WO2012131645A1

WO2012131645A1 - A herbal composition for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation

Info

Publication number: WO2012131645A1
Application number: PCT/IB2012/051569
Authority: WO
Inventors: Shibaran SAHU
Original assignee: Sahu Shibaran
Priority date: 2011-04-01
Filing date: 2012-03-30
Publication date: 2012-10-04

Abstract

The present invention in an embodiment provides herbal compositions for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation. The present invention also provides for the methods of preparation and various forms of administration of the said compositions. The said compositions comprise of at least a part of Vitex negundo.

Description

A HERBAL COMPOSITION FOR TREATMENT OR PREVENTION OF

ECTOPARASITIC INFESTATION

BACKGROUND:

Ectoparasites are the parasites that live on the surface of the host externally. They are responsible for causing irritation to subjects especially domesticated animals and can also be vectors for diseases. The most common ectoparasites include bugs, flies, lice, ticks, scabies, mites and fleas.

Infections caused by ectoparasites in humans and other animals are common and remains a major health problem worldwide. There are compositions and formulations available in the market which may be used to kill ectoparasites, however, they generally contain high percentage of chemicals which may harm the body and health of the subject. Some of these chemicals are suspected to be carcinogenic and accumulate in the environment.

Thus, there is a requirement of a medicine or herbal compositions for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation, which would be economical and easily available and may have lower side effects and lower toxicities affecting a subject's body.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION:

The object of the invention is to provide novel and cost effective herbal compositions which may be easily available for prevention or treatment of ectoparasitic infestation, and which does not lead to side effects to the health of a subject.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:

The present invention in an embodiment provides herbal compositions for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation, comprising of at least a part of a Vitex negundo, to which parts of one or more additional complimentary herb may be optionally added, wherein the additional complimentary herb is also a herb used for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation and is selected from but not limited to Curcuma longa, Allium sativum, Azadirachta indica, Allium cepa, Prunus dulcis, Melia azadirachta, Acorus calamus,

l Eucalyptus globules, Tephrosia purpurea, or any combination thereof. The invention also provides for methods of preparation of the herbal compositions.

DETAILED DESCRITION OF THE INVENTION:

The present invention in an embodiment provides herbal compositions for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation, comprising of at least a part of a Vitex negundo, to which parts of one or more additional complimentary herb may be optionally added, wherein the additional complimentary herb is also a herb used for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation and is selected from but not limited to Curcuma longa, Allium sativum, Azadirachta indica, Allium cepa, Prunus dulcis, Melia azadirachta, Acorus calamus, Eucalyptus globules, Tephrosia purpurea, or any combination thereof.

Part of leaf of Vitex negundo for the purpose of this invention includes the whole leaf Vitex negundo, extract of Vitex negundo leaf, pulverized form of Vitex negundo leaf, crushed form of Vitex negundo leaf, pieces cut or severed from Vitex negundo leaf, chemical constituents of Vitex negundo leaf along with their derivatives, or any combination thereof.

In an embodiment of the invention, the parts of Vitex negundo are severed by different methods such as but not limited to cutting, slicing, pounding, grinding, mashing or mincing.

The term 'herbal composition' for the purpose of this invention means a substance or mixture comprising of at least one natural component having medicinal property, wherein the natural component shall include a component extracted or derived from a natural source such as a herb or a shrub or a tree or a plant or parts thereof.

The term subject for the purpose of the invention means one or more of a human or any other animal which has acquired or may acquire a disease or irregularity of health or ectoparasitic infestation.

The herbs used for the compositions in accordance with the present invention, shall include other herbs of their respective species or family or genus which display similar medicinal properties. In an embodiment of the invention, a solvent may be used for preparing the herbal compositions of the present invention, and the solvent used may be any suitable solvent such as but not limited to one or more of methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, hexane, heptane, petroleum ether, cyclohexane, diethyl ether, dusopropyl ether, ethyl acetate, methyl acetate, ethyl formate, methyl formate, isobutyl acetate, n-butyl acetate, methylene chloride, ethylene chloride, chloroform, carbon tetrachloride, acetone, ethyl methyl ketone, diisobutyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, 1,4- dioxane, toluene, ammonia solution, glacial acetic acid, ammonium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, calcium hydroxide, calcium carbonate, potassium hydroxide, potassium carbonate, water and other solvents known by those of skilled in the art.

In an embodiment of the invention, a suitable excipient is added to the herbal compositions of the present invention to prepare a consumable formulation for effective therapeutic delivery.

In an embodiment of the invention, the herbal compositions of the present invention may be formulated for oral administration by compounding the active ingredients with the usual nontoxic pharmaceutically acceptable excipients for tablets, pellets, granules, capsules, solutions, emulsions, suspensions, and any other form suitable for use. Formulations in accordance with the present invention may include one or more of talc, water, glucose, lactose, gum acacia, gelatin, mannitol, starch paste, magnesium trisilicate, corn starch, keratin, colloidal silica, potato starch, urea, and other excipients suitable for use in manufacturing preparations, in solid, semisolid or liquid form, or any combination thereof. Additionally, auxiliary, stabilizing, thickening, flavoring, fragrance and coloring agents may be used.

In an embodiment of the invention, the herbal compositions can be administered in a solid form such as but not limited to tablets, capsules, pills, pellets, granules, boluses or powder. For preparing the solid form, the herbal compositions may be mixed with a pharmaceutical excipient such as but not limited to corn starch, lactose, sucrose, sorbitol, talc, stearic acid, magnesium stearate, dicalcium phosphate or gums, along with other pharmaceutical diluents. The solid compositions may be further subdivided into unit dosage forms containing an effective amount of compositions of the present invention. In an embodiment of the invention, the herbal compositions can be administered in a liquid form such as but not limited to aqueous solution, suitably flavored syrups, aqueous suspensions, oil suspensions, tinctures, tisanes, macerates and flavored emulsions with edible oils as well as elixirs or similar pharmaceutical carriers. The liquid form may include suitable dispersing or suspending agents for aqueous suspensions such as but not limited to tragacanth, acacia, alginate, dextran, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, methylcellulose, polyvinylpyrrolidone or gelatin. Liquid preparations for oral administration may take the form of, for example, solutions, syrups or suspensions, or they may be presented as a dry product for reconstitution with water or other suitable vehicles before use.

In an embodiment of the invention, a process for preparing herbal compositions for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation, comprises the steps of,

a) washing a part of Vitex negundo;

b) sieving the part of Vitex negundo; and

c) preparing pharmaceutically acceptable formulation thereof.

a) washing a part of Vitex negundo and a part of an additional herb;

b) sieving the part of Vitex negundo and the part of the additional herb; c) mixing a part of Vitex negundo and the part of the additional herb; and d) preparing pharmaceutically acceptable formulation thereof.

a) washing a part of leaves of Vitex negundo and a part of rhizome of Curcuma longa;

b) sieving a part of leaves of Vitex negundo and the part of rhizome of Curcuma longa;

c) mixing 40 to 60% of leaves of Vitex negundo and the 50 to 60% of rhizome of Curcuma longa;

d) heating the above mixture in a vessel containing a solvent; and

e) preparing pharmaceutically acceptable formulation thereof. In an embodiment of the invention, the herbal compositions may be delivered as a semi-solid form or gelatinous solid, such as but not limited to paste, jelly, gel or chutney.

In an embodiment of the invention, the herbal compositions may be delivered as a gaseous form or in form of aerosols which includes but not limited to spray, fumes, inhalers or mist.

In an embodiment of the invention, the herbal composition may also be formulated for parenteral administration by injection, which includes but is not limited to, using conventional catheterization techniques or infusion.

In an embodiment of the invention, the herbal compositions may also be formulated for topical administration, in the form of solution, cream, gel, ointment, powder, paste, gum or lozenge, using techniques known to those skilled in the formulation field. As used herein, topical administration includes delivery of the compositions to mucosal tissue of the mouth, nose and throat by, for example, spray or mist application.

In an embodiment of the invention, the herbal compositions as an active ingredient may be used alone or in combination with other therapeutic agents, for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation.

In an embodiment of the invention, the herbal compositions of the present invention may be in the form of a decoction or may be prepared using a decoction process.

In an embodiment of the invention, the parts of Vitex negundo can be given chemical treatment or made to react with other chemical reagents to form mixtures or herbal compositions which are used for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation.

In an embodiment of the invention, the desirable dose of the compositions may vary depending on the condition and the weight of the subject, severity, drug form, route and period of administration. It is observed that when more than one herbs are used in the herbal compositions of the present invention, there is enhanced efficacy and the combination of herbs lead to synergistic effect.

In embodiment of the invention, the herbal composition as an active ingredient may be used alone or in combination with other therapeutic agents, for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation.

In an embodiment of the invention, the herbal compositions of the present invention may be used for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation, caused by ectoparasites such as but not limited to haematophagous insects, true bugs, scabies, ticks, mites, lice, fleas.

The aim of this specification is to describe the invention without limiting the invention to any one embodiment or specific collection of features. Person skilled in the relevant art may realize the variations from the specific embodiments that will nonetheless fall within the scope of the invention.

It may be appreciated that various other modifications and changes may be made to the embodiment described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Example

500 gm of Vitex negundo leaves were subject to grinding along with 4-5 rhizome of Curcuma longa. The preparation was applied topically over a subject. It was observed that after this procedure, the subject was not being affected by ectoparasites including tick, lice and fleas.

Claims

I CLAIM:

Herbal compositions for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation, the herbal compositions comprising at least a part of Vitex negundo.

Herbal compositions as claimed in claim 1, wherein said herbal compositions is selected from a group comprising whole Vitex negundo, extracts of Vitex negundo, crushed Vitex negundo, pulverized Vitex negundo, severed Vitex negundo, chemical constituents of Vitex negundo, and any combination thereof.

Herbal compositions as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said herbal compositions further comprise additional herbs.

Herbal compositions as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein said herbal compositions further comprise additional herbs selected from Curcuma longa, Allium sativum, Azadirachta indica, Allium cepa, Prunus dulcis, Melia azadirachta, Acorus calamus, Eucalyptus globules, Tephrosia purpurea, and any combination thereof.

Herbal compositions as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the herbal compositions of the invention further comprises one or more of solvents, excipients, auxiliary agents, stabilizing agents, thickening agents, flavoring agents, fragrance, preservatives, fillers, coloring agents, and any combination thereof.

Herbal compositions as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the herbal compositions of the invention treats or prevents ectoparasitic infestation caused by ectoparasites selected from haematophagous insects, true bugs, scabies, ticks, mites, lice, fleas, and any combination thereof.

Herbal compositions as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the herbal compositions is in forms selected from a group comprising of injectable forms; solid tablets, pellets, granules, capsules, forms; oral usage form; topical application form; semi-solid form; gaseous form; and any combination thereof. 8) A process for preparing herbal compositions for treatment or prevention of ectoparasitic infestation, comprises the steps of,

a) washing a part of Vitex negundo;

b) sieving the part of Vitex negundo; and

c) preparing pharmaceutically acceptable formulation thereof.

9) A process for preparing herbal compositions as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprises the steps of,

a) washing a part of Vitex negundo and a part of an additional herb;

b) sieving the part of Vitex negundo and the part of the additional herb;

c) mixing a part of Vitex negundo and the part of the additional herb; and d) preparing pharmaceutically acceptable formulation thereof.

10) A process for preparing herbal compositions as claimed in any of the preceding claims, comprises the steps of,

c) mixing 40 to 60% of leaves of Vitex negundo and the 50 to 60%> of rhizome of Curcuma longa;

d) heating the above mixture in a vessel containing a solvent; and

e) preparing pharmaceutically acceptable formulation thereof.