Sadabahar (Madagascar Periwinkle) Medicinal uses & Benefits

Sadabahar (Catharanthus Roseus)

Sadabahar (Madagascar Periwinkle)

Sadabahar botanical name Catharanthus roseus, also known as the "ever-blooming blossom," is a well-known flower that has found its way into modern medicine as well as herbal remedies.

Bright eyes, Cape periwinkle, graveyard vine, Madagascar periwinkle, old maid, pink periwinkle, and rose periwinkle are all common names for Catharanthus roseus, a flowering plant in the Apocynaceae family. It is native and endemic to Madagascar, but it is also cultivated as an ornamental and medicinal plant in other parts of the world.

Sadabahar's flowers are typically divided into two types, one dark pinkish-purple and the other milky white.

Medicinal Uses of Sadabahar (Madagascar Periwinkle):

Sadabahar plant has a long list of health benefits and is used to treat a variety of ailments such as diabetes, sore throats, lung inflammation, skin infections, eye irritation, and even cancer prevention.

It is a source of the cancer-fighting drugs vincristine and vinblastine. It was previously classified as Vinca rosea in the genus Vinca.

The chemotherapy drugs vinblastine and vincristine, which are present in the and biosynthesised from the alkaloids catharanthine and vindoline, are used to treat a variety of cancers. Vinorelbine, a newer semi-synthetic chemotherapeutic agent used to treat non-small-cell lung cancer, can be made from vindoline and catharanthine or the vinca alkaloi plant.

White Sadabahar (Catharanthus Roseus)

Ayurvedic uses of Sadabahar (Madgaskar Periwinkle)

Since it was first cultivated in Mesopotamia in 2600 BC, the species has been used for herbal medicine for a very long time. The extracts from its roots and shoots, despite being poisonous, are used to treat a variety of illnesses in Ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine). Its extracts have been used to treat a variety of illnesses in traditional Chinese medicine, such as diabetes, malaria, and Hodgkin's lymphoma. Vinca alkaloids, such as vinblastine and vincristine, were discovered in Catharanthus roseus during the 1950s drug discovery process. This accidental finding stimulated more investigation into the chemotherapeutic properties of vinblastine and vincristine. Biopiracy charges have been levelled as a result of a conflict between historical indigenous use and a patent issued in 2001 by western pharmaceutical corporations on medications produced from the C. roseus plant.

Sadabahar (Madagascar Periwinkle) Medicinal uses & Benefits

Pink Sadabahar

Cancer Treatment Medicine

Alkaloids and tannins are the two physiologically active components found in sadabahar. The plant is thought to contain more than 100 alkaloids, the most noteworthy being vincristine and vinblastine, which have medical uses. Extracts of vincristine and vinblastine are used to treat cancer.

The most significant natural chemical source for chemotherapeutic therapies for a variety of human cancers continues to be the monoterpenoid indole alkaloids (MIAs) of Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus). These anticancer medications are created by combining catharanthine and vindoline, which results in potent dimeric MIAs that stop cell division. The exact procedures for their construction within plants are still unknown, though.

40% similarity

Medicinal Uses of Sadabahar

The alkaloids catharanthine and vindoline combine to form the chemotherapeutic drugs vinblastine and vincristine, which are present in the plant and are produced by biosynthesis. Vinorelbine, a more recent semi-synthetic chemotherapeutic drug used to treat non-small-cell lung cancer, can be produced from either vindoline and catharanthine or the vinca alkaloid leurosine, both times using anhydrovinblastine. The plant's insulin-stimulating vincoline has been isolated from it.

Medical Research on Sadabahar

Despite their widespread use and importance in medicine, the required alkaloids (vinblastine and vincristine) are only produced in nature in extremely small quantities. Additionally, it is difficult and expensive to synthesise the appropriate compounds in a lab, necessitating overproduction in order to meet demand. It has been demonstrated that administering phytohormones to the plant, such as salicylic acid and methyl jasmonate, causes defence responses and excessive production of downstream alkaloids. The growth circumstances, phytohormone of choice, and treatment site used in studies using this method vary. There are numerous initiatives underway to identify the biosynthetic process that produces the alkaloids in order to discover a direct route to overproduction through genetic engineering.

Plant pathology employs C. roseus as an experimental host for phytoplasmas. This is because it frequently exhibits extremely characteristic symptoms like phyllody and much smaller leaves, and it is simple to infect with the vast majority of phytoplasmas.

Pink Sadabahar Flower

Health Benefits of Sadabahar (Madagascar Periwinkle)

Regulates Diabetes

Diabetes, also known as Madhumeha in Ayurveda, is an intensification of the Kapha doshas and often occurs from a decline in Agni's (the digestive fire's) action, which raises the body's blood sugar levels. The exceptional hypoglycemic capacity of Sadabahar is crucial for decreasing blood sugar. The ability of the pancreatic cells to make insulin is stimulated by consuming this flower extract. It helps prevent carbohydrate from being converted to glucose, which lowers blood sugar levels.

How To Use Sadabahar For Diabetes

Sadabahar leaves should be dried, ground, and kept in a glass container. To manage diabetes, take 1 tsp of the dried leaf powder every morning on an empty stomach and infuse it with water or fresh fruit juice.

Chew three to four leaves of the Sadabahar plant all day to avoid sharp blood sugar increases.

Boil water with newly-picked Sadabahar flowers. After letting it soak, strain it. To control diabetes, sip this bitter beverage first thing in the morning without eating anything.

Remedies Respiratory Anomalies

All types of illnesses that aggravate Kapha can be effectively treated with sadabahar, an ayurvedic herb. The majority of the active ingredients in this flower provide the most effective treatment for respiratory conditions like asthma, bronchitis, COPD, cough, and cold symptoms. Additionally, it relieves congestion, sore throat, coughing, and mucus buildup in the respiratory tract.

Manages High Blood Pressure/ Hypertension

Sadabahar works as a natural antihypertensive, bringing blood pressure levels back to normal and maintaining it. In high-pressure situations, it is extremely important. By enhancing cardiovascular endurance and heart health, which in turn improves heart function, blood pressure is stabilised and balanced readings are maintained. Sadabahar's cardio-tonic properties make its extracts from the lovely flower and leaves useful for treating mild to moderate hypertension problems as well as for preventing pre-hypertensive activity.

Improves Brain Functioning

A strong traditional treatment to improve brain function is called sadabahar. The potent antioxidants and flavonoids in it enhance a person's memory, concentration, tranquilly, focus, and alertness. People that consume extracts of sadabahar have better memory, reasoning, problem-solving, and other cognitive functions since it is a brain tonic and stimulant. In addition to preventing memory loss by reducing early brain cell ageing, the neuroprotective components in the plant also promote healthy blood circulation in the brain tissues and reduce mental stress.

Improved Skin Health

Sadabahar, which is rich in alkaloids and skin-improving ingredients, is crucial in treating oxidative free radical damage brought on by the sun's rays, which in turn addresses numerous ageing symptoms like wrinkles, fine lines, spots, dark circles, etc. Additionally, it works wonders to treat skin conditions like eczema and rosacea, actively works to reduce acne and pimples, and leaves behind skin that is smooth and radiant.

Make a smooth paste by combining fresh Sadabahar and Neem leaves with turmeric powder and rose water. This pack should be evenly applied to the face, then let to dry. then rinse with cool water. This face pack is very efficient against acne and other skin infections when applied on alternate days.

Aids in Wound Healing

Sadabahar has powerful anti-microbial and healing capabilities that help it heal wounds and stop skin infections. The calming qualities of the floral extract aid to disinfect the bite or wound to stop the infection from spreading further, as well as to stop itching and burning sensations.

To hasten the healing process, just combine turmeric and sadabahar leaves into a paste and apply it to the wounds two or three times daily.

Prevents Cancer

Sadabahar is a powerful alternative treatment for some malignant conditions due to the abundance of significant anti-cancer, antimetastatic, and antimutagenic characteristics in the leaves and flowers. It improves the patient's health and immune system while also shrinking the tumour and halting further spread. Leukemia and Hodgkin's lymphoma are two conditions where the presence of the active components vincristine and vinblastine is highly beneficial.

Biology

The pink anthocyanidin pigment found in C. roseus flowers is called rosinidin. A significant alkaloid in roots is lochnericine.

Toxicity

The Louisiana State Act 159 mentions C. roseus (together with its synonym Vinca rosea), which can be exceedingly harmful to humans if taken internally. The plant is poisonous in all of its parts if taken internally. When consumed, moderate stomach discomfort, heart issues, hypotension, and systematic paralysis finally result in death.

French botanist Pierre Boiteau claims that generations of Malagasy people have been made aware of its toxic effects as a poison taken in ordeal trials, even before the tangena fruit was employed. This gave the flower one of its names, vonenina, which means "flower of remorse" in Malagasy.