Environmental alterations on potency of eugenol content of basil: an antihypertensive herb

Abstract

Herbal therapies demand increases worldwide for treatment of various diseases. About 75% to 80% of the world population use herbal medicines, mainly in developing countries, for primary health care because of their better acceptability with the human body and lesser side effects. Herbal medicines are used for treatment of such a chronic diseases from hundreds of years and are continuously rising in today’s era due to less adverse effects, treats root cause and low cost. Medicinal plants are used to treat patients with cardiovascular diseases, which may occur due to ailments of the heart and blood vessels and comprise heart attacks, cerebrovascular diseases, hypertension, and heart failure. Research has found a variety of herbal therapies to be successful in reducing high blood pressure with diet, exercise, stress management and supplements. Environmental changes have impact on availability of herbal constituents along with its therapeutic efficacy. If harvesting should be done properly at accurate conditions gets yield with more potency. Plant sample used in different seasons, time and places, identification and analysis was performed. Morphological, microscopical and extractive values appear changes.  Maximum levels of ethanol extract with higher concentration of eugenol were obtained in rainy season, at high altitude and at morning time.