Curry Leaf: An insight into its Pharmacological Activities, Medicinal Profile, and Phytochemistry

Abstract

Throughout human history, medicinal plants are used in traditional medicine systems and are considered a potential source of healthy life. Curry leaf belongs to the family Rutaceae obtained from Murraya koenigii, which has been used widely as a spice, flavouring agent, and as herbal medicine since ancient times in the ayurvedic medicine system. Curry leaf is native to India and Sri Lanka. It is known for its flavour in cooking apart from various health benefits, including antidiabetic, anti-tumour, antiinflammatory, and neuroprotection. Various carbazole alkaloids have been isolated from curry leaves, including mahanimbine, koenine, murrayacine, murrayazoline, koenimbine, murrayazolidine, murrayazoline, murrayacine, girinimbine, and mukoeic acid. Several studies on pharmacological activities of curry leaf in vitro, in vivo, and clinical trials confirm the application of curry leaf in traditional medicine and introduce some new medicinal aspects. The current review provides insight into phytochemical constituents, ethnobotany, and numerous pharmacological properties of crude extracts, fractions, and isolated compounds of curry leaf, leading to the development of effective drug candidates to address various ailments. Moreover, a comparison of the reported activities of a curry leaf in traditional medicine will be made with the modern medicine activities to show the potentiality of this precious herb in managing different disease conditions.