Pharmacognostical, Phytochemical, Pharmacological properties and Toxicological assessment of Phyllanthus amarus

Abstract

Phyllanthus amarus Schum. and Thonn. (Euphorbiaceae) is a small herb well known for its medicinal properties and widely used worldwide. P. amarus is reported to contain variety of phytoconstituents like lignans namely phyllanthin, hypophyllanthin, nirphyllin and phyllnirurin; flavanone glycosides like niranthin, nirtetralin, phyltetralin and lintetralin; a steroidal hormone estradiol; flavanoids like quercetin, quercitrin, and astragalin; triterpenes like phyllanthenol, phyllanthenone and phyllantheol are some of the important constituents. P. amarus is an important plant of Indian Ayurvedic system of medicine which is used in the problems of stomach, genitourinary system, liver, kidney and spleen. It is bitter, astringent, stomachic, diuretic, febrifuge and antiseptic. The whole plant is used in gonorrhea, menorrhagia and other genital affections. It is useful in gastropathy, diarrhoea, dysentery, intermittent fevers, ophthalmopathy, scabies, ulcers and wounds. P. amarus show a wide spectrum of pharmacological activities including antiviral, antibacterial, antiplasmodial, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective nephroprotective and diurectic properties. The present work is therefore an effort to give an detailed survey of literature on pharmacognostical, traditional, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of P. amarus.