Abstract

A REVIEW ON PHARMACOGNOSTICAL, ETHNO-BOTANICAL, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF DESMODIUM TRIFLORUM (L.) DC (FABACEAE)

Reeha P. H.*, I. Arthi, Donna Mary Johnson and Suhail

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Abstract

Desmodium triflorum (L.) DC. is an ornamental plant belonging to the family Fabaceae. It is a well-known Sri Lankan medicinal plant that is in folkloric use and is commonly used by traditional Chinese medicines to treat various diseases. It is a perennial herb with numerous long slender branches rooting at nodes and found in all tropical countries. In the traditional medicinal system different parts of the plant have been used for a variety of diseases like diarrhoea, convulsion, cough, bronchitis, wounds, abscess, sores. Phytochemical analysis of plants reveals the presence of high content of alkaloids, flavonoids, ursolic acid, vitexin, gentisin etc. The plant shows many pharmacological activities like analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic, antidiabetic, antinociceptive activity, antioxidant, antiproliferative, antibacterial. The current review summarizes published information about the ethnopharmacological, phytochemical, biological activities of Desmodium triflorum.

Keywords: Desmodium triflorum, Fabaceae, alkaloids, flavonoids, wound healing, antinociceptive activity.