Scientists find bone healing qualities in herb.

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Bone herb gets a boost

G.S. MUDUR New Delhi, Nov. 27: A cactus-like plant used for long in

traditional Indian medicine as a bone-healing agent has gained scientific

credence.

Scientists have found that the plant has key chemical ingredients required to

make human bone.

In test-tube experiments, researchers at the National Chemical Laboratory

(NCL) in Pune have shown that the plant, Cissus quadrangularis, is rich in both

calcium and phosphorus, two major elements found in bones.

Traditional healers in India have long applied a wet paste made from crushed

stems and roots of Cissus quadrangularis on the area of bone fractures as an aid

to bone healing.

Cissus quadrangularis grows in both northern and peninsular India.

“We wanted to find out whether there was anything worthwhile in this popular,

traditional recipe,” Murali Sastry, a senior scientist at the laboratory told

The Telegraph.

In an independent research effort two years ago, biochemists at the University

of Nigeria in Nsukka had analysed the chemical composition of the plant and

shown that it contains a high proportion of calcium and phosphorus.

Now, Sastry and his colleagues have shown that bubbling carbon dioxide gas

into a watery paste from crushed and boiled stems of the plant leads to

formation of calcium carbonate crystals, the mineral found in seashells.

“From what we’ve observed, it appears that the use of the stem and root paste

to speed up bone healing makes good scientific sense,” Sastry said.

The NCL scientists have presented these findings in the latest issue of the

journal, Current Science.

The carbonate crystal formation demonstrates that calcium in the plant is

available for synthesis of inorganic chemicals.

By extrapolation, the scientists said, this calcium may also be used in the

formation of calcium hydroxyapatite, the major component of bones and teeth.

The presence of phosphorus in the plant may be exploited for the synthesis of

hydroxyapatite.

In some parts of India, the plant is popularly known as haddi-joade.

Sastry, who has since moved to Tata Chemicals in Mumbai, said the exact

mechanism through which the plant extract influences bone healing remains

unknown. It is possible that calcium and phosphorus ions may migrate through

skin towards the bone.

“Those are studies for the future,” he said.

More than 30 years ago, Indian medical researchers had reported observing the

ability of the paste of this plant to accelerate bone healing. But, until now,

there have been no studies investigating the chemical reactions underlying this

process.

 

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1051128/asp/nation/story_5530593.asp

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