Almost all societies have employed medicinal plants as a source of medicine. Due to their natural origin, low cost, and lack of side effects, traditional medicinal plants have become increasingly popular over the past few decades. The Vedas and the Bible both mention the common usage of herbal medicines and healthcare products. People have used medicinal plants for thousands of years to flavour and preserve food, cure health problems, and prevent disease. Acanthaceae plant species are valued for their cultural and economic significance in horticulture and traditional medicine worldwide due to their wide range of medicinal characteristics. It was discovered that 87% of therapeutic drugs were made from naturally occurring substances taken from plants. In addition to being utilized as food, medicine, or ornamentals, plant species in this family also contain a variety of vital secondary metabolites, such as alkaloids, terpenoids, tannins, quinones, and flavonoids. The ethnopharmacological drugs of this class are utilised in many South and East Asian countries. According to some studies, Acanthaceae may possess antiviral, antifungal, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, hepatoprotective, immunomodulatory, and antiplatelet aggregation properties. The current review identifies some salient traits of a few significant genera in this family and explores how they are used in both traditional and creative ways in modern society. By keeping these factors in mind, the current study will be helpful for future research and clinical trials in the study of some new significant plant species that belong to this significant family.

Aim: To assess the phytoconstituents, total flavonoid, phenolic content and in vitro antioxidant activity of Lepidagathis spinosa wight ex Nees. (L.spinosa). Objective: To assess the phytochemical content and antioxidant activity of L. spinosa with different solvents like petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate and hydro alcohol extracts. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were assessed using spectrophotometric method. The total antioxidant capacity and free radical scavenging activities of various extracts were estimated against DPPH, Hydroxy radical and Nitric oxide radical scavenging assays. Results: The hydro alcohol extract of the whole shrub revealed the maximal polyphenol content when correlated with the other solvent extracts. Total phenolic content of the hydro alcohol extract was found to be 33.53 of GAE/g dry weight of samples. Flavonoid content was found to be 19.63333 mg of quercetin equivalents/g dry weight of the extract. All the extracts were exposed significant antioxidant activity and hydro alcohol extract showing highest antioxidant ability in association with the polyphenol contents. Based on the IC50 values, hydro alcohol extract of the plant revealed the potent DPPH, Hydroxy radical, Nitric oxide radical scavenging ability. Conclusion: This study suggests that hydro alcohol extract of L. spinosa could be a potential source of natural antioxidant and justifies its traditional use in ethnomedicine.