A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF LITSEA POLYANTHA

Litsea, an outsized genus comprising 400 species of evergreen trees or shrubs, distributed chiefly in tropical and subtropical Asia, Australia, and therefore the Pacific Islands, belongs to the Lauraceae. Litsea polyantha is found throughout North, East, and Central India at an altitude of 1,200 m. It is often planted as an ornamental plant. It is mostly grown as an honest source of fodder for the livestock. It is alittle to medium-sized evergreen tree attaining a height of 21 m and a girth of 1.8m. Barks are dark grey or pale brown colour, exfoliating in quite small polygonal corky scales. In Folklore medicines-Bark, Stem, Roots and Leaves are wont to treat various diseases and disorders. The bark of Litsea polyantha is mildly astringent and used for diarrhea. Powdered bark and roots are used for pains, bruises, contusions and for fractures in animals. Previous chemical investigation of this plant has revealed the presence of beta-sitosterol and actinodaphnine within the bark and an arabinoxylan containing D-xylose and L-arabinose during a molar ratio of 1:2 in leaves. The anti-diarrheal activity of methanol extract of dried bark and aerial parts of Litsea polyantha in mice using different modelshas been evaluated. Various chemical and enzymatic methods carried out the antioxidant activity of phenolic fractions of bark extract.