Background: Traditional and indigenous communities in India are of the religious belief that medicinal groves and plants are sacred in nature. Sacred groves (SGs) are patches of trees on forest land that are protected communally with religious zeal and connotations. These forest areas have been protected since ages by traditional societies and indigenous communities with their socio-cultural and religious practices. Sacred groves as a rule are treated piously. Sacred trees are prohibited from cutting and not axed except when wood is needed for the religious purposes like construction and repair of temple buildings or in cases like worshiping, death ceremonies and temple rituals. Thus, SGs carry direct and everlasting pious status and assist in maintaining social fabric of the society.

Asparagus species (family Liliaceae) are medicinal plants of temperate Himalayas. They possess a variety of biological properties, such as being antioxidants, immunostimulants, anti-inflammatory, antihepatotoxic, antibacterial, antioxytocic, and reproductive agents. The article briefly reviews the isolated chemical constituents and the biological activities of the plant species. The structural formula of isolated compounds and their distribution in the species studied are also given.

Paris polyphylla J.E. Smith is extensively used in traditional systems of Indian and Chinese medicines mainly for its anticancerous property. The national and international demand for P. polyphylla is constantly increasing and most of the supplies come from wild. Illegal and unscientific exploitation coupled with habitat destruction decreases the natural population of the herb, as a consequence this species comes under vulnerable category. Restoration and conservation of the natural population of this potential herb is prerequisites. This article aims to provide an overview on chemical and biological prospective of P. polyphylla. Secondary metabolites such as daucosterol, polyphyllin D, β -ecdysterone, Paris saponins I, II, V, VI, VII, H, dioscin, oligosaccharides, heptasaccharide, octasaccharide, trigofoenoside A, protogracillin, Paris yunnanosides G-J, padelaoside B, pinnatasterone, formosanin C and 20-hydroxyecdyson saponins have been isolated from P. polyphylla. Several biological activities such as anticancerous, antitumor, cytotoxic, anthelmintic, antimicrobial, antiangiogenic, immunostimulating, contractile and hemostatic have also been reported. Consequently, this review will be helpful to the researcher and scientist for further research.

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