THERAPEUTIC MANAGEMENT OF PEDIATRIC ALLERGIC DISORDERS BY INDIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS WITH MAST CELL STABILIZING POTENTIAL: A REVIEW

Every fifth child develops an allergic disorder sometime during childhood and these conditions gravely trouble the health status and quality of life of children. Conventional agents are being used to control allergic disorders. However, these are not entirely affordable and effective. Numerous medicinal plants have been used successfully for the prevention and management of pediatric allergic disorders in Indian traditional systems of medicine, Ayurveda. Medicinal plants with mast-cell stabilizing activity are being more desired, owing to lesser side-effects and low cost. This review focuses on the various plants with mast cell stabilizing activity that has been reported to be effective in various allergic disorders. These include Abrus precatorius (Gunja), Albizzia lebbeck (Shirish), Allium cepa (Palandu), Aristolochia bracteolate (ishwari moola), Bacopa monnieri.(Brahmi, Boswellia serrata Roxb.(Shallaki), Cedrus deodara (Roxb.) Loud (Devadaru), Elaeocarpus sphaericus (Rudraksha), Ficus religiosa (Ashwatha), Inula racemosa (Pushkarmoola), Sphaeranthus indicus (Mundi) and Vitex Negundo (Nirgundi). All of them have shown a certain degree of mast cell stabilizing activity as evidenced by various research studies