Phytopharmacological Significance of Salacia chinensis

Abstract

Salacia chinenesis is one of the versatile, less exploited inhabitants of wild forests predominantly used in Ayurveda for curing variety of ailments, specifically to cure obesity and diabetes. Apart from antidiabetic activity, several species of the genus Salacia are known to possess anti-inflammatory, antilipidemic, antiperoxidative, antimicrobial, antileukemic, astringent and antimalarial activities. Salacia species contains abundant range of phytochemicals (secondary metabolites) like salacinol, katnanol, mangiferin, poly phenolics, tannins and many more. In addition, triterpenes, sesquiterpenes, lignans, xanthones, flavanols, flavonoids, and proanthocyanidins have been reported in S chinensis extracts, which are attributed to other important medicinal properties. The present study is focussed on reviewing the phytopharmaceutical relevance of this medicinal species to create a better understanding on its potential as an anti-diabetic medicine.