Abstract
Vitex peduncularis Wall., belonging to Lamiaceae family, is commonly called as ‘Charaigorh’ by the several ethnic groups of Jharkhand. According to the local traditional healers, the bark is used against snake bites, hypertension, psoriasis, kidney disease, anaemia, retained placenta, postpartum haemorrhage, sciatica, leucorrhoea, dysmenorrhea, kala-azar, encephalitis, rheumatoid arthritis, cancerous wounds, black water fever, malarial fever and ordinary fever. Leaf decoction is used against articular arthritis, hypotension and eczema. Phytochemical investigations of the ethanolic extract of the bark revealed the presence of high concentrations of alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, phenols, tannins and free amino acids. The prominent bioactive compounds identified are cis-3-Hexenoic acid, Cyclooctane, n-Hexadecanoic acid, 2-Nitrothiophene, 3-Methyl-2-butenoic acid, 2,6-Dimethyl-3-thioxo-3,4-dihydro-1,2,4-triazin-5(2H)-one and N-(3-Methoxyphenyl) 2,2- dimethylpropanamide. The bark also exhibited a good antibacterial activities. The findings validate the ethnomedicinal uses of the bark against several diseases.
