Botanical, Ethnopharmacological, Phytochemical & Pharmacological Standards of Plant Ichnocarpus frutescens

Abstract

The plant Ichnocarpus frutescens belongs to family Apocynaceae, commonly known as ‘Black creeper’ (In Odia: Syamolota; Hindi: Kali-dudhi, Krishna sariva; Sanskrit: Syamalata, Sariva). It is native to India, China, Java, Ceylon, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia. It is a large, evergreen, woody climbing plant. In India, tribes used this plant as a substitute of Indian Sersaparilla (Hemidesmus indicus). Phytochemical investigation indicates that plant belong to various category viz. phytosterol, triterpenes, flavonoids and various other phenolic compounds. Pharmacological activities of different parts of the plant reported include anti-urolithiasis, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic and antitumor activity etc. The presented review article aims to highlight a brief and comparative data on botanical, ethnopharmacological, phytochemical & pharmacological standards of plant Ichnocarpus frutescens.