~ 693 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2020; 9(3): 693-696 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 www.phytojournal.com JPP 2020; 9(3): 693-696 Received: 12-03-2020 Accepted: 16-04-2020 Ashaolu Victoria Oladimeji Research Scholar, Department of Chemistry, Life, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India MF Valan Assistant Professor, Department of Chemistry, Life, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Corresponding Author: Ashaolu Victoria Oladimeji Research Scholar, Department of Chemistry, Life, Loyola College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India Newer plant based drug molecules with theraputic potential to combat alcohol dependency Ashaolu Victoria Oladimeji and MF Valan DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/phyto.2020.v9.i3k.11352 Abstract Alcohol dependency is one major problem all over the world that have caused increased mortality rate associated with the health risks, psychological, financial, social and economic deterioration. Most synthetic drugs used as treatment for alcohol dependency are reported to have numerous side effects. The development of low-toxicity and high efficiency medicines remains a challenging task for researchers. This current study aims to explore the effects of alcohol dependency and discovering newer plant based compounds to combat the ill effects of alcohol abuse. Keywords: Alcohol dependency, Phyto-chemical compounds, low toxicity, and high efficacy 1. Introduction Apart from Salt, Sugar and Tobacco, Alcohol dependency is a serious medical, social and economic problem been recognized as an important cause of mortality. The fastest growth has been in developing countries; especially in the Asian subcontinent where the per capital pure alcohol consumption has increased by over 60%. Globally, 40% of the worlds’ populations are alcohol dependents and the numbers of user continues to escalate [1] . The impact of excessive alcohol intake on individual health is rarely emphasized. Therefore, scientific researches to alcohol consumption have significantly increased in the last few years. Alcohol is no longer viewed as a threat to all, but rather to a small subclass of ‘alcoholics’ or, in today’s technical terms, people who are ‘alcohol dependent’. Alcohol is causally related to more than 60 medical conditions [2] . While some recent studies in India have examined patterns of use, and to a limited extent, its impact on health. The health burden attributable to alcohol is notoriously difficult to assess, in a situation where the treatment gap is large and the association between illness and alcohol dependency is rarely made by physicians [3] . Chronic alcohol consumption causes neurotoxicity or toxicity in the brain and nervous tissue. It initiates inflammation and oxidative stress which leads to neuro-degeneration or death of brain cells. The consumption of alcohol in moderate amount is considered to be beneficial for human health. A good example is the so-called “French paradox”, where concurrent consumption of significant amounts of red wine and foods rich in saturated fats results in low incidence of coronary heart disease. However, when alcohol consumption lacks moderation, treatment becomes expedient [4] . In view of the high frequency of drinking in daily life and the increasing consumption of alcohol, the development of low-toxicity and high efficiency medicines remains a challenging task for researchers. This current study is aim to explore the harms from alcohol dependency affecting users as well as non using persons in contact with the user, with a focus on investigating liable natural medicines as new agents to treat both alcohol dependence and the negative consequences of abuse. 2. Alcohol and major concerns Alcohol related deaths and deaths caused by diseases due to alcoholism are a major cause for concern in the country. 3.3 million Death in India was attributed to alcohol dependency. Alcoholism is one of the leading cause of Liver cirrhosis and failure which means that a large number of people from India lose their lives early due to alcohol dependency and its fallouts. [1] Apart from the health concern, chronic alcoholism is one of the greatest causes for poverty in the country. Although, bans and prohibition have been placed on alcohol dependency, yet the pattern of drinking in India has changed from occasional and ritualistic use to social use. Today, the common purpose of consuming alcohol is to get drunk [5] .