Effect of hydro- alcoholic extract of Terminalia arjuna bark and Arjunarishta in Inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background: Terminalia arjuna Roxb. (Combretaceae) a medicinal plant and its formulation Arjunarishta, are traditionally utilized in cardiovascular diseases. According to Ayurveda, it stabilizes the three doshas - Vata, Pitta and Kapha. This bark possesses anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antidiarrheal and antioxidant properties which would be useful for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which is associated with bacterial microflora dysbiosis, oxidative stress, inflammatory response activation and immune dysfunction. With the rising disease burden, research should also focus on developing low-cost therapies which would not only help the patients in India but also in entire Asia, which like India are experiencing a rise in IBD disease burden along with scarce resources to tackle this problem. Phytochemicals like gallic acid, ellagic acid and quercetin, present in Terminalia arjuna bark have exhibited protective effects in rat colitis models. Thus, this study evaluates the effect of hydro-alcoholic extract of Terminalia arjuna bark (TAHA) and Arjunarishta against IBD.