg

eraniol

citro

nello

leugeno

lTh

epetals

containvitamin

Cqu

ercitrin

quercitann

icacidgallic

acid

carotenenandredcolouring

matter[5]

Saraca

indica

Linn

Sinh

alaAs

oka

TamilAs

ogam

Asokap

lant

grow

swellinareaslike

Anu

radh

apura

Polonn

aruw

aBinthann

eaand

Mahiyanganaya

etc

Thejuice

offlo

werso

rsyrup

isuseful

cardiotonica

swellasb

rain

tonica

ndrelieves

dysentery[51]

Flow

ersa

realso

helpfulintre

atingdiabetes

haem

orrhoids

andforthe

treatmento

futerin

edisordersinfemales

[52]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

nantiu

lcer

activ

ityA

lsothefl

ower

extractshasa

lsoshow

n50cytotoxica

ctivity

againstD

altons

lymph

omaa

scitesa

ndSarcom

a-180tumou

rcells

with

outany

cytotoxica

ctivity

againsth

uman

norm

allymph

ocytes

[53]

Thes

tudies

have

show

nthatthefl

ower

areu

sedto

redu

ceskin

tumou

rsindu

cedby

712-dim

ethyl

benzanthracenetorejuvenateskin

complexion

toindu

cequ

ickhealingof

skin

injurie

sandto

redu

cefre

cklesa

ndexternalinflammations

ofthes

kinsin

cethee

xtractsc

ontain

flavono

ids[54]

Oleiclinoleicpalm

itica

ndste

aricacidsP-sitosterol

quercetin

kaem

pferol-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

equ

ercetin

-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

eapigenin-7-0-p-D

-glucosid

epelargon

idin-35diglucoside

cyanidin-35-diglucosid

epalm

iticste

ariclinolenic

linoleicleucocyanidinandgallic

acid

[54]

12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Sesbaniagrandiflora

Sinh

alaKa

turu

murum

ga

Thisisac

ommon

tree

which

canbe

foun

din

theb

ackyard

ofmost

oftheS

riLank

anho

mes

Sgrandiflora

flowersp

ossessanti-canceranalgesicandantip

yretic

activ

ities

[55]

Thep

heno

licextracto

fSgrand

iflorahassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstStaphylo

coccus

aureus

Shigellaflexneri2aSalm

onellaTyphiEscherich

iacoli

andVibriocholera

Also

ith

asshow

ntheg

rowth

prom

otingeffecto

nthec

ommon

prob

iotic

bacterium

Lactobacillus

acidophilus[56]

Sida

veronicaefo

liaSinh

alaBe

vila

TamilPalampasi

Acommon

plantin

thew

astegrou

ndof

low-cou

ntry

inSri

Lank

aespecially

inareaslikeB

attic

alo

Haragam

aetc

Paleyello

wsm

allfl

owersa

ndun

ripefruits

are

givenwith

sugarindecoctionforb

urning

sensationin

micturition[27]

Sphaeranthus

hirtusin

dicus

L English

Globe

flowerEast

Indian

glob

ethistle

Sinh

alaMud

amahana

Thesep

lantsa

regrow

nin

ther

icefi

eldin

SriL

ankaItis

common

inmoist

places

especially

padd

yfield

inthelow

coun

trylik

eKu

runagala

Theleafflo

wer

andseedso

fthisp

lant

are

grou

ndinto

apasteandappliedtopically

totre

atskin

diseases

especiallyin

itching

sskin

erup

tionseczem

aspsoria

sisvitiligoandpiles

Also

itisu

sedto

treatwe

akheartpalpitatio

ns

jointd

iseasesliver

diseases

especiallyjaun

dice

andin

chronicc

ough

Flowersa

reuseful

inprom

otingeyesight

andin

thetreatmento

fdiabetes

Flow

ersa

rehigh

lyesteem

edas

analternative

refrigeranttonicbloo

dpu

rifier

andin

the

treatmento

fcon

junctiv

itis

Flow

erpaste

isgivenin

emptysto

machto

cure

dysenterydiarrhoeaa

ndindigestion[57]

Sindicusfl

ower

extractshave

show

ntheb

road

spectrum

antib

acteria

lactivity

andthey

have

asig

nificantantifu

ngalandantip

rotozoalactiv

ity

Thefl

owersa

lsoconsist

ofneurolepticanx

iolytic

hepatoprotectiv

ehaem

olytichaemostatic

analgesic

andantia

rthritica

ctivities

Thefl

ower

headsa

refamou

sfor

their

neurop

rotectiveantia

mnesic

antihyperlip

idem

icandwou

ndhealingactiv

ities

Both

flowersa

ndthefl

ower

headsc

onsisto

fim

mun

ostim

ulatoryactiv

ity[58]

Sphaeranthanolidew

ithim

mun

ostim

ulantp

otentia

l

Eudesm

enolidetypeo

fsesquiterpeneg

lycosid

eand

sphaeranthanolide[57]

Spilanthesp

anicu

lata

Wall

Spilanthesa

cmella

Sinh

alaAkm

ella

TamilAkk

irakaram

Thep

lant

iscommon

upto

6000

feet

altitud

einSriL

anka

Thefl

ower

headso

fthisp

lant

arec

hewed

for

toothache[25]

Thefl

ower

ofSacmellaiskn

ownto

prod

ucelipase

inhibitio

nprop

ertie

sdiureticvasorelaxation

pancreaticprop

ertie

sand

antifun

galactivity

especiallyagainstA

spergillu

sparasiticusA

niger

Fusariu

mmoniliform

iand

Foxysporum

Itisfoun

dthatthee

xtractof

flower

headso

fthis

plantcon

tainsspilantho

lwhich

isactiv

eagainst

Plutellaxyloste

llaAc

cordingto

studies

thea

queous

extracto

fSpanicu

lata

flowersh

aspo

tent

diurectic

activ

ityTh

isactsas

aloo

pdiureticw

hich

increases

theu

rinaryNa+

andK+

levels[59]

Spilantho

l[60]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Stereospermum

suaveolen

s(Roxb)Bignonia

suaveolen

sRoxb

Sinh

alaPalol

TamillA

mbu

App

u

Thefl

ower

isused

totre

atmalariabronchitis

heartd

iseasescancerpu

rgativein

the

treatmento

fbleedingdiseasesdiarrho

eaof

the

pitta

type

anditisgood

forthe

throat

TheP

alolflo

wersa

realso

used

totre

athiccup

Th

esefl

owersa

remixed

with

honeyandgiven

orally[61]

Syzygium

arom

aticu

mEn

glish

Clove

Sinh

alaKa

rabu

-neti

TamilKa

ruvapp

u

Itallay

sthirstand

nausea

inchild

rensufferin

gfro

mwormsa

ndingestion

Along

with

other

ingredientsitcures

colicdise

ases

ofthec

hest

andthroatcou

ghhiccoug

hasthmadiarrhea

urinarydiseases

andremedyfora

rthritisa

ndrheumatism

[62]

Thefl

ower

buds

ofSarom

aticu

mhave

been

used

fortreatmento

fmales

exuald

isordersin

Ayurvedica

ndUnani

medicines

from

the

ancienttim

es[63]

They

consist

ofcarm

inativesto

machica

ndstimulant

activ

ity

Clovea

lsopo

ssessesa

ntise

pticantibacteria

lantifun

galantiv

iralantiemeticanti-infl

ammatory

cytotoxica

ndanestheticprop

ertie

sCloveo

ilisused

fortoo

thache

becauseo

fitsantib

iotic

andantiseptic

prop

ertie

s[63]

Volatile

oilcaryop

hyllin

eugenin

gumtannica

cidand

salicylicacidTh

emain

constituent

ofthev

olatile

oilof

clove

iseugeno

lItalso

contains

minor

amou

ntso

feugenol

acetate120573-cariofilenol

120572-hum

ulen120573

-pinenelim

onene

farnesolbenzaldehyde

2-heptanon

eand

ethylh

exanoate

[64]

Tabernaemontana

divaric

ataLinn

English

Crepe

jasm

inePinw

heelFlow

erSinh

alaWathu

sudd

a

Acommon

garden

plantinSriL

anka

Crepejasminefl

owersa

reused

totre

atcorneal

inflammationandop

hthalm

iaItisused

inUnani

medicinefor

the

managem

ento

fpain

Thefl

owerssoakedwater

issprin

kled

onsm

allpox

patie

nts

Inrecent

investigations

itisfoun

dou

tthatthese

flowersp

ossesses

Hippo

craticscreeningantia

nxiety

antic

onvulsa

ntantidiabetic

cytotoxicantifertility

anti-inflammatoryantio

xidantand

gastr

oprotectiv

eeffects

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

Tdivaric

atefl

owers

teste

don

Wistar

ratswith

chem

icallyindu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nshassho

wnthatitpo

ssessesg

astro

protectiv

eeffectsb

yenhancingthep

rodu

ctionof

the

gastric

mucosao

rpreventingits

depletionby

aggressiv

efactorsA

lsoitwas

foun

dou

tthatthese

extractsindu

cethea

ntioxidant

activ

ityin

chem

ically

indu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nin

rats

Aspido

spermatancoryn

anthean

ibogan

andplum

eran

sub-types

ofindo

lealkaloids[65]

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 9

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Neriu

moleand

erSinh

alaKa

neru

TamilKa

naweeram

Thisplantis

cultivatedas

agarden

plantm

ostly

inNorth

Centralprovince

ofSriL

anka

Thee

thanolicextracto

fthese

flowersh

asshow

na

significantantioxidant

activ

ityandantim

icrobial

activ

ityagainstB

acillus

subtilisStaphylococcus

aureusE

scheric

hiacoliSalm

onellaandPseudomonas

aeruginosa

andantifun

galactivity

againstA

spergillu

snigerA

flavusA

fumigatesandRh

izopus

species

[45]Th

edichlorom

ethane

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

ntheh

ighestcytotoxica

ctivity

againstT

47D

HepG-2

andK5

62celllin

es[46]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidstannins

sapo

ninscarbo

hydrates

and

phenols

Nymphaeaste

llate

English

Water

lily

Sinh

alaNilmanel

Thefl

owersa

reused

asan

astringentcardiac

tonica

ndfebrifu

geFilamentsareg

radedas

useful

inbu

rningsensations

oftheb

odysin

cethey

possessc

oolin

gandastringent

prop

ertie

sTh

esea

reused

totre

atbleeding

pilesa

ndmenorrhagiaandconstitutea

ningredient

ofcoolingmedicines

forc

utaneous

ailm

ents

Carefully

driedfragrant

stam

ensa

ctas

diuretic

andareu

sedforfl

avou

ringteaHelp

fulin

relieving

dryn

essinthec

hest

Smellin

gthe

flowersisb

eneficialforp

ersons

with

warm

temperament[5]

Ithasa

strin

gentdiuretic

andfebrifu

geprop

ertie

sNstellateWild

flowersp

ossessgastro

protectiv

eactio

nby

thes

uppressio

nof

pro-inflammatory

cytokinesa

ndfre

eradicalscavenging

activ

ities

Ithasa

nti-a

poptoticeffectagainstethano

l-ind

uced

ulceratio

nTh

estudy

suggeststhatthee

xtractof

N

stellateflo

wersh

asantio

xidantanti-infl

ammatory

andanti-apop

totic

prop

ertie

s[47]

10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Punica

granatum

English

Pom

egranate

Sinh

alaDelu

m

Pomegranatewith

durvar

ootjuice

isgivento

stopbleeding

from

then

oseTh

erindof

the

fruitand

flowersc

ombinedwith

arom

atics

(clovecinnamon

etc)

asastringent

insuch

bowelaffectio

nno

taccom

panied

with

tenesm

us

Sour

pomegranateFlower

buds

bruisedare

givento

relieve

fevercoug

handbron

chitisTh

ejuiceise

ffectiveinredu

cing

burningsensation

inthec

hestandlesseningtheb

lood

heat

Itisantib

iliou

ssto

psnausea

andvomiting

increasesfrequ

ency

ofurinea

nditrsquos

more

pron

ounced

than

ofthes

weetvarie

tyFlowe

rsdriedandpo

wderedused

astoothpo

wder

strengthens

theg

umsa

ndactsas

haem

ostatic

forb

leedinggums

Fevera

ccom

panied

byvomiting

anddiarrhoea

isrelievedfollo

wingits

useAlso

beneficialin

jaun

dice

duetoheatTh

eflow

erof

thisplantis

also

used

asar

emedyford

iabetesdiarrhea

andvaginald

ischargeinUnani

andAy

urvedic

medicineAlso

itisu

sedforthe

treatmento

finjurie

sfrom

falls

andgrey

hairof

youn

gmen

[5]

Thea

lcoh

olicextracto

fpom

egranateflo

wers

possessesa

potent

freer

adicalscavenging

antio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivities

Accordingto

thisstu

dythea

lcoh

olicextractcon

tains

ahugea

mou

ntof

polyph

enolicsa

ndthee

xtractis

capableo

fprotectingagainsto

xidativ

edam

ageto

lipidsa

ndproteins

andalso

ofincreasin

gmaintaining

thelevels

ofantio

xidant

molecules

andenzymes

invivo

[48]

Nasiri

etal2015comparedthee

fficacy

ofpo

megranateflo

wer

extractw

iththatof

creams

containing

standard

1silversulfadiazine(SSD)

base

cream

andno

rmalsalin

efor

treatingthermal

burn

injurie

sinrats

Ther

esultshave

show

nthat

creamsc

ontainingtheP

granatum

flower

extract

have

remarkablyim

proved

theh

ealin

gof

burn

wou

ndsc

omparedwith

creamsS

SD[49]

Ethano

lextractof

pomegranate

flowersc

ontainsthe

compo

unds

ellagica

cid

33101584041015840 -tri-

O-m

ethylellagica

cid

ethylbrevifolin

carboxylate

urolicacidsmaslin

icacidsa

nddaucosterolAlso

thetwo

flavonesluteolin

andtricetin

werefou

ndin

amethano

licextracto

fpo

megranateflo

wers[50]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Rosa

damascene

Mill

English

Rose

Sinh

alaRo

sa

Rose

buds

arem

orea

stringent

than

thefull

blow

nflo

wersa

ndconsidered

cold

anddry

ceph

aliccardicalton

icandaperientrem

oving

bilio

usnessB

udsa

reconsidered

asastringent

aperientcardiacalcephalic

tonicremoving

bileandcold

humou

rsTh

erosefl

ower

isregarded

asrefrigeranttonifyingforthe

vital

organsstomachandintestineshasc

ompo

und

actio

nof

causingmild

purgationas

wellas

astringencyles

sens

theh

eatd

ueto

bilio

usness

givesfragrance

isperspiratio

nandredu

cesits

excessivee

xcretio

nEx

ternallyappliedgives

relieftowarm

inflammations

andassociated

painTh

eaqu

adistillateisu

sefulinirr

itated

affectio

nsof

eyes

Flow

ersh

elpin

curin

gbu

rningsensationsbud

odou

rfrom

mou

thfor

improvingappetite

relieving

headachetoo

thache

(asg

argles)

stomatitisbeneficially

used

inabno

rmal

functio

ning

ofkidn

eysliverchron

icfevers

inflammations

andintestinalaffectio

ns

Rose

oilisu

sedas

flavorin

gagentsto

maskthe

taste

ofmanyob

noxiou

spreparatio

nsA

conserve

ofrose

petalswith

othern

utritional

ingredientsh

asmild

laxativ

eaction

Itisuseful

toim

provea

ppetitesorethroatenlarged

tonsils

andsometim

esto

relieve

common

urogenitialdisordersa

ndurtic

arial

Thefl

owersh

avec

oolin

gmild

laxativ

eaphrod

isiac

antip

yreticcardioton

icandastringent

prop

ertie

s

Volatile

oilcon

tainsg

eraniol

citro

nello

leugeno

lTh

epetals

containvitamin

Cqu

ercitrin

quercitann

icacidgallic

acid

carotenenandredcolouring

matter[5]

Saraca

indica

Linn

Sinh

alaAs

oka

TamilAs

ogam

Asokap

lant

grow

swellinareaslike

Anu

radh

apura

Polonn

aruw

aBinthann

eaand

Mahiyanganaya

etc

Thejuice

offlo

werso

rsyrup

isuseful

cardiotonica

swellasb

rain

tonica

ndrelieves

dysentery[51]

Flow

ersa

realso

helpfulintre

atingdiabetes

haem

orrhoids

andforthe

treatmento

futerin

edisordersinfemales

[52]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

nantiu

lcer

activ

ityA

lsothefl

ower

extractshasa

lsoshow

n50cytotoxica

ctivity

againstD

altons

lymph

omaa

scitesa

ndSarcom

a-180tumou

rcells

with

outany

cytotoxica

ctivity

againsth

uman

norm

allymph

ocytes

[53]

Thes

tudies

have

show

nthatthefl

ower

areu

sedto

redu

ceskin

tumou

rsindu

cedby

712-dim

ethyl

benzanthracenetorejuvenateskin

complexion

toindu

cequ

ickhealingof

skin

injurie

sandto

redu

cefre

cklesa

ndexternalinflammations

ofthes

kinsin

cethee

xtractsc

ontain

flavono

ids[54]

Oleiclinoleicpalm

itica

ndste

aricacidsP-sitosterol

quercetin

kaem

pferol-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

equ

ercetin

-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

eapigenin-7-0-p-D

-glucosid

epelargon

idin-35diglucoside

cyanidin-35-diglucosid

epalm

iticste

ariclinolenic

linoleicleucocyanidinandgallic

acid

[54]

12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Sesbaniagrandiflora

Sinh

alaKa

turu

murum

ga

Thisisac

ommon

tree

which

canbe

foun

din

theb

ackyard

ofmost

oftheS

riLank

anho

mes

Sgrandiflora

flowersp

ossessanti-canceranalgesicandantip

yretic

activ

ities

[55]

Thep

heno

licextracto

fSgrand

iflorahassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstStaphylo

coccus

aureus

Shigellaflexneri2aSalm

onellaTyphiEscherich

iacoli

andVibriocholera

Also

ith

asshow

ntheg

rowth

prom

otingeffecto

nthec

ommon

prob

iotic

bacterium

Lactobacillus

acidophilus[56]

Sida

veronicaefo

liaSinh

alaBe

vila

TamilPalampasi

Acommon

plantin

thew

astegrou

ndof

low-cou

ntry

inSri

Lank

aespecially

inareaslikeB

attic

alo

Haragam

aetc

Paleyello

wsm

allfl

owersa

ndun

ripefruits

are

givenwith

sugarindecoctionforb

urning

sensationin

micturition[27]

Sphaeranthus

hirtusin

dicus

L English

Globe

flowerEast

Indian

glob

ethistle

Sinh

alaMud

amahana

Thesep

lantsa

regrow

nin

ther

icefi

eldin

SriL

ankaItis

common

inmoist

places

especially

padd

yfield

inthelow

coun

trylik

eKu

runagala

Theleafflo

wer

andseedso

fthisp

lant

are

grou

ndinto

apasteandappliedtopically

totre

atskin

diseases

especiallyin

itching

sskin

erup

tionseczem

aspsoria

sisvitiligoandpiles

Also

itisu

sedto

treatwe

akheartpalpitatio

ns

jointd

iseasesliver

diseases

especiallyjaun

dice

andin

chronicc

ough

Flowersa

reuseful

inprom

otingeyesight

andin

thetreatmento

fdiabetes

Flow

ersa

rehigh

lyesteem

edas

analternative

refrigeranttonicbloo

dpu

rifier

andin

the

treatmento

fcon

junctiv

itis

Flow

erpaste

isgivenin

emptysto

machto

cure

dysenterydiarrhoeaa

ndindigestion[57]

Sindicusfl

ower

extractshave

show

ntheb

road

spectrum

antib

acteria

lactivity

andthey

have

asig

nificantantifu

ngalandantip

rotozoalactiv

ity

Thefl

owersa

lsoconsist

ofneurolepticanx

iolytic

hepatoprotectiv

ehaem

olytichaemostatic

analgesic

andantia

rthritica

ctivities

Thefl

ower

headsa

refamou

sfor

their

neurop

rotectiveantia

mnesic

antihyperlip

idem

icandwou

ndhealingactiv

ities

Both

flowersa

ndthefl

ower

headsc

onsisto

fim

mun

ostim

ulatoryactiv

ity[58]

Sphaeranthanolidew

ithim

mun

ostim

ulantp

otentia

l

Eudesm

enolidetypeo

fsesquiterpeneg

lycosid

eand

sphaeranthanolide[57]

Spilanthesp

anicu

lata

Wall

Spilanthesa

cmella

Sinh

alaAkm

ella

TamilAkk

irakaram

Thep

lant

iscommon

upto

6000

feet

altitud

einSriL

anka

Thefl

ower

headso

fthisp

lant

arec

hewed

for

toothache[25]

Thefl

ower

ofSacmellaiskn

ownto

prod

ucelipase

inhibitio

nprop

ertie

sdiureticvasorelaxation

pancreaticprop

ertie

sand

antifun

galactivity

especiallyagainstA

spergillu

sparasiticusA

niger

Fusariu

mmoniliform

iand

Foxysporum

Itisfoun

dthatthee

xtractof

flower

headso

fthis

plantcon

tainsspilantho

lwhich

isactiv

eagainst

Plutellaxyloste

llaAc

cordingto

studies

thea

queous

extracto

fSpanicu

lata

flowersh

aspo

tent

diurectic

activ

ityTh

isactsas

aloo

pdiureticw

hich

increases

theu

rinaryNa+

andK+

levels[59]

Spilantho

l[60]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Stereospermum

suaveolen

s(Roxb)Bignonia

suaveolen

sRoxb

Sinh

alaPalol

TamillA

mbu

App

u

Thefl

ower

isused

totre

atmalariabronchitis

heartd

iseasescancerpu

rgativein

the

treatmento

fbleedingdiseasesdiarrho

eaof

the

pitta

type

anditisgood

forthe

throat

TheP

alolflo

wersa

realso

used

totre

athiccup

Th

esefl

owersa

remixed

with

honeyandgiven

orally[61]

Syzygium

arom

aticu

mEn

glish

Clove

Sinh

alaKa

rabu

-neti

TamilKa

ruvapp

u

Itallay

sthirstand

nausea

inchild

rensufferin

gfro

mwormsa

ndingestion

Along

with

other

ingredientsitcures

colicdise

ases

ofthec

hest

andthroatcou

ghhiccoug

hasthmadiarrhea

urinarydiseases

andremedyfora

rthritisa

ndrheumatism

[62]

Thefl

ower

buds

ofSarom

aticu

mhave

been

used

fortreatmento

fmales

exuald

isordersin

Ayurvedica

ndUnani

medicines

from

the

ancienttim

es[63]

They

consist

ofcarm

inativesto

machica

ndstimulant

activ

ity

Clovea

lsopo

ssessesa

ntise

pticantibacteria

lantifun

galantiv

iralantiemeticanti-infl

ammatory

cytotoxica

ndanestheticprop

ertie

sCloveo

ilisused

fortoo

thache

becauseo

fitsantib

iotic

andantiseptic

prop

ertie

s[63]

Volatile

oilcaryop

hyllin

eugenin

gumtannica

cidand

salicylicacidTh

emain

constituent

ofthev

olatile

oilof

clove

iseugeno

lItalso

contains

minor

amou

ntso

feugenol

acetate120573-cariofilenol

120572-hum

ulen120573

-pinenelim

onene

farnesolbenzaldehyde

2-heptanon

eand

ethylh

exanoate

[64]

Tabernaemontana

divaric

ataLinn

English

Crepe

jasm

inePinw

heelFlow

erSinh

alaWathu

sudd

a

Acommon

garden

plantinSriL

anka

Crepejasminefl

owersa

reused

totre

atcorneal

inflammationandop

hthalm

iaItisused

inUnani

medicinefor

the

managem

ento

fpain

Thefl

owerssoakedwater

issprin

kled

onsm

allpox

patie

nts

Inrecent

investigations

itisfoun

dou

tthatthese

flowersp

ossesses

Hippo

craticscreeningantia

nxiety

antic

onvulsa

ntantidiabetic

cytotoxicantifertility

anti-inflammatoryantio

xidantand

gastr

oprotectiv

eeffects

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

Tdivaric

atefl

owers

teste

don

Wistar

ratswith

chem

icallyindu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nshassho

wnthatitpo

ssessesg

astro

protectiv

eeffectsb

yenhancingthep

rodu

ctionof

the

gastric

mucosao

rpreventingits

depletionby

aggressiv

efactorsA

lsoitwas

foun

dou

tthatthese

extractsindu

cethea

ntioxidant

activ

ityin

chem

ically

indu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nin

rats

Aspido

spermatancoryn

anthean

ibogan

andplum

eran

sub-types

ofindo

lealkaloids[65]

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

10 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Punica

granatum

English

Pom

egranate

Sinh

alaDelu

m

Pomegranatewith

durvar

ootjuice

isgivento

stopbleeding

from

then

oseTh

erindof

the

fruitand

flowersc

ombinedwith

arom

atics

(clovecinnamon

etc)

asastringent

insuch

bowelaffectio

nno

taccom

panied

with

tenesm

us

Sour

pomegranateFlower

buds

bruisedare

givento

relieve

fevercoug

handbron

chitisTh

ejuiceise

ffectiveinredu

cing

burningsensation

inthec

hestandlesseningtheb

lood

heat

Itisantib

iliou

ssto

psnausea

andvomiting

increasesfrequ

ency

ofurinea

nditrsquos

more

pron

ounced

than

ofthes

weetvarie

tyFlowe

rsdriedandpo

wderedused

astoothpo

wder

strengthens

theg

umsa

ndactsas

haem

ostatic

forb

leedinggums

Fevera

ccom

panied

byvomiting

anddiarrhoea

isrelievedfollo

wingits

useAlso

beneficialin

jaun

dice

duetoheatTh

eflow

erof

thisplantis

also

used

asar

emedyford

iabetesdiarrhea

andvaginald

ischargeinUnani

andAy

urvedic

medicineAlso

itisu

sedforthe

treatmento

finjurie

sfrom

falls

andgrey

hairof

youn

gmen

[5]

Thea

lcoh

olicextracto

fpom

egranateflo

wers

possessesa

potent

freer

adicalscavenging

antio

xidant

andhepatoprotectiv

eactivities

Accordingto

thisstu

dythea

lcoh

olicextractcon

tains

ahugea

mou

ntof

polyph

enolicsa

ndthee

xtractis

capableo

fprotectingagainsto

xidativ

edam

ageto

lipidsa

ndproteins

andalso

ofincreasin

gmaintaining

thelevels

ofantio

xidant

molecules

andenzymes

invivo

[48]

Nasiri

etal2015comparedthee

fficacy

ofpo

megranateflo

wer

extractw

iththatof

creams

containing

standard

1silversulfadiazine(SSD)

base

cream

andno

rmalsalin

efor

treatingthermal

burn

injurie

sinrats

Ther

esultshave

show

nthat

creamsc

ontainingtheP

granatum

flower

extract

have

remarkablyim

proved

theh

ealin

gof

burn

wou

ndsc

omparedwith

creamsS

SD[49]

Ethano

lextractof

pomegranate

flowersc

ontainsthe

compo

unds

ellagica

cid

33101584041015840 -tri-

O-m

ethylellagica

cid

ethylbrevifolin

carboxylate

urolicacidsmaslin

icacidsa

nddaucosterolAlso

thetwo

flavonesluteolin

andtricetin

werefou

ndin

amethano

licextracto

fpo

megranateflo

wers[50]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Rosa

damascene

Mill

English

Rose

Sinh

alaRo

sa

Rose

buds

arem

orea

stringent

than

thefull

blow

nflo

wersa

ndconsidered

cold

anddry

ceph

aliccardicalton

icandaperientrem

oving

bilio

usnessB

udsa

reconsidered

asastringent

aperientcardiacalcephalic

tonicremoving

bileandcold

humou

rsTh

erosefl

ower

isregarded

asrefrigeranttonifyingforthe

vital

organsstomachandintestineshasc

ompo

und

actio

nof

causingmild

purgationas

wellas

astringencyles

sens

theh

eatd

ueto

bilio

usness

givesfragrance

isperspiratio

nandredu

cesits

excessivee

xcretio

nEx

ternallyappliedgives

relieftowarm

inflammations

andassociated

painTh

eaqu

adistillateisu

sefulinirr

itated

affectio

nsof

eyes

Flow

ersh

elpin

curin

gbu

rningsensationsbud

odou

rfrom

mou

thfor

improvingappetite

relieving

headachetoo

thache

(asg

argles)

stomatitisbeneficially

used

inabno

rmal

functio

ning

ofkidn

eysliverchron

icfevers

inflammations

andintestinalaffectio

ns

Rose

oilisu

sedas

flavorin

gagentsto

maskthe

taste

ofmanyob

noxiou

spreparatio

nsA

conserve

ofrose

petalswith

othern

utritional

ingredientsh

asmild

laxativ

eaction

Itisuseful

toim

provea

ppetitesorethroatenlarged

tonsils

andsometim

esto

relieve

common

urogenitialdisordersa

ndurtic

arial

Thefl

owersh

avec

oolin

gmild

laxativ

eaphrod

isiac

antip

yreticcardioton

icandastringent

prop

ertie

s

Volatile

oilcon

tainsg

eraniol

citro

nello

leugeno

lTh

epetals

containvitamin

Cqu

ercitrin

quercitann

icacidgallic

acid

carotenenandredcolouring

matter[5]

Saraca

indica

Linn

Sinh

alaAs

oka

TamilAs

ogam

Asokap

lant

grow

swellinareaslike

Anu

radh

apura

Polonn

aruw

aBinthann

eaand

Mahiyanganaya

etc

Thejuice

offlo

werso

rsyrup

isuseful

cardiotonica

swellasb

rain

tonica

ndrelieves

dysentery[51]

Flow

ersa

realso

helpfulintre

atingdiabetes

haem

orrhoids

andforthe

treatmento

futerin

edisordersinfemales

[52]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

nantiu

lcer

activ

ityA

lsothefl

ower

extractshasa

lsoshow

n50cytotoxica

ctivity

againstD

altons

lymph

omaa

scitesa

ndSarcom

a-180tumou

rcells

with

outany

cytotoxica

ctivity

againsth

uman

norm

allymph

ocytes

[53]

Thes

tudies

have

show

nthatthefl

ower

areu

sedto

redu

ceskin

tumou

rsindu

cedby

712-dim

ethyl

benzanthracenetorejuvenateskin

complexion

toindu

cequ

ickhealingof

skin

injurie

sandto

redu

cefre

cklesa

ndexternalinflammations

ofthes

kinsin

cethee

xtractsc

ontain

flavono

ids[54]

Oleiclinoleicpalm

itica

ndste

aricacidsP-sitosterol

quercetin

kaem

pferol-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

equ

ercetin

-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

eapigenin-7-0-p-D

-glucosid

epelargon

idin-35diglucoside

cyanidin-35-diglucosid

epalm

iticste

ariclinolenic

linoleicleucocyanidinandgallic

acid

[54]

12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Sesbaniagrandiflora

Sinh

alaKa

turu

murum

ga

Thisisac

ommon

tree

which

canbe

foun

din

theb

ackyard

ofmost

oftheS

riLank

anho

mes

Sgrandiflora

flowersp

ossessanti-canceranalgesicandantip

yretic

activ

ities

[55]

Thep

heno

licextracto

fSgrand

iflorahassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstStaphylo

coccus

aureus

Shigellaflexneri2aSalm

onellaTyphiEscherich

iacoli

andVibriocholera

Also

ith

asshow

ntheg

rowth

prom

otingeffecto

nthec

ommon

prob

iotic

bacterium

Lactobacillus

acidophilus[56]

Sida

veronicaefo

liaSinh

alaBe

vila

TamilPalampasi

Acommon

plantin

thew

astegrou

ndof

low-cou

ntry

inSri

Lank

aespecially

inareaslikeB

attic

alo

Haragam

aetc

Paleyello

wsm

allfl

owersa

ndun

ripefruits

are

givenwith

sugarindecoctionforb

urning

sensationin

micturition[27]

Sphaeranthus

hirtusin

dicus

L English

Globe

flowerEast

Indian

glob

ethistle

Sinh

alaMud

amahana

Thesep

lantsa

regrow

nin

ther

icefi

eldin

SriL

ankaItis

common

inmoist

places

especially

padd

yfield

inthelow

coun

trylik

eKu

runagala

Theleafflo

wer

andseedso

fthisp

lant

are

grou

ndinto

apasteandappliedtopically

totre

atskin

diseases

especiallyin

itching

sskin

erup

tionseczem

aspsoria

sisvitiligoandpiles

Also

itisu

sedto

treatwe

akheartpalpitatio

ns

jointd

iseasesliver

diseases

especiallyjaun

dice

andin

chronicc

ough

Flowersa

reuseful

inprom

otingeyesight

andin

thetreatmento

fdiabetes

Flow

ersa

rehigh

lyesteem

edas

analternative

refrigeranttonicbloo

dpu

rifier

andin

the

treatmento

fcon

junctiv

itis

Flow

erpaste

isgivenin

emptysto

machto

cure

dysenterydiarrhoeaa

ndindigestion[57]

Sindicusfl

ower

extractshave

show

ntheb

road

spectrum

antib

acteria

lactivity

andthey

have

asig

nificantantifu

ngalandantip

rotozoalactiv

ity

Thefl

owersa

lsoconsist

ofneurolepticanx

iolytic

hepatoprotectiv

ehaem

olytichaemostatic

analgesic

andantia

rthritica

ctivities

Thefl

ower

headsa

refamou

sfor

their

neurop

rotectiveantia

mnesic

antihyperlip

idem

icandwou

ndhealingactiv

ities

Both

flowersa

ndthefl

ower

headsc

onsisto

fim

mun

ostim

ulatoryactiv

ity[58]

Sphaeranthanolidew

ithim

mun

ostim

ulantp

otentia

l

Eudesm

enolidetypeo

fsesquiterpeneg

lycosid

eand

sphaeranthanolide[57]

Spilanthesp

anicu

lata

Wall

Spilanthesa

cmella

Sinh

alaAkm

ella

TamilAkk

irakaram

Thep

lant

iscommon

upto

6000

feet

altitud

einSriL

anka

Thefl

ower

headso

fthisp

lant

arec

hewed

for

toothache[25]

Thefl

ower

ofSacmellaiskn

ownto

prod

ucelipase

inhibitio

nprop

ertie

sdiureticvasorelaxation

pancreaticprop

ertie

sand

antifun

galactivity

especiallyagainstA

spergillu

sparasiticusA

niger

Fusariu

mmoniliform

iand

Foxysporum

Itisfoun

dthatthee

xtractof

flower

headso

fthis

plantcon

tainsspilantho

lwhich

isactiv

eagainst

Plutellaxyloste

llaAc

cordingto

studies

thea

queous

extracto

fSpanicu

lata

flowersh

aspo

tent

diurectic

activ

ityTh

isactsas

aloo

pdiureticw

hich

increases

theu

rinaryNa+

andK+

levels[59]

Spilantho

l[60]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Stereospermum

suaveolen

s(Roxb)Bignonia

suaveolen

sRoxb

Sinh

alaPalol

TamillA

mbu

App

u

Thefl

ower

isused

totre

atmalariabronchitis

heartd

iseasescancerpu

rgativein

the

treatmento

fbleedingdiseasesdiarrho

eaof

the

pitta

type

anditisgood

forthe

throat

TheP

alolflo

wersa

realso

used

totre

athiccup

Th

esefl

owersa

remixed

with

honeyandgiven

orally[61]

Syzygium

arom

aticu

mEn

glish

Clove

Sinh

alaKa

rabu

-neti

TamilKa

ruvapp

u

Itallay

sthirstand

nausea

inchild

rensufferin

gfro

mwormsa

ndingestion

Along

with

other

ingredientsitcures

colicdise

ases

ofthec

hest

andthroatcou

ghhiccoug

hasthmadiarrhea

urinarydiseases

andremedyfora

rthritisa

ndrheumatism

[62]

Thefl

ower

buds

ofSarom

aticu

mhave

been

used

fortreatmento

fmales

exuald

isordersin

Ayurvedica

ndUnani

medicines

from

the

ancienttim

es[63]

They

consist

ofcarm

inativesto

machica

ndstimulant

activ

ity

Clovea

lsopo

ssessesa

ntise

pticantibacteria

lantifun

galantiv

iralantiemeticanti-infl

ammatory

cytotoxica

ndanestheticprop

ertie

sCloveo

ilisused

fortoo

thache

becauseo

fitsantib

iotic

andantiseptic

prop

ertie

s[63]

Volatile

oilcaryop

hyllin

eugenin

gumtannica

cidand

salicylicacidTh

emain

constituent

ofthev

olatile

oilof

clove

iseugeno

lItalso

contains

minor

amou

ntso

feugenol

acetate120573-cariofilenol

120572-hum

ulen120573

-pinenelim

onene

farnesolbenzaldehyde

2-heptanon

eand

ethylh

exanoate

[64]

Tabernaemontana

divaric

ataLinn

English

Crepe

jasm

inePinw

heelFlow

erSinh

alaWathu

sudd

a

Acommon

garden

plantinSriL

anka

Crepejasminefl

owersa

reused

totre

atcorneal

inflammationandop

hthalm

iaItisused

inUnani

medicinefor

the

managem

ento

fpain

Thefl

owerssoakedwater

issprin

kled

onsm

allpox

patie

nts

Inrecent

investigations

itisfoun

dou

tthatthese

flowersp

ossesses

Hippo

craticscreeningantia

nxiety

antic

onvulsa

ntantidiabetic

cytotoxicantifertility

anti-inflammatoryantio

xidantand

gastr

oprotectiv

eeffects

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

Tdivaric

atefl

owers

teste

don

Wistar

ratswith

chem

icallyindu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nshassho

wnthatitpo

ssessesg

astro

protectiv

eeffectsb

yenhancingthep

rodu

ctionof

the

gastric

mucosao

rpreventingits

depletionby

aggressiv

efactorsA

lsoitwas

foun

dou

tthatthese

extractsindu

cethea

ntioxidant

activ

ityin

chem

ically

indu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nin

rats

Aspido

spermatancoryn

anthean

ibogan

andplum

eran

sub-types

ofindo

lealkaloids[65]

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 11

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Rosa

damascene

Mill

English

Rose

Sinh

alaRo

sa

Rose

buds

arem

orea

stringent

than

thefull

blow

nflo

wersa

ndconsidered

cold

anddry

ceph

aliccardicalton

icandaperientrem

oving

bilio

usnessB

udsa

reconsidered

asastringent

aperientcardiacalcephalic

tonicremoving

bileandcold

humou

rsTh

erosefl

ower

isregarded

asrefrigeranttonifyingforthe

vital

organsstomachandintestineshasc

ompo

und

actio

nof

causingmild

purgationas

wellas

astringencyles

sens

theh

eatd

ueto

bilio

usness

givesfragrance

isperspiratio

nandredu

cesits

excessivee

xcretio

nEx

ternallyappliedgives

relieftowarm

inflammations

andassociated

painTh

eaqu

adistillateisu

sefulinirr

itated

affectio

nsof

eyes

Flow

ersh

elpin

curin

gbu

rningsensationsbud

odou

rfrom

mou

thfor

improvingappetite

relieving

headachetoo

thache

(asg

argles)

stomatitisbeneficially

used

inabno

rmal

functio

ning

ofkidn

eysliverchron

icfevers

inflammations

andintestinalaffectio

ns

Rose

oilisu

sedas

flavorin

gagentsto

maskthe

taste

ofmanyob

noxiou

spreparatio

nsA

conserve

ofrose

petalswith

othern

utritional

ingredientsh

asmild

laxativ

eaction

Itisuseful

toim

provea

ppetitesorethroatenlarged

tonsils

andsometim

esto

relieve

common

urogenitialdisordersa

ndurtic

arial

Thefl

owersh

avec

oolin

gmild

laxativ

eaphrod

isiac

antip

yreticcardioton

icandastringent

prop

ertie

s

Volatile

oilcon

tainsg

eraniol

citro

nello

leugeno

lTh

epetals

containvitamin

Cqu

ercitrin

quercitann

icacidgallic

acid

carotenenandredcolouring

matter[5]

Saraca

indica

Linn

Sinh

alaAs

oka

TamilAs

ogam

Asokap

lant

grow

swellinareaslike

Anu

radh

apura

Polonn

aruw

aBinthann

eaand

Mahiyanganaya

etc

Thejuice

offlo

werso

rsyrup

isuseful

cardiotonica

swellasb

rain

tonica

ndrelieves

dysentery[51]

Flow

ersa

realso

helpfulintre

atingdiabetes

haem

orrhoids

andforthe

treatmento

futerin

edisordersinfemales

[52]

Thea

queous

extracto

fthe

flowersh

asshow

nantiu

lcer

activ

ityA

lsothefl

ower

extractshasa

lsoshow

n50cytotoxica

ctivity

againstD

altons

lymph

omaa

scitesa

ndSarcom

a-180tumou

rcells

with

outany

cytotoxica

ctivity

againsth

uman

norm

allymph

ocytes

[53]

Thes

tudies

have

show

nthatthefl

ower

areu

sedto

redu

ceskin

tumou

rsindu

cedby

712-dim

ethyl

benzanthracenetorejuvenateskin

complexion

toindu

cequ

ickhealingof

skin

injurie

sandto

redu

cefre

cklesa

ndexternalinflammations

ofthes

kinsin

cethee

xtractsc

ontain

flavono

ids[54]

Oleiclinoleicpalm

itica

ndste

aricacidsP-sitosterol

quercetin

kaem

pferol-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

equ

ercetin

-3-0-P-D

-glucosid

eapigenin-7-0-p-D

-glucosid

epelargon

idin-35diglucoside

cyanidin-35-diglucosid

epalm

iticste

ariclinolenic

linoleicleucocyanidinandgallic

acid

[54]

12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Sesbaniagrandiflora

Sinh

alaKa

turu

murum

ga

Thisisac

ommon

tree

which

canbe

foun

din

theb

ackyard

ofmost

oftheS

riLank

anho

mes

Sgrandiflora

flowersp

ossessanti-canceranalgesicandantip

yretic

activ

ities

[55]

Thep

heno

licextracto

fSgrand

iflorahassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstStaphylo

coccus

aureus

Shigellaflexneri2aSalm

onellaTyphiEscherich

iacoli

andVibriocholera

Also

ith

asshow

ntheg

rowth

prom

otingeffecto

nthec

ommon

prob

iotic

bacterium

Lactobacillus

acidophilus[56]

Sida

veronicaefo

liaSinh

alaBe

vila

TamilPalampasi

Acommon

plantin

thew

astegrou

ndof

low-cou

ntry

inSri

Lank

aespecially

inareaslikeB

attic

alo

Haragam

aetc

Paleyello

wsm

allfl

owersa

ndun

ripefruits

are

givenwith

sugarindecoctionforb

urning

sensationin

micturition[27]

Sphaeranthus

hirtusin

dicus

L English

Globe

flowerEast

Indian

glob

ethistle

Sinh

alaMud

amahana

Thesep

lantsa

regrow

nin

ther

icefi

eldin

SriL

ankaItis

common

inmoist

places

especially

padd

yfield

inthelow

coun

trylik

eKu

runagala

Theleafflo

wer

andseedso

fthisp

lant

are

grou

ndinto

apasteandappliedtopically

totre

atskin

diseases

especiallyin

itching

sskin

erup

tionseczem

aspsoria

sisvitiligoandpiles

Also

itisu

sedto

treatwe

akheartpalpitatio

ns

jointd

iseasesliver

diseases

especiallyjaun

dice

andin

chronicc

ough

Flowersa

reuseful

inprom

otingeyesight

andin

thetreatmento

fdiabetes

Flow

ersa

rehigh

lyesteem

edas

analternative

refrigeranttonicbloo

dpu

rifier

andin

the

treatmento

fcon

junctiv

itis

Flow

erpaste

isgivenin

emptysto

machto

cure

dysenterydiarrhoeaa

ndindigestion[57]

Sindicusfl

ower

extractshave

show

ntheb

road

spectrum

antib

acteria

lactivity

andthey

have

asig

nificantantifu

ngalandantip

rotozoalactiv

ity

Thefl

owersa

lsoconsist

ofneurolepticanx

iolytic

hepatoprotectiv

ehaem

olytichaemostatic

analgesic

andantia

rthritica

ctivities

Thefl

ower

headsa

refamou

sfor

their

neurop

rotectiveantia

mnesic

antihyperlip

idem

icandwou

ndhealingactiv

ities

Both

flowersa

ndthefl

ower

headsc

onsisto

fim

mun

ostim

ulatoryactiv

ity[58]

Sphaeranthanolidew

ithim

mun

ostim

ulantp

otentia

l

Eudesm

enolidetypeo

fsesquiterpeneg

lycosid

eand

sphaeranthanolide[57]

Spilanthesp

anicu

lata

Wall

Spilanthesa

cmella

Sinh

alaAkm

ella

TamilAkk

irakaram

Thep

lant

iscommon

upto

6000

feet

altitud

einSriL

anka

Thefl

ower

headso

fthisp

lant

arec

hewed

for

toothache[25]

Thefl

ower

ofSacmellaiskn

ownto

prod

ucelipase

inhibitio

nprop

ertie

sdiureticvasorelaxation

pancreaticprop

ertie

sand

antifun

galactivity

especiallyagainstA

spergillu

sparasiticusA

niger

Fusariu

mmoniliform

iand

Foxysporum

Itisfoun

dthatthee

xtractof

flower

headso

fthis

plantcon

tainsspilantho

lwhich

isactiv

eagainst

Plutellaxyloste

llaAc

cordingto

studies

thea

queous

extracto

fSpanicu

lata

flowersh

aspo

tent

diurectic

activ

ityTh

isactsas

aloo

pdiureticw

hich

increases

theu

rinaryNa+

andK+

levels[59]

Spilantho

l[60]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Stereospermum

suaveolen

s(Roxb)Bignonia

suaveolen

sRoxb

Sinh

alaPalol

TamillA

mbu

App

u

Thefl

ower

isused

totre

atmalariabronchitis

heartd

iseasescancerpu

rgativein

the

treatmento

fbleedingdiseasesdiarrho

eaof

the

pitta

type

anditisgood

forthe

throat

TheP

alolflo

wersa

realso

used

totre

athiccup

Th

esefl

owersa

remixed

with

honeyandgiven

orally[61]

Syzygium

arom

aticu

mEn

glish

Clove

Sinh

alaKa

rabu

-neti

TamilKa

ruvapp

u

Itallay

sthirstand

nausea

inchild

rensufferin

gfro

mwormsa

ndingestion

Along

with

other

ingredientsitcures

colicdise

ases

ofthec

hest

andthroatcou

ghhiccoug

hasthmadiarrhea

urinarydiseases

andremedyfora

rthritisa

ndrheumatism

[62]

Thefl

ower

buds

ofSarom

aticu

mhave

been

used

fortreatmento

fmales

exuald

isordersin

Ayurvedica

ndUnani

medicines

from

the

ancienttim

es[63]

They

consist

ofcarm

inativesto

machica

ndstimulant

activ

ity

Clovea

lsopo

ssessesa

ntise

pticantibacteria

lantifun

galantiv

iralantiemeticanti-infl

ammatory

cytotoxica

ndanestheticprop

ertie

sCloveo

ilisused

fortoo

thache

becauseo

fitsantib

iotic

andantiseptic

prop

ertie

s[63]

Volatile

oilcaryop

hyllin

eugenin

gumtannica

cidand

salicylicacidTh

emain

constituent

ofthev

olatile

oilof

clove

iseugeno

lItalso

contains

minor

amou

ntso

feugenol

acetate120573-cariofilenol

120572-hum

ulen120573

-pinenelim

onene

farnesolbenzaldehyde

2-heptanon

eand

ethylh

exanoate

[64]

Tabernaemontana

divaric

ataLinn

English

Crepe

jasm

inePinw

heelFlow

erSinh

alaWathu

sudd

a

Acommon

garden

plantinSriL

anka

Crepejasminefl

owersa

reused

totre

atcorneal

inflammationandop

hthalm

iaItisused

inUnani

medicinefor

the

managem

ento

fpain

Thefl

owerssoakedwater

issprin

kled

onsm

allpox

patie

nts

Inrecent

investigations

itisfoun

dou

tthatthese

flowersp

ossesses

Hippo

craticscreeningantia

nxiety

antic

onvulsa

ntantidiabetic

cytotoxicantifertility

anti-inflammatoryantio

xidantand

gastr

oprotectiv

eeffects

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

Tdivaric

atefl

owers

teste

don

Wistar

ratswith

chem

icallyindu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nshassho

wnthatitpo

ssessesg

astro

protectiv

eeffectsb

yenhancingthep

rodu

ctionof

the

gastric

mucosao

rpreventingits

depletionby

aggressiv

efactorsA

lsoitwas

foun

dou

tthatthese

extractsindu

cethea

ntioxidant

activ

ityin

chem

ically

indu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nin

rats

Aspido

spermatancoryn

anthean

ibogan

andplum

eran

sub-types

ofindo

lealkaloids[65]

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

12 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Sesbaniagrandiflora

Sinh

alaKa

turu

murum

ga

Thisisac

ommon

tree

which

canbe

foun

din

theb

ackyard

ofmost

oftheS

riLank

anho

mes

Sgrandiflora

flowersp

ossessanti-canceranalgesicandantip

yretic

activ

ities

[55]

Thep

heno

licextracto

fSgrand

iflorahassho

wn

antim

icrobialactiv

ityagainstStaphylo

coccus

aureus

Shigellaflexneri2aSalm

onellaTyphiEscherich

iacoli

andVibriocholera

Also

ith

asshow

ntheg

rowth

prom

otingeffecto

nthec

ommon

prob

iotic

bacterium

Lactobacillus

acidophilus[56]

Sida

veronicaefo

liaSinh

alaBe

vila

TamilPalampasi

Acommon

plantin

thew

astegrou

ndof

low-cou

ntry

inSri

Lank

aespecially

inareaslikeB

attic

alo

Haragam

aetc

Paleyello

wsm

allfl

owersa

ndun

ripefruits

are

givenwith

sugarindecoctionforb

urning

sensationin

micturition[27]

Sphaeranthus

hirtusin

dicus

L English

Globe

flowerEast

Indian

glob

ethistle

Sinh

alaMud

amahana

Thesep

lantsa

regrow

nin

ther

icefi

eldin

SriL

ankaItis

common

inmoist

places

especially

padd

yfield

inthelow

coun

trylik

eKu

runagala

Theleafflo

wer

andseedso

fthisp

lant

are

grou

ndinto

apasteandappliedtopically

totre

atskin

diseases

especiallyin

itching

sskin

erup

tionseczem

aspsoria

sisvitiligoandpiles

Also

itisu

sedto

treatwe

akheartpalpitatio

ns

jointd

iseasesliver

diseases

especiallyjaun

dice

andin

chronicc

ough

Flowersa

reuseful

inprom

otingeyesight

andin

thetreatmento

fdiabetes

Flow

ersa

rehigh

lyesteem

edas

analternative

refrigeranttonicbloo

dpu

rifier

andin

the

treatmento

fcon

junctiv

itis

Flow

erpaste

isgivenin

emptysto

machto

cure

dysenterydiarrhoeaa

ndindigestion[57]

Sindicusfl

ower

extractshave

show

ntheb

road

spectrum

antib

acteria

lactivity

andthey

have

asig

nificantantifu

ngalandantip

rotozoalactiv

ity

Thefl

owersa

lsoconsist

ofneurolepticanx

iolytic

hepatoprotectiv

ehaem

olytichaemostatic

analgesic

andantia

rthritica

ctivities

Thefl

ower

headsa

refamou

sfor

their

neurop

rotectiveantia

mnesic

antihyperlip

idem

icandwou

ndhealingactiv

ities

Both

flowersa

ndthefl

ower

headsc

onsisto

fim

mun

ostim

ulatoryactiv

ity[58]

Sphaeranthanolidew

ithim

mun

ostim

ulantp

otentia

l

Eudesm

enolidetypeo

fsesquiterpeneg

lycosid

eand

sphaeranthanolide[57]

Spilanthesp

anicu

lata

Wall

Spilanthesa

cmella

Sinh

alaAkm

ella

TamilAkk

irakaram

Thep

lant

iscommon

upto

6000

feet

altitud

einSriL

anka

Thefl

ower

headso

fthisp

lant

arec

hewed

for

toothache[25]

Thefl

ower

ofSacmellaiskn

ownto

prod

ucelipase

inhibitio

nprop

ertie

sdiureticvasorelaxation

pancreaticprop

ertie

sand

antifun

galactivity

especiallyagainstA

spergillu

sparasiticusA

niger

Fusariu

mmoniliform

iand

Foxysporum

Itisfoun

dthatthee

xtractof

flower

headso

fthis

plantcon

tainsspilantho

lwhich

isactiv

eagainst

Plutellaxyloste

llaAc

cordingto

studies

thea

queous

extracto

fSpanicu

lata

flowersh

aspo

tent

diurectic

activ

ityTh

isactsas

aloo

pdiureticw

hich

increases

theu

rinaryNa+

andK+

levels[59]

Spilantho

l[60]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Stereospermum

suaveolen

s(Roxb)Bignonia

suaveolen

sRoxb

Sinh

alaPalol

TamillA

mbu

App

u

Thefl

ower

isused

totre

atmalariabronchitis

heartd

iseasescancerpu

rgativein

the

treatmento

fbleedingdiseasesdiarrho

eaof

the

pitta

type

anditisgood

forthe

throat

TheP

alolflo

wersa

realso

used

totre

athiccup

Th

esefl

owersa

remixed

with

honeyandgiven

orally[61]

Syzygium

arom

aticu

mEn

glish

Clove

Sinh

alaKa

rabu

-neti

TamilKa

ruvapp

u

Itallay

sthirstand

nausea

inchild

rensufferin

gfro

mwormsa

ndingestion

Along

with

other

ingredientsitcures

colicdise

ases

ofthec

hest

andthroatcou

ghhiccoug

hasthmadiarrhea

urinarydiseases

andremedyfora

rthritisa

ndrheumatism

[62]

Thefl

ower

buds

ofSarom

aticu

mhave

been

used

fortreatmento

fmales

exuald

isordersin

Ayurvedica

ndUnani

medicines

from

the

ancienttim

es[63]

They

consist

ofcarm

inativesto

machica

ndstimulant

activ

ity

Clovea

lsopo

ssessesa

ntise

pticantibacteria

lantifun

galantiv

iralantiemeticanti-infl

ammatory

cytotoxica

ndanestheticprop

ertie

sCloveo

ilisused

fortoo

thache

becauseo

fitsantib

iotic

andantiseptic

prop

ertie

s[63]

Volatile

oilcaryop

hyllin

eugenin

gumtannica

cidand

salicylicacidTh

emain

constituent

ofthev

olatile

oilof

clove

iseugeno

lItalso

contains

minor

amou

ntso

feugenol

acetate120573-cariofilenol

120572-hum

ulen120573

-pinenelim

onene

farnesolbenzaldehyde

2-heptanon

eand

ethylh

exanoate

[64]

Tabernaemontana

divaric

ataLinn

English

Crepe

jasm

inePinw

heelFlow

erSinh

alaWathu

sudd

a

Acommon

garden

plantinSriL

anka

Crepejasminefl

owersa

reused

totre

atcorneal

inflammationandop

hthalm

iaItisused

inUnani

medicinefor

the

managem

ento

fpain

Thefl

owerssoakedwater

issprin

kled

onsm

allpox

patie

nts

Inrecent

investigations

itisfoun

dou

tthatthese

flowersp

ossesses

Hippo

craticscreeningantia

nxiety

antic

onvulsa

ntantidiabetic

cytotoxicantifertility

anti-inflammatoryantio

xidantand

gastr

oprotectiv

eeffects

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

Tdivaric

atefl

owers

teste

don

Wistar

ratswith

chem

icallyindu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nshassho

wnthatitpo

ssessesg

astro

protectiv

eeffectsb

yenhancingthep

rodu

ctionof

the

gastric

mucosao

rpreventingits

depletionby

aggressiv

efactorsA

lsoitwas

foun

dou

tthatthese

extractsindu

cethea

ntioxidant

activ

ityin

chem

ically

indu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nin

rats

Aspido

spermatancoryn

anthean

ibogan

andplum

eran

sub-types

ofindo

lealkaloids[65]

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 13

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Stereospermum

suaveolen

s(Roxb)Bignonia

suaveolen

sRoxb

Sinh

alaPalol

TamillA

mbu

App

u

Thefl

ower

isused

totre

atmalariabronchitis

heartd

iseasescancerpu

rgativein

the

treatmento

fbleedingdiseasesdiarrho

eaof

the

pitta

type

anditisgood

forthe

throat

TheP

alolflo

wersa

realso

used

totre

athiccup

Th

esefl

owersa

remixed

with

honeyandgiven

orally[61]

Syzygium

arom

aticu

mEn

glish

Clove

Sinh

alaKa

rabu

-neti

TamilKa

ruvapp

u

Itallay

sthirstand

nausea

inchild

rensufferin

gfro

mwormsa

ndingestion

Along

with

other

ingredientsitcures

colicdise

ases

ofthec

hest

andthroatcou

ghhiccoug

hasthmadiarrhea

urinarydiseases

andremedyfora

rthritisa

ndrheumatism

[62]

Thefl

ower

buds

ofSarom

aticu

mhave

been

used

fortreatmento

fmales

exuald

isordersin

Ayurvedica

ndUnani

medicines

from

the

ancienttim

es[63]

They

consist

ofcarm

inativesto

machica

ndstimulant

activ

ity

Clovea

lsopo

ssessesa

ntise

pticantibacteria

lantifun

galantiv

iralantiemeticanti-infl

ammatory

cytotoxica

ndanestheticprop

ertie

sCloveo

ilisused

fortoo

thache

becauseo

fitsantib

iotic

andantiseptic

prop

ertie

s[63]

Volatile

oilcaryop

hyllin

eugenin

gumtannica

cidand

salicylicacidTh

emain

constituent

ofthev

olatile

oilof

clove

iseugeno

lItalso

contains

minor

amou

ntso

feugenol

acetate120573-cariofilenol

120572-hum

ulen120573

-pinenelim

onene

farnesolbenzaldehyde

2-heptanon

eand

ethylh

exanoate

[64]

Tabernaemontana

divaric

ataLinn

English

Crepe

jasm

inePinw

heelFlow

erSinh

alaWathu

sudd

a

Acommon

garden

plantinSriL

anka

Crepejasminefl

owersa

reused

totre

atcorneal

inflammationandop

hthalm

iaItisused

inUnani

medicinefor

the

managem

ento

fpain

Thefl

owerssoakedwater

issprin

kled

onsm

allpox

patie

nts

Inrecent

investigations

itisfoun

dou

tthatthese

flowersp

ossesses

Hippo

craticscreeningantia

nxiety

antic

onvulsa

ntantidiabetic

cytotoxicantifertility

anti-inflammatoryantio

xidantand

gastr

oprotectiv

eeffects

Them

ethano

licextracto

fthe

Tdivaric

atefl

owers

teste

don

Wistar

ratswith

chem

icallyindu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nshassho

wnthatitpo

ssessesg

astro

protectiv

eeffectsb

yenhancingthep

rodu

ctionof

the

gastric

mucosao

rpreventingits

depletionby

aggressiv

efactorsA

lsoitwas

foun

dou

tthatthese

extractsindu

cethea

ntioxidant

activ

ityin

chem

ically

indu

cedgastric

ulceratio

nin

rats

Aspido

spermatancoryn

anthean

ibogan

andplum

eran

sub-types

ofindo

lealkaloids[65]

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

14 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Table1Con

tinued

Nam

eofthe

flower

Com

mon

lygrow

narea

inSriL

anka

Tradition

alUses

PharmacologicalUses

Chem

icalcompo

sition

Vernoniacin

erea

Linn

English

Ash-colou

red

Fleabane

Sinh

alaMon

arakud

umbiya

TamilPu

vamku

rund

al

Canbe

seen

ineveryw

here

ofSri

Lank

a

Thefl

owersa

readministered

forc

onjunctiv

itis

fevera

ndrheumatism

[24]

Accordingto

astudy

done

byLathae

tal(1998)o

narthritisindu

cedrats

itwas

foun

dou

tthatthe

flower

extracto

fVcinerea

consistso

fanti-inflammatoryprop

erty[66]

Alkaloidsflavon

oidssapon

ins

carboh

ydratesproteinspheno

lsste

roidsa

ndtann

in[66]

Wrig

htiaantid

ysenteric

aLinn

(Nerium

zeylanicu

mLinn

Nerium

antid

ysenteric

umLinn

)Sinh

alaSudu

iddaW

al-id

da

Very

common

lyfoun

din

open

grou

ndin

thelow

-cou

ntry

especiallynear

the

sea

Flow

ersa

reused

forsnake

bitecuresespecially

forthato

fthe

RussellrsquosViper[7]A

lsothesea

reused

totre

atgono

rrheaulcersin

genital

organsailm

entsaft

erdelivery[67]

Woodfordiaflorib

unda

Sinh

alaMilitta

TamilDhatari-

puspam

Growsinop

ensunn

yplaces

inthelow

ermou

ntainregion

ofSriL

anka

Flow

ersa

readdedto

ldquoAris

tasrdquoto

cause

alcoho

licferm

entatio

nTh

eyarea

lsoused

indysenteryandother

bowelcomplaintsirr

itant

haem

orrhageto

treatspruerheumatism

dysuriahem

aturia

anddysm

enorrhoea

Thep

owdero

fthe

flower

isgivenwith

honeyin

leucorrhoea[

3]Itisa

lsoan

ingredient

ofa

preparationused

tomakeb

arrenwom

enfertile

Thefresh

flowersa

reused

tosto

pbleeding

inem

ergencycuts

whilethed

riedflo

wer

powder

isused

tohealwou

ndsa

ndoil-b

ased

flower

extractisu

sedto

treatop

enwou

nds

Drie

dflo

wer

isalso

used

totre

atotorrhoea

Water

decoctionof

thefresh

flowe

rseith

eralon

eorincombinatio

nwith

ginger

(Zingiber

officin

ale)isused

forthe

treatmento

fdysentery

[68]

Flow

ersh

avea

stringent

andstimulantactivity

Whendrythey

area

strin

gent

andtonicTh

emethano

licextracto

fthe

flower

was

teste

don

diclo

fenacind

uced

toxicityin

ratsandfoun

dou

tthat

thisflo

wer

extractp

ossesses

hepatoprotectiv

eactiv

ityanditalso

redu

cesthe

liver

fibrosis

indu

ced

bydiclo

fenac[69]

Also

thee

xtracthasw

eakcytotoxica

ctivity

and

potent

anti-inflammatoryactiv

ity[70]

Astu

dyhassho

wnAy

urvedicd

ruglsquoNim

baAris

tharsquo

which

contains

Wfruticosaflo

werspo

ssesses

immun

omod

ulatoryactiv

ity[71]

Tann

icacidellagica

cid

chrysoph

anol-8-O

--

dglucopyrano

sidepelargon

idin

35-diglucosideoctacosano

land

non-ph

enoliccompo

unds

like

sapo

geninandhecogeninetc

[68]

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15

N

N

OH(a) Vasicine

O+

OH

HO

OH

OH

O

Cl-

O

OH

OH

HO

OH(b) Cynidin-3-glucoside

OH

HO

OOH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

OO+Cl-

（3

（3

(c) Malvidin-3-glucoside

O+Cl-

OH

HO

O

OH

O

O

OH

OH

HO

OH

（3

(d) Peonidin-3-glucoside

O

（3

（3

(e) 120572-inone

O

（3

（3

（3

(f) 120573- ionone

O

OH

HO

OH

O

O

OHOH

OH

OHO

(g) Kaempferol-3-galactoside

H

OH

OH

H

(h) 7-epi-eudesm-4(15)11(13)-diene-11205733120573-diol

OH

OH

(i) 7-epi-1120573-hydroxy-120573-eudesmol

(j) 120572-copaene

Figure 1 Chemical compounds present in medicinally important flowers [9 16 21 39 40]

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

16 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

the mankind Thus the review of the medicinally importantflowers in Sri Lanka provides details regarding the pharma-cological leads for the wellbeing of the human society

Conflicts of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest regarding the publication ofthis paper

References

[1] T Selvamohan V Ramadas and S S S Kishore ldquoAntimicrobialactivity of selected medicinal plants against some selectedhuman pathogenic bacteriardquo Advances in Applied ScienceResearch vol 3 no 5 pp 3374ndash3381 2012

[2] S Sasidharan Y Chen D Saravanan K M Sundram andL Yoga Latha ldquoExtraction isolation and characterization ofbioactive compounds from plantsrsquo extractsrdquo African Journal ofTraditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines vol 8no 1 2011

[3] J P C Chandrasena e chemistry and Pharmacology ofCeylon and Indian Medicinal Plants Harrisons amp Crosfield ltdColombo Sri Lanka 1st edition 1935

[4] J K Abat S Kumar and A Mohanty ldquophytochemical andethnopharmacological aspects of four medicinal plants ofMalvaceae used in Indian traditional medicines a reviewrdquoMedicines vol 4 no 4 p 75 2017

[5] H M Said A Saeed and L A De Silva Medicinal herbal AResearch Publication of Bait Al-Hikmah at Madinat Al-HikmahKarachi Pakistan 1st edition 1996

[6] M Farzana and I Tharique ldquoA review of ethnomedicinephytochemical and pharmacological activities ofAcacia nilotica(Linn) willdrdquo Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistryvol 3 no 1 2014

[7] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part I National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[8] H Rajamanna Sri Lankawe Osu Shaka Saha Ewaye Wadagath-kama S Godage amp Brothers (Pvt) Ltd Colombo Sri Lanka 1stedition 2000

[9] U P Claeson T Malmfors G Wikman and J G BruhnldquoAdhatoda vasica a critical reviewof ethnopharmacological andtoxicological datardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 72 no 1-2 pp 1ndash20 2000

[10] M T Hossain and M O Hoq ldquoTherapeutic use of Adhatodavasicardquo Asian Journal of Medical and Biological Research vol 2no 2 pp 156ndash163 2016

[11] A K Gangwar and A K Ghosh ldquoMedicinal uses and pharma-cological activity of Adhatoda vasicardquo International Journal ofHerbal Medicine vol 2 no 1 pp 88ndash91 2014

[12] SMurugananthamGAnbalagan andNRamamurthy ldquoFT-IRand SEM-EDS comparative analysis ofmedicinal plants Ecliptaalba Hassk and Eclipta prostrata Linnrdquo Romanian Journal ofBiophysics vol 19 no 4 pp 285ndash294 2009

[13] H P Bhartiya and P C Gupta ldquoA chalcone glycoside from theflowers of Adhatoda vasicardquo Phytochemistry vol 21 no 1 p 2471982

[14] S Gautam ldquoBauhinia variegata linn all purpose utility andmedicinal treerdquo Forestry Bulletin vol 12 no 2 pp 61ndash64 2012

[15] K L Singh D Singh and V K Singh ldquoMultidimensionaluses of medicinal plant kachnar (Bauhinia variegata Linn)rdquo

American Journal of Phytomedicine and Clinical erapeuticsvol 4 no 2 pp 58ndash72 2016

[16] G Sahu and P K Gupta ldquoAReview onBauhinia variegata LinnrdquoInternational Research Journal of Pharmacy vol 3 no 1 pp 48ndash51 2012

[17] I Soman S A Mengi and S B Kasture ldquoEffect of leavesof Butea frondosa on stress anxiety and cognition in ratsrdquoPharmacology Biochemistry amp Behavior vol 79 no 1 pp 11ndash162004

[18] V Sindhia and R Bairwa ldquoPlant review Butea monospermardquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Researchvol 2 no 2 pp 90ndash94 2010

[19] L Awasthi andHVerma ldquoBoerhaavia diffusandashAwild herbwithpotent biological and antimicrobial propertiesrdquo Asian Agri-History vol 10 no 1 pp 55ndash68 2006

[20] P Chaudhary and S Khadabadi ldquoBombax ceiba Linn Phar-macognosy Ethnobotany and Phyto-pharmacologyrdquo Pharma-cognosy Communications vol 2 no 3 pp 2ndash9 2012

[21] J Yang L Liu and Y Shi ldquoTwo New Eudesmane Sesquiter-penoids from the Flowers of Chrysanthemum indicumrdquo Nat-ural Products and Bioprospecting pp 1ndash4 2019

[22] L-Y Wu H-Z Gao X-L Wang et al ldquoAnalysis of chemicalcomposition of Chrysanthemum indicum flowers by GCMSand HPLCrdquo Journal of Medicinal Plants Research vol 4 no 5pp 421ndash426 2010

[23] K Katrahalli ldquoUses of Cochlospermum religiosum (L) Alston[COCHLOSPERMACEAE] an ethnomedicinal plantrdquo 2011392-4

[24] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part III National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[25] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part II National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[26] R Jahan A Al-Nahain S Majumder and M RahmatullahldquoEthnopharmacological significance of Eclipta alba (L) hassk(Asteraceae)rdquo International Scholarly ResearchNotices vol 2014Article ID 385969 22 pages 2014

[27] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part IV National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[28] S M Abdul-Awal S Nazmir S Nasrin T R Nurunnabi andS J Uddin ldquoEvaluation of pharmacological activity of Hibiscustiliaceusrdquo SpringerPlus vol 5 no 1 p 1209 2016

[29] C Vanzella P Bianchetti S Sbaraini et al ldquoAntidepressant-likeeffects ofmethanol extract ofHibiscus tiliaceus flowers inmicerdquoBMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine vol 12 no 1 p41 2012

[30] KN Shah P Verma andB Suhagia ldquoA phyto-pharmacologicaloverview on Jewel Weedrdquo Journal of Applied PharmaceuticalScience vol 7 no 8 pp 246ndash252 2017

[31] B Meenu E Neeraja R Greeshma and V Alexeyena ldquompa-tiens balsamina An overviewrdquo Journal of Chemical and Phar-maceutical Research vol 7 pp 16ndash21 2005

[32] M R Saha M A Alam R Akter and R Jahangir ldquoIn vitrofree radical scavenging activity of Ixora coccinea Lrdquo BangladeshJournal of Pharmacology vol 3 no 2 2008

[33] M Z Imam N Nahar S Akter and M S Rana ldquoAntinoci-ceptive activity of methanol extract of flowers of Impatiensbalsaminardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 142 no 3 pp804ndash810 2012

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 17

[34] Y Lim I Kim and J Seo ldquoIn vitro activity of kaempferol iso-lated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combinationwith erythromycin or clindamycin against Propionibacteriumacnesrdquo Journal of Microbiology vol 45 no 5 pp 473ndash477 2007

[35] S Clevenger ldquoThe flavonols of Impatiens balsamina LrdquoArchivesof Biochemistry and Biophysics vol 76 no 1 pp 131ndash138 1958

[36] Y Maniyar P Bhixavatimath and N V Agashikar ldquoAntidiar-rheal activity of flowers of Ixora Coccinea Linn in ratsrdquo Journalof Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine vol 1 no 4 pp 287ndash2912010

[37] A Kharat V Nambiar Y Tarkasband and R Pujari ldquoA reviewon phytochemical and pharmacological activity of genus IxorardquoInternational Journal of Research in Pharmacy and Chemistryvol 3 no 3 pp 628ndash635 2013

[38] P Latha T Abraham and K Panikkar ldquoAntimicrobial proper-ties of Ixora coccinea L(Rubiaceae)rdquoAncient Science of Life vol14 no 4 p 286 1995

[39] G Chaudhary S Goyal and P Poonia ldquoLawsonia inermis Lin-naeus a phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofPharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research vol 2 no 2 pp 91ndash98 2010

[40] A Sharma S Sharma and B Parashar ldquoMesua ferrae linn-A Review of the Indian Medical Herbrdquo Systematic Reviews inPharmacy vol 8 no 1 p 19 2017

[41] S A Sheikh ldquoEthno-medicinal uses and pharmacologicalactivities of lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)rdquo Journal of MedicinalPlants Studies vol 2 no 6 pp 42ndash46 2014

[42] D R Das A K Sachan S Mohd and S S GangwarldquoNymphaea stellata a potential herb and its medicinal impor-tancerdquo Journal of Drug Delivery and erapeutics vol 2 no 32012

[43] P K Mukherjee D Mukherjee A K Maji S Rai andM Hein-rich ldquoThe sacred lotus (Nelumbo nucifera)ndashphytochemical andtherapeutic profilerdquo Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacologyvol 61 no 4 pp 407ndash422 2009

[44] K R Paudel and N Panth ldquoPhytochemical profile and biologi-cal activity of Nelumbo nuciferardquo Evidence-Based Complemen-tary and Alternative Medicine vol 2015 Article ID 789124 16pages 2015

[45] S Saranya D Archana and K Santhy ldquoAntimicrobial andAntioxidant Effects of Nerium oleander Flower Extractsrdquo Inter-national Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciencesvol 6 no 5 pp 1630ndash1637 2017

[46] P Namian T Talebi K G Germi and F Shabani ldquoScreening ofbiological activities (antioxidant antibacterial and antitumor)of Nerium oleander leaf and flower extractsrdquo Vacuum vol 10no 11 2013

[47] P Antonisamy P Subash-Babu A A Alshatwi et al ldquoGas-troprotective effect of nymphayol isolated from Nymphaeastellata (Willd) flowers contribution of antioxidant anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activitiesrdquo Chemico-BiologicalInteractions vol 224 pp 157ndash163 2014

[48] G Kaur Z Jabbar M Athar and M S Alam ldquoPunica grana-tum (pomegranate) flower extract possesses potent antioxidantactivity and abrogates Fe-NTA induced hepatotoxicity in micerdquoFood and Chemical Toxicology vol 44 no 7 pp 984ndash993 2006

[49] E Nasiri S J Hosseinimehr J Akbari M Azadbakht and SAzizi ldquoThe effects of punica granatum flower extract on skininjuries induced by burn in ratsrdquo Advances in PharmacologicalSciences 2017

[50] R Wang Wei Wang L Wang R Liu Yi Ding and L DuldquoConstituents of the flowers of Punica granatumrdquo Fitoterapiavol 77 no 7-8 pp 534ndash537 2006

[51] D M A Jayaweera and L K Senaratna Medicinal Plants Usedin Ceylon - Part V National Science Council of Sri LankaColombo Sri Lanka 1981

[52] A Baranwal and S Devi ldquoAshoka (saraca indica) in indiantraditionalmedicine a reviewrdquo International Journal of Researchin Applied Natural and Social Sciences vol 4 no 5 pp 137ndash1402017

[53] C D Varghese S C Nair and K R Panikkar ldquoPotential anti-cancer activity of Saraca asoca extracts towards transplantabletumours in micerdquo Indian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciencesvol 54 no 1 pp 37ndash40 1992

[54] M A B Nyeem M S Haque M O Haq et al ldquoAshoka (saracaindica) as women friendly plant a reviewrdquo National Journal ofAdvanced Research vol 3 no 2 pp 3ndash7 2017

[55] T Lakshmi ldquoHadga (Sesbania Grandiflora Linn)ndashA UniqueAyurvedic Remedyrdquo International Journal of Drug Developmentand Research vol 3 no 4 pp 1ndash3 2011

[56] R China S Mukherjee S Sen et al ldquoAntimicrobial activityof Sesbania grandiflora flower polyphenol extracts on somepathogenic bacteria and growth stimulatory effect on theprobiotic organism Lactobacillus acidophilusrdquo MicrobiologicalResearch vol 167 no 8 pp 500ndash506 2012

[57] V Galani B Patel and D Rana ldquoSphaeranthus indicusLinn A phytopharmacological reviewrdquo International Journal ofAyurveda Research vol 1 no 4 p 247 2010

[58] N G Mahajan M Z Chopda and R T Mahajan ldquoA reviewon Sphaeranthus indicus Linn Multipotential medicinal plantrdquoInternational Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and AlliedSciences vol 4 pp 48ndash74 2015

[59] Y Purushothaman S Gunaseelan and S D VijayakumarldquoSpilanthes acmella and its medicinal uses ndash A reviewrdquo AsianJournal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research vol 11 no 6pp 45ndash49 2018

[60] S A Ali ldquoDiuretic activity of aqueous extract of Spilanthes pan-iculata flower in ratsrdquo International Journal of Green Pharmacyvol 9 no 3 pp 162ndash166 2015

[61] M Rahmatullah W Samarrai R Jahan et al ldquoAn Ethnomedic-inal pharmacological and phytochemical review of somebignoniaceae family plants and a description of bignoniaceaeplants in folk medicinal uses in Bangladeshrdquo Advances inNatural and Applied Sciences vol 4 no 3 pp 236ndash253 2010

[62] C Orwa Agroforestree Database a tree reference and selectionguide version 40 httpwwwworldagroforestryorgtreedbAFTPDFSSyzygium aromaticumPDF 2009

[63] R K Mishra and S K Singh ldquoSafety assessment of Syzygiumaromaticum flower bud (clove) extract with respect to testicularfunction inmicerdquo Food and Chemical Toxicology vol 46 no 10pp 3333ndash3338 2008

[64] D F Cortes-Rojas C R F de Souza and W P OliveiraldquoClove (Syzygium aromaticum) A precious spicerdquoAsian PacificJournal of Tropical Biomedicine vol 4 no 2 pp 90ndash96 2014

[65] M S Ali Khan A M Mat Jais and A Afreen ldquoProstaglandinanalogous and antioxidant activity mediated gastroprotec-tive action of Tabernaemontana divaricata (L) R Br flowermethanolic extract against chemically induced gastric ulcersin ratsrdquo BioMed Research International vol 2013 Article ID185476 18 pages 2013

18 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine

[66] R M Latha T Geetha and P Varalakshmi ldquoEffect of Vernoniacinerea less flower extract in adjuvant-induced arthritisrdquo Gen-eral Pharmacology e Vascular System vol 31 no 4 pp 601ndash606 1998

[67] M N Wickramaratne L Gunatilake N D Anuradha AGodavillathanna M Perera and I Nicholas ldquoAntioxidantActivity and Antibacterial Activity of Walidda antidysentericardquoJournal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry vol 4 no 22015

[68] P K Das S Goswami A Chinniah et al ldquoWoodfordiafruticosa Traditional uses and recent findingsrdquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 110 no 2 pp 189ndash199 2007

[69] Y Baravalia Y Vaghasiya and S Chanda ldquoHepatoprotectiveeffect of Woodfordia fruticosa Kurz flowers on diclofenacsodium induced liver toxicity in ratsrdquo Asian Pacific Journal ofTropical Medicine vol 4 no 5 pp 342ndash346 2011

[70] Y Baravalia Y Vaghasiya and S Chanda ldquoBrine shrimp cyto-toxicity anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties of Wood-fordia fruticosaKurz flowersrdquo Iranian Journal of PharmaceuticalResearch vol 11 no 3 p 851 2012

[71] B H Kroes A J J van den Berg A M Abeysekera K TD de Silva and R P Labadie ldquoFermentation in traditionalmedicine the impact of Woodfordia fruticosa flowers onthe immunomodulatory activity and the alcohol and sugarcontents of Nimba arishtardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol40 no 2 pp 117ndash125 1993

[72] T N Kankanamalage R M Dharmadasa D C Abeysingheand R G Wijesekara ldquoA survey on medicinal materials usedin traditional systems of medicine in Sri Lankardquo Journal ofEthnopharmacology vol 155 no 1 pp 679ndash691 2014

[73] P B Weragoda ldquoThe traditional system on medicine in SriLankardquo Journal of Ethnopharmacology vol 2 no 1 pp 71ndash731980

[74] G-T Chen Y Lu M Yang J-L Li and B-Y Fan ldquoMedicinaluses pharmacology and phytochemistry of Convolvulaceaeplants with central nervous system efficacies A systematicreviewrdquo Phytotherapy Research vol 32 no 5 pp 823ndash864 2018

[75] G Visweswari R Christopher and W Rajendra ldquoPhytochem-ical screening of active secondary metabolites present in With-ania somnifera root role in traditional medicinerdquo InternationalJournal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research vol 4 no 7 p2770 2013

[76] A Kothari-Chhajer A Samad K Reema J Karan C D Aditiand N Ray Comparative Analysis of Antioxidant Activity inVarious Plant Species

[77] M Shubhashree T Shantha V Ramarao MP REDDY and GVenkateshwaraul ldquoA review on therapeutic uses of flowers asdepicted in classical texts of Ayurveda and Siddhardquoe Journalof Research and Education in Indian Medicine vol 21 pp 1ndash142015

[78] S K Bhattacharjee and L C De Medicinal Hebs and FlowersAavishkar Jaipur India 1st edition 2005

Stem Cells International

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

MEDIATORSINFLAMMATION

of

EndocrinologyInternational Journal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Disease Markers

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

BioMed Research International

OncologyJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2013

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

PPAR Research

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom

The Scientific World Journal

Volume 2018

Immunology ResearchHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Journal of

ObesityJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Behavioural Neurology

OphthalmologyJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Diabetes ResearchJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Research and TreatmentAIDS

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Gastroenterology Research and Practice

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Parkinsonrsquos Disease

Evidence-Based Complementary andAlternative Medicine

Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom

Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom

Stem Cells International

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

MEDIATORSINFLAMMATION

of

EndocrinologyInternational Journal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Disease Markers

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

BioMed Research International

OncologyJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2013

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

PPAR Research

Hindawi Publishing Corporation httpwwwhindawicom Volume 2013Hindawiwwwhindawicom

The Scientific World Journal

Volume 2018

Immunology ResearchHindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Journal of

ObesityJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Computational and Mathematical Methods in Medicine

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Behavioural Neurology

OphthalmologyJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Diabetes ResearchJournal of

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Research and TreatmentAIDS

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Gastroenterology Research and Practice

Hindawiwwwhindawicom Volume 2018

Parkinsonrsquos Disease

Evidence-Based Complementary andAlternative Medicine

Volume 2018Hindawiwwwhindawicom

Submit your manuscripts atwwwhindawicom