EXTRACTION AND STANDARDIZATION OF CALENDULA OFFICINALIS LEAVES AND ITS ANTI-INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY

Abhishek Vashistha*, Praveen Kumar and Dr. Shamim Ahmad

ABSTRACT

Inflammation is part of the complex biological response of vascular tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens,
damaged cells, or irritants. Inflammation was characterized two thousand years ago by Celsius by four Latin words:
Rubor, calor, tumor and dolor. It is a protective effort by the organism to remove the damaging stimuli and to start
the healing process. Without inflammation, wounds and infections would never heal. On the similar way,
progressive destroying of the tissue would compromise the survival of the organism. However, chronic
inflammation can also lead to a host of diseases, such as hay fever, atherosclerosis, rheumatoid, and even cancer
(e.g., gallbladder carcinoma). It is for that reason as inflammation is normally closely regulated by the body.
Inflammation is not a alternative for infection, even in cases where inflammation is caused by infection. Although
infection can be caused by a microorganism, inflammation is one of the responses of the organism to the pathogen.
Infection with pathogenic microbes often outcomes in a substantial inflammatory response and infections may
sometimes leads to an acute inflammatory disease, typically demonstrating as a self-limiting infection of the
gastrointestinal tract and the mesenteric lymph nodes, resulting in gastroenteritis and lymphadenitis. The herb C.
officinalis is traditionally used to treat dysmenorrhea, gastrointestinal ulcers, and internal organ inflammation. It is
also used as a diuretic and a diaphoretic in convulsion patients.

Keywords: C. officinalis, Anti-inflammatory activity, Analgesic.