Chemical Constituents Isolated from Andrographis paniculata

Demand for medicinal plants increasing in developing and developed countries due to growing result of natural products as they are not narcotic and have no side effects. These are easily available at affordable prices and sometimes this is the only source of health care for poor people. In modern medicine, plants occupy a very significant place as raw material for some important drugs. During the last two decades considerable changes have taken place in the medicinal system all over the world.Because of the general awareness of the widespread toxicity and side effects due to long use of synthetic drugs and antibiotics, the western society prefers the drugs from natural sources than the synthetics. Medicinal plant Andrographis paniculata is commanly known as Kalmegh or Kirayat meaning "King of Bitter" belonging to Acanthaceae family. It is very effective in liver disorders and in malarial fever. Here it has been introduced with more traditional medicinal properties.Few secondary metabolites viz. diterpenes and diterpenoidal glycosides has been isolated from whole plant (except root) and were identified by interpretation of different spectroscopic data.