Entada Adans, an ethnopharmacologically important genus: A review

Entada Adans is a genus with pantropical distribution comprising of some gigantic woody climbers with huge fruits. Many species are well documented and used in traditional medicine (Ayurveda) in the treatment of arthritis, joint pain, liver disorders, diarrhea, paralysis, and eye diseases. Many of these ethnomedicinal properties have been experimentally proven in different animal models and are compiled in a comprehensive approach in this review. Compounds recorded to be present in different species of the genus mainly include saponins, flavonoids, phenols, alkaloids, tannins, triterpenoids, steroids, proteins, and carbohydrates. This study is an effort to collect inclusive scientific data published till March 2020, providing a summarized report on the chemical constituents, ethnobotany, ethnopharmacology, toxicology, pharmacology, and related therapeutic potential of important species of genus Entada. The present literature study was extensively explored by databases such as Scifinder, books, Google, Google Scholar, Web of science, Science direct, journals, and other literatures. The present review article highlights this genus of endangered species as source of medicinally and nutritionally valued plants by focusing on pharmacological studies that validates their folklore uses. Furthermore, it draws attention for its conservation as it is the need of the hour to utilize different conservational strategies and save this medicinal wealth from extinction. The present piece of writing on genus Entada would be a useful edition to envisage the future line of investigations.