Trillium govanianum
Trillium govanianum (Hindi name: nag chhatri) is a high value medicinal herb belonging to the family Melanthiaceae and is mainly distributed from Pakistan to Bhutan between the altitudinal ranges of 2500–4000 metres above sea level across Himalayan region. It is a native species of the Himalayas, usually preferring shady areas in forest for its profused growth.
| Trillium govanianum | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Liliales |
| Family: | Melanthiaceae |
| Genus: | Trillium |
| Species: | T. govanianum |
| Binomial name | |
| Trillium govanianum Wall. ex D.Don | |
| Synonyms | |
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The plant is a small herb and can be identified by its three leaves in one whorl at the summit of the stem and a solitary, purple flower in the centre. Leaves are broadly ovate, acute and conspicuously stalked.
Over exploitation and uprooting of this medicinal plant from natural habitat, to meet pharmaceutical industry demands has made the made a global threat to the population of nag chhatri with small geographical niche. Its all due to its rhizome which contain trillarin and upon hydrolysis yield 2.5% diosgenin (a corticosteroid hormone)(Chauhan, 1999) which is used for preparation of steroidal and sex hormones.
The government of Himachal Pradesh, J&K, are taking crucial steps to stop illegal trade of Trillium and there are also many police cases behind its large collection and transportation from one place to other.
References
- Chandola Vaishali, Chandra Sudeep, Nautiyal A.R. & Kumar Rajeev Ranjan. (2019). A review on prioritizing conservation of Himalayan medicinal plant species: Case of Trillium govanianum (Wall. ex D. Don) kunth. Journal of Medicinal Plants Studies. 7. 23-27.
- Sanjay Kr. Uniyal and Arunava Datta (2012). Nagchhatri- A Plant in Peril. Journal of Biodiversity Management & Forestry. 1:1
- Shalini Vidyarthi, S. S. Samant and Pankaj Sharma (2013). Dwindling status of Trillium govanianum Wall. ex D.Don-A case study from kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, India. Journal of medicinal plant research, 7(8), 392-397
- Shivam Sharma, Nikhil Malhotra and Hemant Sood (2016). Expression Analysis of Steroid Pathway Genes Revealed Positive Correlation with Diosgenin Biosynthesis in Trillium govanianum. Acta Physiologiae Plantarum 38(11): 1-8
- Shivam Sharma, Arun Sharma, Vineet Mehta, Rajinder S. Chauhan, Udayabanu M, Hemant Sood (2016). Efficient Hydroalcoholic Extraction for Highest Diosgenin Content from Trillium Govanianum (Nag chhatri) and its in Vitro Anticancerous Activity. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical and Clinical Research, 9 (4): 386-392