Abstract

HISTORICAL REVIEW OF INDIAN DIVINE HERB BOERHAVIA DIFFUSA LINN AND ITS MEDICINAL IMPORTANCE

U. Kanagavalli*, Dr. A. Mohamed Sadiq, Dr. M.D. Lakshmi Priya

ABSTRACT

Medicinal Plants have great potential uses, especially as traditional medicine and pharmacopoeial drug. A huge proportions of the world’s population depend on traditional medicine because of the scarcity, high costs of orthodox medicine. Herbal medicines tend to Support, enhance or restore normal physiological function, by facilitating the body's innate self-healing capacities, teach, train or ‘re-programme’ the body into better or enhanced patterns of physiological behavior, gently steer the body into more appropriate courses of response and function, with each dose of herbal medicine acting as a small ‘nudge’ in the ‘right direction’. Boerhavia diffusa Linn. (Nyctaginaceae), commonly known as ‘Punarnava’ is a perennial creeping herb widely studied and has a long history of uses by the tribal people and in Ayurvedic and Unani medicines. The Plant in whole or its peculiar parts (Aerial parts and Roots) have a numerous medicinal properties and are used by endemic and tribal people in India and Unani medicine in Arab countries to show Anti-bacterial, Anti-nociceptive, hepato-protective, hypo-glycemic, anti-proliferative, anti-estrogenic, anti-inflammatory, anti-convulsant, anti-stressand anti-metastatic activities and also in treatment of stress, dyspepsia, abdominal pain, inflammation, jaundice. Various phytochemical, pharmacological, clinical investigations are done on Boerhaavia diffusa by many scientist, researchers etc., to clearly understand the ancient Ayurvedic, Endemic and tribal usage of Boerhaavia diffusa. The aim of this paper is to elaborate the existing information regarding the medicinal plants Boerhavia diffusa used worldwide. Medicinal plants have a promising future, and their adequate usage demands a more thorough exploration of harvesting and subsequent handling. This paper includes the evidence-based overview of pharmacological and phytochemical properties of Boerhaavia diffusa, which may be helpful to establish a standard natural drug for further research.

Keywords: Boerhaavia diffusa, Anticonvulsant, Ayurveda, Unani, Pharmacology, Phytochemistry.