PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL OVERVIEW OF WITHANIA COAUGULANS

Withania coagulans, commonly known as Rishyagandha in Sanskrit and Paneer phool in Hindi, is a plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, native to Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Indian subcontinent. Within the genus Withania, W. somnifera and W. coagulans are economically significant and are cultivated in several regions for their use in Ayurveda. Roots of W. somnifera have been known since ancient times for their use as Rasayana for the overall wellbeing of humanity. Withania coagulans fruit, though not as popular, has earned its medicinal importance because of its recently claimed use in diabetes. The antidiabetic activity of the plant is attributed to several reported phytoconstituents ranging from steroidal lactones like withanolides and withaferins to coagulonides and withacoagulins etc. The plant has also been reported to possess a wide range of pharmacological activities like antidiabetic, anticancer, immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and many more. Though from the well-appreciated Withania family, the plant Withania coagulans, could attract less attention from the researchers. Hence, this review article aims to highlight the recent findings on the chemical and pharmacological potential of Withania coagulans, aiming to explore and enhance the plant’s therapeutic benefits with a curative and preventive approach.