ETHNO-MEDICINAL CLAIMS, PHYTOCHEMISTRY AND PHARMACOLOGY OF SPONDIAS PINNATA: A REVIEW

Spondias pinnata is a well-known plant indigenous to South East Asian countries. The plant has been used intensively in many traditional herbal medicines across the globe. This plant has been known to possess antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, ulcer-protective, anti-cancerous, anti-diarrhoeal, anthelmintic, cytotoxic and hepatoprotective activity. It has also been reported that different parts of the plant   is used as anti-thirst, anti-emetic and as an anti-tubercular agent. It owes its different pharmacological activities to the wide range of phytoconstituents that are present in the plant. The plant is found to contain sterols, flavonoids, polysaccharides and gums. β-amyrin, oleanolic acid and amino acids—glycine, cystine, serine, alanine and leucine, daucosterol, cycloartanone 24-methylene and lignoceric acid, ellagitannins, galloylgeranin, lignoseric acid and β –carotein are the other constituents that are found to be present in the plant. An attempt has been made to compile these phytoconstituents studies and the different ethnomedicinal and pharmacological properties of Spondias pinnata and provide a full-fledged review in a single document. This review emphasizes the need for more extensive research and isolation and characterisation of individual constituents from this plant.