Welcome to Central Institute of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CSIR-CIMAP)- Lucknow

Natural product chemistry- bioactivity guided isolation, structure elucidation, aroma compounds, chemical ecology and biofuels.
Analytical techniques related to plant drug research.
Development and upscaling of improved processing technologies for distillation, extraction and value addition of MAPs for essential oils, standardised herbal extracts, aroma and phytomolecules, heterogenous catalysis etc.
Medicinal chemistry-Semi-synthesis, targeted synthesis and total synthesis, and nano-conjugates for anticancer, antimalarial, cardiovascular, bone mass formation (oestrogenic), antitubercular etc.
Designing and commissioning of commercial size medicinal and aromatic plants improved distillation and extraction units for farmers, entrepreneurs and industries.
Phytochemical/essential oil analysis service to academics, entrepreneurs and medicinal and aromatic crop farmers.

Andrographis paniculata, Curcuma longa, Silybum marianum, Phyllanthus amarus, Berberis aristata and Gymnema sylvestre as Phytopharmaceutical drugs, New lignans from Phyllanthus, and irridoid glycosides from Gmelina arborea, triterpenes from Putranjiva roxburghii.
Bioactives: Isoflavones, chromenes and stilbenes as osteogenic agents, Tambulin analogues as anticancer agents, ageratochromene dimer as estrogen receptor modulator, Indanones, indoles, tetralones, xanthenes, quinoxalines, steroidal stilbenes, furostanes, naphthoquinones, carbazoles as antitubulin anticancer agents, 2-arylindanones as selective HDAC6 inhibitors, 11-keto-beta-boswellic acid as anticancer molecule, gymnemagenin and deacylgymnemic acid as reducing blood glucose, isoliquiritigenin and liquiritigenin as antidiabetic, thiazolidinedione-1,23-triazole derivatives as anticancer and antidiabetic agents, bisindoles, eugenol hybrids, forskolin acetals, andrographolide triazoles as anticancer agents, arjunolic acid analogues as antidiabetics.
New processes: Artemisinin from Artemisia annua, lutein from the marigold flowers, vanillin from eugenol/isoeugenol rich essential oil, menthol from citronellal, ambrox from sclareol, brevifoliol from Taxus leaves, Cleomiscosins from Cleome viscosa etc.
Total synthesis: Hydroxymethylfurfural and levulinic acid, 2-methoxyestradiol, indanocine, lawsone, lapachol and β-lapachone etc.
Analytical protocols: BND certified Andrographis paniculata, Flavonoids in Sarca asoka, gymnemic acid from Gymnema Sylvestre, henna (Lawsonia inermis L.), Uni-dimensional double development HPTLC-densitometry method for simultaneous analysis of mangiferin and lupeol content in mango (Mangifera indica), five markers based Withania somnifera, six markers based Taxus wallichiana, glabridin in Yashti-madhu (Glycyrrhiza glabra), steroidal glycoalkaloids in Solanum xanthocarpum, polymethoxyflavones in Gardenia lucida Roxb. etc. Chemical profiling of high value aromatic crops and wild flora, Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini) and Citronella (Cymbopogon winterianus) , chiral identification of aromatic isomers, 14C dating for identification of adulteration of natural essential oils with synthetic ones.
Products: CIM-Megh [Kalmegh based Immunity booster].

Division has contributed in several awards :
1. CAIRD-2014 (member Team CIMAP).
2. CSIR-Technology Award for Life Sciences -2015.
3. CSIR Technology Award for Life Science-2018.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance [500 MHz. Bruker]
Triple Quadrupole [LC –MS/MS API 3000 Applied Biosystem]
High Resolution Mass spectrometer 6545 Q-TOF-LC MS, [Agilent]
Mass Directed Auto purification [LC-PDA/ELS-MS, Shimadzu]
Ultra-performance liquid chromatographic UPLC [Waters]
Supercritical Fluid Extraction System [Cap. 1-3 lit, ]
Gas Chromatographic systems [GC-FID with Head Space Sampler CP 3800, Varian; Auto system XL, Perkin Elmer; 4890D, Agilent
Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry systems [Turbomass with Auto XL Perkin Elmer; Clarus 680GC Tubomatrix 40 HS, Perkin Elmer),
Analytical High Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) Systems [LC- PDA, Shimadzu; LC-ELSD-Shimadzu; LC-ELSD-Waters]
Semi-preparative High Performance Liquid Chromatographic (HPLC) Systems (20AP, Shimadzu, 6E, Waters]
High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC) System [Scanner-III, CAMAG]
Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) [Spectrum BX , Perkin Elmer; Nicolet 380],
Near Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy [Thermo Scientific]
GMP certified Multiutility solid liquid extraction units for alcoholic / solvent / aqueous extracts of medicinal plants of up to 80 kg / batch capacity
Flash Chromatography systems [Teledyne, USA]