Cancer is one of the most dreaded diseases worldwide and the incidence is on the rise in both developing and developed countries. It is treated by chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. In spite of advances in treatment strategies, cancer still remains a major cause of death. Research is on for development of better drugs which are more effective and simultaneously cause fewer side effects. Plants have been used for the treatment of various ailments of man and animals since ages. They are being screened extensively to explore the possibility of development of economically viable anticancer drugs. Natural products of plant origin currently constitute a considerable proportion of commercially available antineoplastic drugs. This review gives an insight into commercially available anticancer drugs of plant origin and also patents granted to plant derived components, extracts and polyherbal formulations possessing anticancer activity. The exhaustive work reviewed here on antineoplastic activity of various plants both in vitro and experimental models throughout the world will help design further research in this field.

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Medicinal plants are precious source of bioactive compounds which possess a range of beneficial properties and serve as the major source of medicine for a large proportion of population across the world. Since ancient times, Crataeva nurvala has been used as a vital herb in Ayurvedic system of medicine. In Unani system of medicine the bark of C. nurvala is used as an appetite stimulant and as an agent to decrease the secretion of bile and phlegm. In the present study, the methanol extract of stem bark of C. nurvala was analysed for preliminary phytochemicals and the chemical profiling of the extract was illustrated using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The phytochemical analysis revealed that the plant extract contained alkaloids, steroids and triterpenoids. The GC-MS analysis determined the presence of different compounds of biological importance. The identification and characterisation of the phytoconstituents in the extract could pave the way for the discovery of new drugs for various ailments.

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