Antioxidant Potential of Canna: an overview

Canna, the solitary genus of the family Cannaceae and order Zingiberales, comprises of about 51 species of flowering plants. Canna species are native of South America but with the course of time they have been distributed throughout the world. It is an important plant not only from the ornamental point of view but also it is an important plant for starch production as well as its medicinal values. From the primitive time, village people commonly use Canna as herbal medicines in their daily dealings. Different plant parts like rhizome and leaves of Canna have been used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases, fever, hypertension, diabetes, menstrual disorders, malaria etc. Phytochemicals with high antioxidant activities reported from the members of genus Canna. Moreover, isolation and identification of chemical compounds shows the presence of derivatives of polysaccharide, anthocyanin and phenylpropanoid compounds. The present study reflects a comprehensive review on biological activities of Canna species with special reference to some other members of Zingiberales.