Glycosides

In chemistry, glycosides are certain molecules in which a sugar part is bound to some other part. Glycosides play numerous important roles in living organisms. Many plants store important chemicals in the form of inactive glycosides, if these chemicals are needed, the glycosides are brought in contact with water and enzymes and sugar part is broken off, making the chemical available for use. Many such plant glycosides are used as medications. in animals (including human beings), poisons are often bound to sugar molecules in order to remove them from body.

The sugar is known as glycone and the non-sugar part is known as aglycones. The glycones can consist of a single sugar group ( monosaccharides) or several sugar groups (oligosaccharides).   

Artemisia absinthium linn is very important medicinally. In research work it was planed to analyse the phytochemicals of methanolic extract and different fractions of Artemisia absinthium linn. Also evaluation of antimicrobial activities (antibacterial and antifungal) and antioxidant activity of methanolic extract and different fractions of Artemisia absinthium linn was done.

Essential Oils And Terpenoids

The anti-microbial properties of aromatic volatile oils from medicinal, as well as other edible, plants have been recognized since antiquity. Essential oil, which is used as a food flavoring agent, possesses a broad spectrum of anti-microbial activities attributed to the high content of phenolic derivatives such as carvacrol and thymol. Some essential oils are used for systemic and superficial fungal infections and further exploration reveals a broad spectrum effect against other pathogenic manifestations that include malignancy. Moreover, fragrance ofplants is associated with essential oils. This oil consists of secondary metabolities which are highly enriched in compounds based on an isoprene structure. They are called terpenes and occur as diterpenes, triterpenes, tetraterpenes as well as hemiterpenes and sesquiterpenes. When the compounds contain additional elements, usually oxygen, they are termed as terpenes. Terpenenes or terpenoids are active against bacteria. Nearly 60% of all essential oil derivatives possess inhibitory effects upon fungi while 39% inhibited bacteria