A review article on adhatoda vasica nees: A potential source of bioactive compounds

Herbal medicine is still the mainstay of about 75–80% of the world population, mainly in the developing countries, for primary health care because of better cultural acceptability, better compatibility with the human body and lesser side effects. However, the last few years have seen a major increase in their use in the developed world. As far as contemporary drugs are concerned they must be further characterized after their pharmacological screening by studying the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties, including toxicity. Therefore the present communication constitutes a review on the medicinal plant Adhatodavasica. A wide range of phytochemical constituents have been isolated from this plant having activities like antitussive, abortifacient, antimicrobial, insecticidal, hepatic protection, cardiovascular protection, anticholinesterase, antioxidant, antiinflammatory and other important activities. Some important bioactive compounds have been reported in various part of Adhatodavasicaare essential oils and quinazoline alkaloids. Sothis plant can form one of the best options for developing novel compounds having medicinal value.