Cleome viscose: A Review on Ethnobotany and Pharmacology Uses

Abstract

Herbal medicine is the oldest form of health care system known to mankind. Herbs had been used by all cultures through history. Herbs are the potential source of chemical constituents that have a high therapeutic value. Herbal medicines are now in high demand in the developing world for primary health care not because they are cheap but also for better cultural acceptance, better compatibility with the human body and minimal side effects. This review summarizes the research on Cleome viscose Linn. (Capparidaceae), commonly known as "wild mustard or dog", is an annual sticky herb that is found in all plains of India and throughout the tropics of the world. The whole plant and its parts (leaves, seeds, and roots) are widely used in traditional and folk medicine systems. In traditional systems of medicine, the plant is reported to have beneficial effects such as anthelmintic, antiseptic, carminative, antiscorbutic, sudorific, febrifuge and cardiac stimulant. Following the various traditional claims for the use of C. viscosa (CV) as a cure for numerous diseases, researchers have made considerable efforts to verify their usefulness through scientific pharmacological examinations. Pharmacological studies have shown that CV has several notable biological activities, such as anthelmintic, antimicrobial, analgesic, antiinflammatory, immunomodulatory, antipyretic, psychoprotein, wound healing, antimalarial, antiemetic, antitumor, antioxidant, antidiarrheal and hepatoprotective. The present review is an effort to consolidate the traditional, ethnobotanical, and pharmacological information available in C. viscosa.