Medical treatment of various diseases through Nagarmotha (Cyperus rotundus) plant
Authors: Muhammad Arshad Ullah  , Ali Hassan  
Published: August 2022

Nagarmotha (Cyperus rotundus) is found throughout India. Its genus name Cyperus is derived from Cypeiros, an ancient Greek name and rotundus from a Latin word for round and refers to the tuber. It is locally known as “Mutha”. The plant is a widely used traditional medicinal herb in India, China, Japan, Korea, Combodia, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. The plant produces rhizomes, tubers, basal bulbs and fibrous roots below ground and rosettes of leaves, scapes and umbels above ground. The rhizomes of nut grass is widely utilized in ancient medication round the world to treat various diseases like constipation, dysentery, abdominal distention, animal tissue stomach ache, chest pains, irregular catamenia, painful catamenia, skin diseases, staphylococcal infection infections, leprosy, sprains and bruises, and fever, analgesic, sedative, medication, anti malarial drug, abdomen disorders, and diarrhoea . Cyperus rotundus has the properties of antimicrobial activity, anti-lesion activity, analgesic activity, anti inflammatory activity, anti diarrhoeal activity, antipyretic activity, medication activity, anti-emetic activity, tranquilizing activity, anti urolithatic activity, antispatic activity, hypolipidaemic activity, wound healing activity, medication activity, inhibitor activity, metastatic tumor activity, antifungal activity, antidiabetic drug activity, anti-obesity activity, antiallergic activity, anti-blood platelet impact, opposing rheumy activity, anti malarial drug activity, gastroprotective activity, hepatoprotective activity, cytoprotective impact, hypotensive activity, ovicidal and larvicidal activity . The petroleum ether extract and essential oil of Cyperus rotundus possessed analgesic activity. Phenols and alkaloids are the active constituents of C. rotundus. Cyperus rotundus preparations (powder in fine suspension, aqueous and alcoholic extracts) exhibited a lipolytic action and mobilized fat from the adipose tissues and thus helping to reduce the obesity. Methanolic extract of the fresh aerial part of the Cyperus rotundus was fractionated by column chromatography method using petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and methanol. The ethyl acetate fraction showed potent antibacterial activity compared to control and standard commercial antibiotic tetracycline. It is a widely used plant in traditional medicine around the world for treatment of various diseases. It is deemed with infinite medicinal properties authenticated by the scientific committee. The rhizomes of Cyperus rotundus are used as traditional folk medicine for the treatment of stomach and bowel disorders and inflammatory diseases in Asian countries. The use of the plant as an analgesic, anti-arthritic, antibacterial, anti-cancer, anticandida, anti-convulsant, anti-diabetic, anti-emetic, anti-histaminic, anti-inflammatory, anti-malarial, anti-obesity, anti-pyretic, anti-spastic, gastroprotective, hypotensive, sedative, and tranquilizing agent has been documented by various scientists. Ethnobotanical use of Cyperus rotundus showed that the rhizomes were used to treat aging, apoptosis, atherosclerosis, cancer, cystitis, epilepsy, genotoxicity, hirutism, nociception and prostatitis disorders. The tuber part of Cyperus rotundus is also used for the treatment of dysmenorrheal and menstrual irregularities from ancient times. The rhizome of Cyperus rotundus are α-cyperolone, β-cyperone, ρ-cymol, calcium, camphene, copaene, cyperene, cyperenone, cyperol, cyperolone, caryophyllene, cyperotundone, d-copadiene, d-epoxyguaiene, isocyperol, isokobusone, kobusone, limonene, linoleic-acid, linolenic-acid, mustakone, myristic acid, oleanolic acid, oleic acid, β-pinene, patchoulenone, rotundene, rotundenol, rotundone, α-rotunol, β-rotunol, β-selinene, selinatriene, sitosterol, stearic acid, sugeonol, and sugetriol. Phytochemical constituents of Cyperus rotundus revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, phenols, tannins, steroids, starch and many novel sesquiterpenoids. Sesquiterpene hydrocarbons such as cypera-2,4 (15)-diene, isorotundene, norrotundene and the oxygenated compound cyperadione were isolated and identified.