Abstract

ROSA ALBA LINN.: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW ON PLANT PROFILE, PHYTOCHEMISTRY, TRADITIONAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL USES

Shahnaz Alom*, Farak Ali, Rajashri Bezbaruah and Bibhuti B. Kakoti

Abstract

Flowering or aromatic plants have played a significant role in mankind since the time immemorial. In current scenario, around 80% of the world population completely rely on plant-based treatment due to their low-cost, high availability, less side effects etc. Around 250000 species of flowering plants have been recognized till date, among them nearly 10% are considered to be herbs, which are mainly used for treatment of several diseases and disorders. Rosa alba Linn. is an important aromatic medicinal plant belonging to the family Rosaceae. Rosa alba Linn. is mainly cultivated in the rose valley of Bulgaria. Currently it is also cultivated in Turkey, Morocco, North America, Northwest Africa and some parts of Asia. It contains large number of phytoconstituents i.e., flavonoids, terpenoids, tannins, glycosides, anthocyanin, phenolic compound, fatty oil and some small amount of organic and inorganic compounds. The plant is known to exhibits numerous medicinal properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, memory enhancers, cytotoxic, genotoxic etc. Nevertheless, traditionally it is also use in heart palpitation, headache, cold, leprosy, biliousness, burning sensation, ophthalmic, rheumatism, diabetes, inflammation, microbial infection, uterine infection, stomach problems as well as refrigerant, purifying agent, soothing agent, in skin care, anti-spasmodic, antiseptic, laxative, carminative etc. This review summarises the distribution, morphology, phytochemistry, pharmacology and traditional uses of Rosa alba Linn. based on the information gathered by ethno-botanical claims, researches and review articles.

Keywords: Rosa alba, Ethnobotany, Phytoconstituents.