Phytochemistry and Medicinal Importance of Herb Mimosa pudica: A Review

Abstract

Mimosa pudica is a tropical weed that belongs to the legume family and is native to South America. This plant is also found in different regions of India such as Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, Orissa, and Tamil Nadu. It is a known plant that can show thigmonasty. The plant is known to possess diverse biological properties, such as antimicrobial activity, antidiabetic activity, anticonvulsant activity, antivenom activity, antiulcer activity, antifertility, antioxidant effect, antihistamine, anti-inflammatory activity, wound healing effect, antitumor activity, antifungal activity, antinociceptive activity, diuretic effect, etc. The herb is traditionally being used for ages, to treat urogenital disorders, dysentery, sinus piles, and used for wound healing. Review stresses on plant movement displayed by the plant Mimosa pudica and the responsible phytocompounds. The bioactive compounds isolated by various researchers to date and the pharmacological activities displayed by the plant are thoroughly reviewed. The literature related to phytochemical and pharmacological studies has been collected from various databases such as Scopus, PubMed, various student papers, publications, and internet sources from 1877 to 2021. The net result of the study showed that Mimosa pudica possesses various phytochemicals that are responsible for plant movement and pharmacological activities that are further proved by computational studies. Further, nanoparticles and hydrogels from Mimosa pudica are been studied in recent years for their various applications. The herb seems to be a promising natural medicine to undergo further investigation as evidenced by its diverse biological profile.