Chemical constituents, pharmacological activities, and uses of common ayurvedic medicinal plants: a future source of new drugs

Natural products, especially plants and herbs, have always been a common medicament source, either as pure active principles or traditional preparations. Traditional medicine has been used in developing and developed countries for centuries, and still, 80% of the population uses plant-based medicines for their health care needs. The present review discusses all the possible pharmacological activity reported in various literature and active chemical constituents of herbs. A list of various herbs/plants used by Ayurvedacharya Ratiram Sharma (93-year-old and practicing since 1952) and mentioned in Ayurvedic texts. The curated list was prepared by their general availability in the household and local market. This study comprehensively documented the medicinal value of sixty-six dominant plant species used in Ayurveda and local people. In the present review, each herb is discussed with its scientific and common names, geographical distribution, traditional medicinal uses, beneficial plant parts, and active chemical constituents. For each plant, pharmacological activities of different parts of plants are displayed with their chemical constituents and structure. Toxicologists, phytologists, medicinal chemists, and other researchers who are interested in the various therapeutic and related applications of plant materials will be benefited from present review. This information will open new horizons of application for the many novel drugs and drug candidates.