Hepatoprotective Activity of Two Species of Sphaeranthus on Experimental Animal Models – a Comparative Study

Vaghbhata in Astanga Hridaya has mentioned that when a drug is scarce, another drug having similar therapeutic properties to the source drug may be used in the preparation. Unfortunately, this tempo of replenishing additional new drugs dwindled during subsequent periods. Thus, the drugs prescribed in Ayurveda have been limited to a few hundred for the past several centuries. As such today many of these established drugs are on the verge of extinction due to indiscriminate exploitation from their natural habitats. Hence, there is an urgent need to find out alternate sources for the important drugs so as to ensure that the Ayurvedic system is accessible in the ensuring centuries. Munditika is an important drug in Ayurveda.