Badranjbya (Nepeta Hindostana): A review on its authenticity and medicinal importance with Unani and Ethno pharmacological prospective

Abstract

Nepeta Hindostana (Badranjboya) is a herbaceous flowering annual or perennial plant of Lamiaceae family, distributed in India and Pakistan. It is well-known herbal drug for cardiac and mental diseases and texted in Arabic Unani literature as “Mufarreh _al_ Quloob”, as mentioned by IBN Sina (980-1037 AD) in his famous book “Risala Advia Qalbiya”. In Unani literature, a number of pharmacological effects of Badranjaboya are mentioned vz tonic for vital organs, exhilarant, sedative, hypocholesteremic, anti-inflammatory and DE obstruent, and useful especially in the obstructions in the brain caused by imbalanced or increased black bile (Saoda). Due to its sedative property, the drug is also used in the allergic conditions such as asthma, its efficacy is also reported in insomnia anxiety and depression. As we know that some cardiac diseases are very closely related with personal behavior and emotions therefor this drug is quit beneficial in psychological disorders too. On the other hand, the collection of genuine sample of drug is very difficult, various texts say that Badranjaboya is abundant in Himalyan and Sub-Himalyan region Sikkim, Jammu and Himachal etc. and also in wheat crop but a lot of problem is faced when the drug is searched in these areas. This paper is aimed to review the pharmacological details of Badranjboya according to Unani and ethnobotanical literature and to resolve the problems occurring in its botanical identity.