Siddha Central Research Institute

The omnipresence of plant-based matter results in it being encountered at most crime scenes. Despite this, the exploration of the forensic significance of botanical evidence has not yet reached its peak. Such materials, although innocuous, often yield surprising insights into various aspects of the crime, including the identity of perpetrators and their relationship with the victim, apart from the cause and place of occurrence. This case report presents one such instance where the microscopic analysis of the bark of Azadirachta indica (neem tree) helped to establish vehicular tree collision as the cause of death of the victim. The forensic match of the bark samples hanging onto the point of collision on the tree trunk and scattered around the accident site with those retrieved from parts of the vehicle involved in the collision proved to be the turning point in the case in the absence of other corroborative factors. This was especially important owing to the fact that the vehicle involved was not seized by the police immediately after the accident, and still the botanical evidence helped to establish the cause of death in spite of the delay in collecting it. The botanical study was able to successfully identify the site of the accident and established the fact that the woman was injured as her car hit the neem tree, which led to her demise.

In Indian traditional medicine systems metals and minerals along with herbs or herbal juices are included in some formulations, viz., parpam, centuram, chunnam, kulampu, ilagam, curanam, tailam, etc., in Siddha and bhasma, racayana, etc., in Ayurveda. The quality control of these drugs involved chemical analysis techniques to determine their identity, purity, potency and safety. The main purpose of this study is to authenticate the mineral ingredients of Tayir cuntc curanam (TCC) viz., Induppu (Rock salt), Valaiyaluppu (Sandevere/Glass salt), Punir (Alkaline salt), Corruppu (Common salt) and Kalluppu (sochal salt/rock salt) through powder X-ray diffractometer (PXRD) and to assess the quality of TCC using the phytomarkers 6-gingerol and stigmasterol. Proximate analysis and mineral identification test were carried out using standard methods. Herbal drug was identified by high performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) and the quantification of bioactive compounds 6-gingerol and stigmasterol was completed by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The mineral drugs were analysed by powder X-ray diffractometer analysis (PXRD). Results revealed the composition, purity, crystal phases of the minerals identified by PXRD method and physico-chemical parameters. High performance thin layer chromatography was run to check the presence of the chemical markers of the herbal ingredient (Zingiber officinale rhizome) in TCC and quantified them by HPLC. The PXRD identified the minerals as halite, sylvine, trona, etc. The results of this study positively can be used as base for the identification of above salts and physicochemical standards for the quality assessment of TCC.

These nutraceuticals are bioactive molecules derived from foods that are valuable for human and animal health. They are easy to find, inexpensive, and have fewer side effects than allopathic medicine, and are thus used to treat many diseases. Modern lifestyles, characterized by the high consumption of processed foods, alcohol use, and sedentary behavior, are primary drivers of chronic conditions, including diabetes, obesity, cancer, and neurodegenerative diseases. Even present modern medical therapies have not been able to get rid of side effects and mortality due to therapy. Plant-rich diets, especially fruits and vegetables, are an important part of the development of these compounds, mostly as enhancers of immunity and overall well-being. Nutrition supplements are perceived as having a healthy profile, with safe, easy, and routine incorporation into everyday diets, driven by their growing popularity, rising public awareness, and scientific validation. Nonetheless, the extraction of bioactive compounds from natural sources has faced challenges such as low yields, seasonality, geographic dependence, and the extensive time required for cultivation. In addition, traditional extraction and purification methods for such compounds are slow, resource-intensive, and extremely damaging to the environment through the overuse of solvents and overharvesting of plants, endangering biodiversity. Emerging methods that leverage synthetic and semi-synthetic techniques are increasingly seeking to address challenges in the extraction of bioactive compounds for the large-scale production of high-quality, highly bioactive molecules. This review discusses nutraceutical compounds from various perspectives, including their biological significance and the challenges of extraction and synthesis. Nevertheless, limitations exist, including expensive production costs, complexity of synthesis, and difficulties in replicating natural structures and their activities.

Asparagus racemosus (Shatavari) is traditionally acclaimed for its galactagogue activity, yet the molecular basis and optimized isolation strategies for its major bioactive constituents remain insufficiently defined. This study reports an improved extraction and purification method yielding markedly higher quantities of Shatavarin IV (1.2