A REVIEW ON MEDICINAL USES OF DIFFERENT PLANTS OF EUPHORBIACEAE FAMILY

Euphorbiaceae is an important family which contains numerous medicinal plants. Most of the people in developing countries still today, relays on traditional medicine based largely on species of plants in human being and animals for their primary healthcare. The family Euphorbiaceae is one of the largest family of flowering plants comprising of plants with over 300 genera and 8,000 species. Acalyphaindica L, Euphorbia hirta L, Euphorbia thymifolia L, Croton bonplandianumbaill , Jatropha gossypifolia L , Ricinus communis L are important plants of this family because these plants have different compounds like alkaloids, flavonoids, steroids, saponin, phenolic compounds, fatty acid, esters, minerals etc that have showed different activities in human being and animal. This study provides important data for identification of different plants in Euphorbiaceae family. Species of Euphorbiaceae are extensively used as remedies against several diseases and complaints such as cancer, diabetes, diarrhoea, heart diseases, hemorrhages, hepatitis, jaundice, malaria, ophthalmic diseases, rheumatism and scabies etc.


INTRODUCTION
Plants for human healthcare still remain the most widely used medication system in developing and least developed nation. Population rise, insufficient supply of drugs, unaffordable cost of treatments, side effects of several allopathic drugs and development of resistance to currently used drugs for diseases have led to increased emphasis on the use of plant materials as a source of medicines for wide variety of human ailments 1 . Different types of plants used to treat various types of diseases that reveals the most up to date findings in understanding of biological significance of their bioactive compounds used 2 . Recently, dramatic changes have taken place in the health care system of world population through the development of science, technology and medical science but till to day 400 crores of people of the world are totally dependent on herbal medicines. Despite all the progress in synthetic chemistry and biotechnology, plants are still in an indispensible source of medicinal preparations both preventive and curative. WHO consultative body of medicinal plants has formulated a definition of medicinal plants in the following way, "a medicinal plant is any plant which in one or more of its organ, contains substances that can be used for therapeutic purposes or which is a precursor for synthesis of useful drugs" 2 . Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, include a various types of plants used in herbalism and some of these plants have a medicinal activities. These medicinal plants are considered as a rich resources of ingredients which can be used in drug development and synthesis 3 . Besides that these plants play a critical role in the development of human cultures around the whole world 4 . The uses of plants in the indigenous cultures particularly of developing countries, are numerous and diverse, forming an important socioeconomic base 5 . Phytochemistry is the study of photochemical produced in plants, describing the isolation, purification, identification, and structure of the large number of secondary metabolic compounds found in plants 6 . The Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In common English, they are sometimes called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. The Euphorbiaceae are mostly monoecious herbs, shrubs, and trees, sometimes succulent and cactus-like,   Leaf juice is emetic for children.
 Powder of the dry leaves is given to children to expel worms; also given in the form of decoction with little garlic.  In homeopathy, the plant is used in severe cough associated with bleeding from lungs, haemoptysis and incipient phthisis.  The plant is expectorant, diuretic, emetic and laxative. Fresh leaf juice is useful in arthritis and scabies. Dry leaf powder is used in bed sores.

Parts utilized
Leaves, stem and rootsand flower Medicinal uses  The plant is astringent and haemostatic; as poultice applied to abscesses, inflamed glands, ulcers, oedema and phlegmon and also used in affections of childhood, in worms, bowel complaints and cough 9 .  The juice is considered tonic, narcotic, antiasthmatic and febrifuge; effective against dysentery, diarrhoea and colic; especially in amoebiasis. Decoction is useful in asthma and chronic bronchial affections.  The extract of this plant has sedative effect on the mucous membrane of the respiratory and genitourinary tract and on cardiovascular system.  The plant has as an analgesic to treat severe headache, toothache, rheumatism, colic, and pains during pregnancy.

Medicinal Uses
 The fresh plant is used in ophthalmia and other eye troubles, ardor, sores, atrophy, dysentery and breast pain.  It is an effective drug for bronchial asthma.  Juice of the plant is used for ringworm, diarrhea and dysentery; mixed with fresh goat milk is given to cure blood dysentery.  Leaves and seeds are astringent, stimulant, anthelmintic and laxative; given to children in bowel complaints. Root is used in amenorrhea.  Euphorbia thymifolia L is widely used in decoction or infusion against dysentery, enteritis, diarrhoea and venereal diseases. The dried leaves areused as a stimulant, astringent, antihelmintic and laxative.  Fresh crushed plants are applied as a plaster for healing sprains.    It is also grown as an ornamental plant. The leaves and the seeds are used as purgative.  The stem-juice in nostrils to cure headache  The leaves and bark have the same purgative effect.  The oil is applied to treat rheumatic conditions and a variety of skin infections, although its use on the skin may also cause an irritative rash.  The sap has a widespread reputation for healing wounds, as a haemostatic and for curing  Skin problems; it is applied externally to treat infected wounds, ulcers, cuts, abrasions, ringworm, eczema, dermatomycosis, scabies and venereal diseases.  The leaves are used as galactagogue, and in headache.

RICINUS COMMUNIS
 Seeds paste is used as counter irritant. Root bark and leaf also have purgative properties.  Alkaloids, catachols, phenolic compounds, flavinoids, saponin, steroids and tannin.

Euphorbia hirta L
Leaves, stem and roots and flower.

Euphorbia thymifolia L
Leaves, roots, flowers and whole plant.

Jatropha gossypifolia L
Leaves, flowers and root.

Ricinus communis L
Wholeplan ts,leaves,fl owers,fruit s and seeds.