Trichosanthes dioica Roxb. (Family: Cucurbitaceae) (Pointed gourd), locally known as Patal, is a widely consumed summer cucurbit vegetable in Bangladesh. Traditionally this plant is used as a febrifuge and tonic in liver enlargement and jaundice. It is also used in gastrointestinal disorders in alternative medicine. In order to justify and authenticate traditional uses of this plant the present study was undertaken to examine the antioxidant, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and antidiarrhoeal activities of four solvent extracts (pet ether, ethyl acetate, methanol and water) of the aerial parts of T. dioica. The results of the present study reveal that the plant possesses antioxidant, antimicrobial and antidiarrhoeal properties.

Musa sapientum L. ssp. sylvestris (Family: Musaceae) is a popular edible fruit. Traditionally it has been used to treat intestinal disorders such as diarrhoea and dysentery. This book presents the research carried out on the methanolic extracts of Musa sapientum L. ssp. sylvestris fruit's peel, pulp and seed for potential antioxidant, antidiarrhoeal, antimicrobial, cytotoxic and neuropharmacological activities. It also includes review of previous research works on different plants of Musa genus. In this work, the extracts exhibited promising antidiarrhoeal, antioxidant and neuropharmacological activities. The results of antimicrobial and cytotoxicity tests also support the antidiarrhoeal activity. These results justify and validate the folkloric uses of the fruit in intestinal disorders.