A Comprehensive Review of Tamaric gallica Linn.: A Herbal Haemostat with special reference in Unani Medicine

Abstract

Background and aim: Tamarix gallica L. is commonly known as “Jhau”. These deciduous, herbaceous, twiggy shrub or small tree reaching up to about 5 meters high and mainly found in the salty regions and is found between interdunal areas of the desert. It has enormous potential and having a broad spectrum of activity on a variety of illnesses such as leukoderma, eye diseases, teeth disorder, any type of hemorrhage, spleen disorders etc. This review aims to compile maximum information available, regarding its various traditional uses, pharmacognosy, phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities to enrich our knowledge about this plant. Materials and methods: A manual literature survey of classical Unani texts such as Khazā’in al-Adwiya, Tanqīh-al-Mufradāt, Bustān-al- Mufradāt, Muḥīṭ-i-A‘ẓam and online literature survey from Pubmed, Google scholar, Cochrane library, science direct was conducted to collect the information available on the plant Tamarix gallica. Result and discussion: The findings of the literature survey on the basis of previous phytochemical analyses of this plant revealed the presence of a number of components, some of which are tannin, tannic acid, tamarixin, significant amount of phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidants like carotenoids and essential oils which are extracted from various parts of the plants. Its reported pharmacological activities include anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, anti-proliferative, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-hyperlipidemic, antidiarrheal, cytotoxic activity and hepatoprotective activities. Keywords: Tamarix gallica, phytochemical analyses, tannin, antioxidant, pharmacological activities, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antiproliferative, antibacterial.