Hoechst Patents Extracts From Herb Used In Ayurveda
One more Indian medicinal plant, Coleus Forskohlii, has become the subject of patents by a foreign drug firm.
Hoechst of Germany, has taken six patents covering numerous uses for compounds extracted from C Forskohlii, used since antiquity in ayurvedic medicine.
Traditional uses of this herb include treatment for cardiovascular disease, abdominal colic, respiratory disorders, painful urination, insomnia, and convulsions.
Also Read
One of Hoechsts American patents covers a specific formula of the plant extract and its use in treating cardiovascular disease and intraocular pressure.
Hoechst also holds three patents on the use of extracts from C Forskohlii to treat cardiac failure and memory.
Another Hoechst patent claims a process for isolating the biologically active compounds from the plant and its use in treating anti-inflammatory and analgesic activity.
Hoechst will begin worldwide marketing of its C Forskolhlii-derived drug in 1997, according to a report by the Rural Advance-ment Foundation International based in Canada. The medicinal uses of Forskolin, are not new.
In 1974, a large-scale screening of medicinal plants by Indias Central Drug Research Institute first revealed the blood pressure lowering and anti-spasmodic effects of extracts from C Forskohlii.
According to the Rafi report, Hoechst is also engaged in intensive research on soil samples and traditional ayurvedic medicine all over India.
The company has already screened over 90,000 Indian soil samples and is building a new, high-efficiency screening system in Frankfurt where it will sift through its genetic booty - the plant and microbial diversity of Indian origin.