THERAPEUTIC AND PHARMACOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF PRUNUS DOMESTICA: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

Prune is a dry form of plum fruit; its botanical name is Prunus domestica characterized by unique nutrients and dietary bioactive profile. Prunes have wide application in traditional medicine and are known for their beneficial role as a laxative in management of non-communicable diseases and bone health. Researches have proved their antioxidant, anticancer, antihyperglycemic, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-osteoporosis properties. The available evidences were searched and summarized after an extensive search on review of published literature with a focus on exploring the therapeutic and pharmacological effects of prunes. A number of preferred databases were searched using the Pub Med database, Science Direct, SciELO, Google Scholar, Link Springer, and Research Gate. This review investigated the potential mechanisms and effects of dried plums on overall health; the chemical composition of prunes reflects the presence of polyphenols like chlorogenic acids, neochlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, coumaric acid, proanthocyanidins and some other similar compounds, which are beneficial for improving and maintaining health and wellbeing. Prunes are used for treatment of acid dyspepsia, nausea, vomiting, fevers, headaches. Prunes have an effective role in the prevention as well as reversion of certain chronic degenerative changes as they are rich source of selenium and boron, which play important role in preserving and reversing degeneration changes.