An Experimental Comparative study to evaluate Medhya Karma (Intellectual property) of Convolvulus pluricaulis Choisy . & Evolvulus alsinoides L. on healthy Albino Wistar Rats - An In Vivo Study

Abstract

Background: Shankhpushpi is described in Ayurveda among the Medhya Rasayana drugs and is traditionally associated with Dhi, Dhriti and Smriti. Convolvulus pluricaulis Choisy. and Evolvulus alsinoides L. are two botanically distinct plants used as Shankhpushpi and Neel Shankhpushpi (Vishnukranta), respectively. This study comparatively evaluated their pharmacognostical and phytochemical characteristics and their Medhya Karma in a scopolamine-induced memory impairment model in Albino Wistar rats. Methods: Authenticated whole-plant samples were subjected to organoleptic, microscopic, powder-microscopic, physicochemical and preliminary phytochemical evaluation, followed by TLC fingerprinting. Twenty-four male Albino Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n=6): normal control, disease control, C. pluricaulis-treated and E. alsinoides-treated. Test drugs were administered orally for 14 days at 270 mg/kg body weight; scopolamine hydrobromide (0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered on days 8–10 in the disease and treatment groups. Learning and memory were assessed by Radial Arm Maze and Cook’s Pole Climbing tests. Brain histopathology was performed after the experimental period. Data were expressed as mean ± SEM and analyzed using two-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s multiple-comparison test. Results: C. pluricaulis showed foreign matter 1.43%, loss on drying 4.30%, pH 7.8, total ash 8.3%, acid-insoluble ash 2.4%, water-soluble ash 1.86%, and water-, methanol-, glacial acetic acid- and chloroform-soluble extractives of 8.6%, 3.1%, 6.3% and 2.9%, respectively. E. alsinoides showed corresponding values of 0.54%, 3.83%, 5.8, 6.2%, 1.22%, 2.8%, and 13.7%, 7.8%, 3.4% and 2.8%. Both samples were positive for carbohydrates, alkaloids, amino acids, saponins, glycosides, tannins and reducing sugars; protein was negative in C. pluricaulis and positive in E. alsinoides. TLC produced five spots for each sample, with Rf values of 0.15, 0.30, 0.48, 0.65 and 0.81 for C. pluricaulis and 0.13, 0.27, 0.44, 0.62 and 0.84 for E. alsinoides. In the Radial Arm Maze, C. pluricaulis reduced mean arm entries from 5.50 ± 0.671 to 2.83 ± 0.601 (P=0.0028), while E. alsinoides reduced them from 5.67 ± 0.558 to 2.67 ± 0.333 (P=0.0008). In the Pole Climbing test, C. pluricaulis reduced latency from 3.73 ± 0.208 to 3.15 ± 0.204 s (P=0.1458), whereas E. alsinoides reduced it from 4.42 ± 0.250 to 3.07 ± 0.475 s (P=0.0002). Histopathology showed marked hippocampal/dentate-gyrus degeneration in the disease-control group and only mild degeneration with preserved architecture in both treatment groups. Conclusion: Both drugs demonstrated Medhya and neuroprotective activity under the experimental conditions, with E. alsinoides showing comparatively greater cognitive benefit, particularly in conditioned learning retention.

Introduction

This study compares the Medhya (memory- and cognition-supporting) effects of two plants traditionally identified as Shankhpushpi: Convolvulus pluricaulis and Evolvulus alsinoides. Ayurveda considers Medha an important mental faculty associated with intellect, retention, memory, mental stability, and healthy ageing. Since the two plants have similar traditional uses but different botanical and chemical characteristics, accurate identification and standardization are important.

Aim and Objectives

The main aim is to comparatively evaluate the Medhya activity of C. pluricaulis and E. alsinoides in Albino Wistar rats while establishing their pharmacognostical and phytochemical profiles.

The study specifically evaluates:

• Macroscopic, microscopic, and powder-microscopic characteristics.
• Foreign matter, moisture, pH, ash, and extractive values.
• Preliminary phytochemical constituents and TLC fingerprints.
• Learning and memory using Radial Arm Maze and Cook’s Pole Climbing tests.
• Brain histopathology, particularly changes in the hippocampus and dentate gyrus.

Materials and Methods

The research combines pharmacognostical, physicochemical, phytochemical, and animal-experimental investigations. C. pluricaulis was collected from Jodhpur, while E. alsinoides was collected from Bhavnagar, Gujarat. The plants were authenticated, cleaned, dried, and converted into powder.

For the animal experiment, 24 Albino Wistar rats were divided into four groups:

1. Normal control
2. Scopolamine-induced memory-impairment control
3. C. pluricaulis-treated group
4. E. alsinoides-treated group

Both test drugs were administered orally at 270 mg/kg daily for 14 days, while scopolamine was used to induce memory impairment.

Assessment Methods

Two behavioural models were used:

• Radial Arm Maze: assessed spatial learning and working memory.
• Cook’s Pole Climbing: assessed conditioned learning and memory retention.

After behavioural testing, brain tissues were examined histologically to identify neuronal and structural changes in the hippocampus and dentate gyrus. Statistical analysis was performed using two-way ANOVA followed by Dunnett’s test, with statistical significance set at P < 0.05.

Conclusion

Both Convolvulus pluricaulis Choisy. and Evolvulus alsinoides L. demonstrated significant Medhya activity under the experimental conditions of the study. Their distinct pharmacognostical characters, physicochemical profiles and TLC fingerprints support botanical differentiation and quality control. Both drugs improved performance in the Radial Arm Maze, while E. alsinoides produced the more consistent improvement in Cook’s Pole Climbing. Histopathology showed preservation of hippocampal and dentate-gyrus architecture in both treatment groups compared with marked degeneration in the scopolamine disease-control group. Overall, E. alsinoides exhibited comparatively superior cognition-enhancing activity, but both drugs warrant further standardized phytochemical, mechanistic and clinical investigation.

References

[1] Agnivesha, Charaka, Dridhabala. Charaka Samhita. Vidyotini Hindi commentary by Kashinath Shastri and Gorakhnath Chaturvedi. Varanasi: Chaukhambha; 1986. [2] Sushruta. Sushruta Samhita. Hindi commentary by Ambikadatta Shastri. Varanasi: Chaukhambha; 1982. [3] Vagbhata. Ashtanga Sangraha. Edited by Atrideva Gupta. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Sanskrit Series. [4] Vagbhata. Ashtanga Hridaya. Commentary by Brahmanand Tripathi. Varanasi: Chaukhambha; 1999. [5] Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India. The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India. Part I, Vol. I/II. New Delhi: Government of India. [6] Quality Standards of Indian Medicinal Plants. Vols. 2 and 4. New Delhi: Indian Council of Medical Research. [7] Kokate CK, Purohit AP, Gokhale SB. Pharmacognosy. 57th ed. Pune: Nirali Prakashan; 2021. [8] Harborne JB. Phytochemical Methods: A Guide to Modern Techniques of Plant Analysis. 3rd ed. London: Chapman & Hall; 1998. [9] Mukherjee PK. Quality Control and Evaluation of Herbal Drugs: Evaluating Natural Products and Traditional Medicine. 2nd ed. Elsevier; 2019. [10] Evans WC. Trease and Evans\' Pharmacognosy. 16th ed. Saunders Elsevier; 2009. [11] Khare CP. Indian Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated Dictionary. Springer; 2007. [12] Agarwal P, Sharma B, Fatima A, Jain SK. An update on Ayurvedic herb Convolvulus pluricaulis Choisy. Asian Pac J Trop Biomed. 2014;4(3):245–252. doi:10.1016/S2221-1691(14)60240-9. [13] Sharma R, Singla RK, Banerjee S, et al. Role of Shankhpushpi (Convolvulus pluricaulis) in neurological disorders: an umbrella review covering evidence from ethnopharmacology to clinical studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2022;140:104795. doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104795. [14] Austin DF. Evolvulus alsinoides (Convolvulaceae): An American herb in the Old World. J Ethnopharmacol. 2008;117(2):185–198. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2008.01.038. [15] Bihaqi SW, Sharma M, Singh AP, Tiwari M. Neuroprotective role of Convolvulus pluricaulis on aluminium-induced neurotoxicity in rat brain. J Ethnopharmacol. 2009;124(3):409–415. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2009.05.038. [16] Gupta GL, Rana AC, Rao CV, Sharma N, Kumar A. Protective effect of Convolvulus pluricaulis against neuroinflammation-associated depressive behavior induced by chronic unpredictable mild stress in rats. Biomed Pharmacother. 2019;109:1698–1708. [17] Shastri LP. Yoga Ratnakara. Vidyotini commentary. Varanasi: Chaukhambha; 1997. [18] Bhavamishra. Bhavaprakasha Nighantu. Commentary by Chunekar KC, edited by Pandey GS. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Orientalia; 1988. [19] Sharma PV. Dravyaguna Vigyan. Vols I–V. Varanasi: Chaukhambha Bharati Academy. [20] Mukherjee PK. Quality Control of Herbal Drugs: An Approach to Evaluation of Botanicals. Business Horizons; 2002.

Copyright

Copyright © 2026 Dr. Harshwardhan Singh Shekhawat, Dr. Chandan Singh, Dr. Manoj Kumar Adlakha, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Purvia. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.