Erythrocyte membrane stabilization effects of three botanical sources of Karuṅkuṟiñci used in Varmam therapy of Siddha medicine

Background: Varmam is a specialized component of Siddha system of medicine; some raw drugs used in Varmam therapeutics use different sources to prepare a particular drug. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-inflammatory efficacy of three botanical sources of Karuṅkuṟiñci using red blood corpuscle (RBC) membrane stabilization assay. Materials and Methods: The plant materials, viz . Ecbolium viride (Forssk.) Alston, Eranthemum pulchellum Andrews, and Strobilanthes ciliata Nees were extracted with ethanol, and their membrane stabilization effects were assessed using sheep RBCs. Results: In this assay, three botanical sources of Karuṅkuṟiñci showed varying degrees of RBC membrane stabilization effect; the inhibitory concentration 50 (IC 50 ) values of E. viride , E. pulchellum , and S. ciliata were 1252.47, 1077.15, and 822.60 µg/mL against hypotonicity-induced hemolysis, respectively. In heat-induced hemolysis, only E. pulchellum and S. ciliata exhibited a positive effect, and their IC 50 values were 1038.97 and 592.42 µg/mL, respectively. Conclusion: In this study, S. ciliata showed improved efficacy than E. pulchellum and E. viride . Deeper investigations are needed to confirm the anti-inflammatory potential of S. ciliata , which will help strengthen the Varmam therapeutics.