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Pak. J. Bot., 46(5): 1677-1684, 2014.

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STUDY ON CARALLUMA TUBERCULATA NUTRITIONAL COMPOSITION AND ITS IMPORTANCE AS MEDICINAL PLANT

BASHIR AHMAD^1*, SAYED JAFFAR ABBAS¹, FARRUKH HUSSAIN², SHUMAILA BASHIR³ AND DAWOOD AHMAD⁴

Abstract: This study was conducted on Caralluma tuberculata, a famous traditional medicinal plant in the northern territory of Pakistan to assess its importance. Analysis were performed on its nutritional, proximate and microchemical composition for evaluation as food plant, while experiments of cytotoxicity, phytotoxicity and as phytobiocide were conducted to study its importance as medicinal plant. A method for vegetative propagation of C. tuberculata was optimized using cut stems without roots give better result and also more economical, from single stem multiple plant can be produced. It contains good amount of nutrients and proximate contents. Due to high inhibitory effect results of C. tuberculata against Alternaria alternata it can be recommended as selective fungicide for controlling Alternaria sp., born diseases. From the results it becomes clear that C. tuberculata had some anti-bacterial compounds which had very minimum inhibitory effect on the growth of bacterial species. This plant also showed significant activity against Artemia salina, Lemna minor and can be used as cytotoxic and phytotoxic agents in concentrated states.

Keywords: Caralluma tuberculata, Pamankay, Phytotoxicity, Cytotoxicity, Nutritional analysis.

¹Centre of Biotechnology & Microbiology, ³Department of Pharmacy, University of Peshawar, Pakistan.

²Department of Botany, Bacha Khan University Charsadda,

⁴Institute of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Agricultural University Peshawar, Pakistan

^*Corresponding author e-mail: sayedjaffarabbas@hotmail.com