Abstract

PHYTOCHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS AND PHARMACOLOGICAL USES OF MEDICINAL PLANT ACHYRANTHES ASPERA: A REVIEW

Kamana Ghimire, Janmajoy Banerjee*, Amit Kumar Gupta and Prasanna Dahal

Abstract

Achyranthes aspera is the important medicinal herb found as weed throughout tropical region of Nepal. It belongs to the family amaranthaceae. It is known as dattiwan in nepali, Apamarg in Sanskrit, prickly chaff flower in English and Naayuruvi in tamil. The medicinal plants are used for treatment of various diseases because of their safety and effectiveness. Though almost all of its parts are used in traditional systems of medicines, seeds, roots and shoots are the most important parts which are used medicinally. The major chemical constituents are carbohydrates, protein, glycosides, alkaloids, tannins, saponins, flavoides, lignin etc. The review reveals that wide numbers of phytochemical constituents have been isolated from the plant which possesses activities like antiperiodic, diuretic, purgative, laxative, antiasthmatic, hepatoprotective, anti-allergic and various other important medicinal properties. The plant is used in indigenous system of medicine as emenagogue, antiarthritic, antifertility, laxative, ecbolic, abentifacient, and antihelminthic, aphrodisiac, antiviral, anti-plasmodic, and antihypertensive, anticoagulant, diuretic and anti-tumor. It is also useful to treat cough, renal dropsy, fistula, scrofula, skin rash, nasal, infection, chronic malaria, impotence, fever, asthma, piles and snake bites. This plant is astringent, digestive, diuretic, laxative, purgative and stomachic. The juice of the plant is used in the treatment of boils, diarrhea, dysentery, hemorrhoids, rheumatic pains, itches and skin eruption. The methnolic extraction gives more yields then the alcohol and petroleum ether.

Keywords: Achyranthes aspera, antiasthmatic, hepatoprotective, emenagogue, ecbolic.