Abstract

OXALIS CORNICULATA: A WONDER PLANT

Mukherjee Arpita*

ABSTRACT

Oxalis corniculata a road side plant is a reservoir of endless medicinal properties. The plant belongs to the family Oxidaceae. They are easily viewed in hedges and lawn is a creeper normally found in temperate climate. The plant has a special mat forming growth with a tap root system. Branching starts from the base and roots appear from the nodes. The leaves are soft and thin heart shaped, trifoliate and placed alternatively. Yellow coloured flowers with 5 petals appear on a long stalk which arises from the axils of the leaf. It is a rich source of carbohydrate, crude protein and crude lipid. It also possesses mineral nutrients including Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Nitrogen and Magnesium. Thus it can play an important role as an alternative vegetable. The plant extracts has been reported to have tannins, Palmitic acid, a mixture of Oleic, linoleic, linolenic and stearic acids while the methanolic and ethanolic extracts showed the presence of glycosides, phytosterols, phenolic compounds, amino acids, proteins, flavonoids and volatile oil. The plant has many therapeutic uses including anti-diabetic, anti-microbial, anti-fungal, antiamoebic, anti-ulcer and anti-inflammatory. It also has anti-cancer activity along with hepatoprotective and anti-implantation and abortifacient activity.

Keywords: Oxalis corniculata, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, anti-fungal.