Abundantly available cultigen Okra , a clandestine natural therapeutic treasure trove : A brief overview

Okra is a cultigen (a plant that has been altered by humans through aprocess of selective breeding). The exact origin of okra is unknown, but it is thought to have come from Africa, where it has been grown as a crop for centuries. Evidence suggests it was grown in Egypt as long ago as 2,000 BC. Today it is widely cultivated for its edible green fruits, which are harvested when immature (after 3 - 5 days of development), and are infamous for their slimy mucilage. It plays a vital role to preserve our health. In recent times, the use of herbal products has increased tremendously in the western world as well as developed countries. India is one of the most medico-culturally diverse countries in the world where the medicinal plant sector is part of a time-honoured tradition that is respected even today. Medicinal plants are believed to be safer and proved elixir in the treatment of various ailments. Abelmoschus esculentus (Okra) is an important medicinal plant of tropical and subtropical India. Its medicinal usage has been reported in the traditional systems of medicine such as Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani.

There are strong indications that also Abelmoschuscaillei is amphidiploids with Abelmoschusesculentus being one of the parental species. There are no apparent differences in use between the common and West African okra, which is why they are often lumped together. Morphologically Abelmoschuscaillei differs in several respects from Abelmoschusesculentus, but the epicalyx offers the best discriminating characteristic: the width ofthe epicalyx segments are 0.5 -3 mm in Abelmoschusesculentus and 4 -13 mm in Abelmoschuscaillei. The two okra species can be quite reliably (but not with absolute certainty) recognized on the basis of fruit form. Fruits of Abelmoschusesculentus are cylindrical to pyramidal, whereas fruits of Abelmoschuscaillei are ovoid. Literature references on common okra have to be interpreted with care because they may include information related to Abelmoschuscaillei. There are many cultivars of common okra. Some of the better known are 'Clemson Spineless', 'Indiana', 'Emerald' (United States) and 'PusaSawani' (India), which have been in use for about 30 years [3].

Diseases and Pests
The most serious fungal diseases of okra in Africa aredamping-off (Macrophominaphaseolina, Pythium aphanider-matum, and Rhizoctoniasolani), vascular wilt (Fusariumoxysporum), Cercospora blight (Cercosporaabelmoschus, Cercosporamalayensis) and powdery mildew (Erysiphecichoracearum, Oidiumabelmoschi). Okra mosaic virus (OkMV), transmitted by flea beetles (Podagrica), is widespread in Africa but damage is much less important than that caused by okra leaf curl disease (OLCV), transmitted by whitefly (Bemisiatabaci). Whitefly is also the vector of yellow vein mosaic virus (BYVMV), a major cause of crop failure in Asia. These viruses can only be controlled through control of the vectors.
Nematodes of the genus Meloidogyne constitute a major problem. Damage by nematodes is avoided by crop rotation (e.g. with cereals) and by large applications of organic manure. Important pests are fruit and stem borers (Earias spp. and Heliothis spp., Pectinophoragossypiella), flea beetles (Podagricaspp.) and jassids (Empoasca spp.). Chemical control is hazardous because crop harvesting is frequent. Common okra is in general more seriously affected by diseases and pests than West African okra.
MOL2NET, 2020, 6, ISSN: 2624-5078 5 http://sciforum.net/conference/mol2net-06 Yield A vegetable yield of 10 t/ha can be considered a good harvest, but yields of over 40 t/ha can be realized under optimal conditions. Yields are usually low (2 -4 t/ha) as a result of non-intensive growing methods. Seed yields are in the range of 500-1000 kg/ha. According to Khomsug, Thongjaroenbuangam, Pakdeenarong, Suttajit, and Chantiratikul (2010) [48], total phenolic content of pulped and seeds of okra extracts as 10.75 ± 0.02 mg GAE/100g extract and 142.48 ± 0.02 mg GAE/100g extract which corresponds with scavenging activities. Besides they have also found procycanidin B2 as predominant phenolic compound followed by procycanidin B1 and rutin in seeds. In pulped seed catechin, procycanidin B2, epicatechin and rutin are reported to be present.
It is quite important to the see that roasting (1600°C for 10 -60 minutes) increased the nutrient composition and antioxidant activity of the seeds [48] whereas pre-treatment (soaking and blanching) increased the nutrient composition, but decreases antioxidant activity [49]. Ansari, Houlihan, Hussain, and Pieroni (2005) [50] reported Okra extract as in vitro non-enzymatic inhibitior of lipid peroxidation in liposomes. A. esculentus peel and seed powder contains significant in vivo antioxidant property in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.
Administration of different doses of peel and seed powder significantly increased liver, kidney and pancreas superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and decreased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) (P < 0.001) levels in diabetic rats compared to diabetic control rats. [51]. The effects of A. esculentus fruits on alkaline phosphatase (ALP), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities on diabetic albino rats were also investigated. Serum glucose levels and activities of enzymes viz. ALP, AST and ALT decreased significantly after administration of the extracts [56]. Hypoglycemic effect of ethanolic and aqueous extract of A.esculentusfruit was studied. Results revealed that aqueous extract of powdered drug had maximum effect (Saha, Jain, and Jain, 2011). Recent study reported that the extract of okra lowers MOL2NET, 2020, 6, ISSN: 2624-5078 7 http://sciforum.net/conference/mol2net-06 blood glucose and serum lipids in high-fat diet-induced obese C57BL/6 mice. Ethanol extraction of okra (EO) and its major flavonoids isoquercitrin and quercetin 3-O-gentiobioside reduced blood glucose and serum insulin levels and improved glucose tolerance in obese mice [63]. In last decade, extensive efforts have been given in developing of several nanoscale-carriers in to improve the drug delivery systems [42,43,70]. Okra may play a leading role in improved drug delivery system. Several reports came using okra polysaccharide as drug release agent. Okra gum as a mini-matrix for furosemide and diclofenac sodium tablets showed prolonged release of

Conclusions
The okra fibre possess an excellent quantity of cellulose. Hence it can be used as cellulosic raw materials in cellulose based industries. It also contains low percentage of lignin, which is responsible for yellowing and photochemical degradation. It is a high molecular weight compounds. So it has some developed properties like color fastness, tensile strength etc. in Philippines OBF is used as textile fibre. It is also having excellent anti-oxidant activity and memory enhancement activity. If we collect and properly use the okra bast by isolating fibre from it then a good prospect must be await for our country. And also we can use this extract as a good medicine for Alzheimer's disease.
The strong scientific evidence of in vitro and in vivo biological activity confirms the doubt of its traditional use. Detailed investigations for its myriad beneficial effects may enlighten the future of medicinal exploitation. However further research should be focused to find out the mechanism of action of the pharmacological activities at the molecular level. This can solve several unanswered questions of origin, development and cure of diseases. Besides, being nontoxic in nature, this fruit can be easily tried for human trials rather than animal models. Okra based anti-diabetic food, antioxidant rich food formulation can be thus easily being tried avoiding complicated medical trials. It would get go for better value addition and commercialization in near future not being confined only in kitchen.