PHYLLANTHUS NIRURI: A REVIEW ON ITS PHARMACOGNOSTICAL, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL PROFILE

Dr. Dhanapal Venkatachalam*

ABSTRACT

Phyllanthus niruri Linn. belonging to Euphorbiaceae family and it is a small herb having wide range of medicinal properties, and it is used widely across the world. It is a widely distributed small erect, tropical annual herbal whose stem has green capsule and grows upto 10-60 cm tall. This plant is bitter, astringent, cooling, diuretic, stomachic, febrifuge and antiseptic. It is popular in indigenous system of medicine like Ayurveda, siddha, unani and homoeopathy and is used for its hepatoprotective, antitumor, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The plant is also used in dropsy, jaundice, diarrhoea, dysentery, intermittent fevers, and diseases of urino-genital system, scabies, ulcers, wounds and cold. It has a good anti-viral activity against hepatitis B virus. It also has anti- nociceptive and anti- inflammatory activities, antidiabetic and antilipidemic potentials. The present review is therefore, an effort to give a detailed studies on its pharmacognostical, pharmacological, traditional and phytochemical properties.

Keywords: Phyllanthus niruri, Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, Pharmacological activity.