Abstract

Medicinal plants constitute an important group of non-wood forest products. Approximately 80% of the world population uses plants as a source of medicine for healthcare. India has been one of the pioneers in the development and practice of well-documented indigenous systems of medicine, particularly Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani. For millennia, the Indian population has depended mainly upon plant based crude drugs for a variety of ailments. This alternative system of medicine is gaining increasing popularity worldwide. This review on Boerhaavia diffusafocuses over the plant morphology, chemical compositions, its ethnomedicinal uses, linked from ancient times to the present with a scope of development in future.

Key words: Ayurveda, Boerhaavia diffusa, ethnobotany, pharmacology.