Averrhoa bilimbi Linn.: A review of its ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology

Abstract

Averrhoa bilimbi Linn. is principally cultivated for medicinal purposes in many tropical and subtropical countries of the world. Literature survey about this plant shows that A. bilimbi is mainly used as a folk medicine in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and as an antimicrobial agent. The prime objective of this review is to accumulate and organize literature based on traditional claims and correlate those with current findings on the use of A. bilimbi in the management of different ailments. Through interpreting already published scientific manuscripts (1995 through 2015) retrieved from the different scientific search engines, namely Medline, PubMed, EMBASE, and Science Direct databases, published articles and reports covering traditional and scientific literature related to A. bilimbi's potential role against various ailments have been thoroughly evaluated, interpreted, and discussed. Several pharmacological studies have demonstrated the ability of this plant to act as antidiabetic, antihypertensive, thrombolytic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and hypolipidemic agent. A. bilimbi holds great value in the complementary and alternative medicine as evidenced by the substantial amount of research on it. Therefore, we aimed to compile an up-to-date and comprehensive review of A. bilimbi that covers its traditional and folk medicine uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology. Hence, this paper presents an up-to-date and comprehensive review of the ethnomedicinal uses, different chemical constituents, and pharmacological activities of A. bilimbi. So far, the biologically active agents have not been isolated from this plant and this can be a good scientific study for the future antidiabetic, antihypertensive, and antimicrobial implications. Hence, this review targets at emphasizing the diverse traditional claims and pharmacological activities of A. bilimbi with respect to carrying out more scientific studies to isolate active principles through advanced technology.

Influence of 2,4-Diamino-6-Phenyl-1-3-5-triazine on bio synthesized TiO2dye-sensitized solar cell fabricated using poly (ethylene glycol) polymer electrolyte

“…XRD studies The synthesized TiO 2 nanoparticles using Averrhoa bilimbi fruits extract were analyzed by x-ray diffraction spectroscopy. In this figure 1, showed the XRD analysis of synthesized TiO 2 diffraction peaks at 25 [31]. The average crystalline size of green synthesized TiO 2 nanoparticles was found to be 23.8 nm.…”

“…TiO 2 is an n-type semiconductor with an energy band gap of 3.2 eV. Averrhoa bilimbi is one of the medicinal plants which are used for the treatment of diabetes, hypertension and act as an anticancer and antimicrobial agent [25]. From phytochemical studies, it is found to contain phenol, flavonoids and tannins.…”

A Review of Cytotoxic Plants of the Indian Subcontinent and a Broad-Spectrum Analysis of Their Bioactive Compounds

“…The leaves and fruits of Averrhoa bilimbi were found to be cytotoxic against MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines (IC 50 was 154.9 and 668 µg/mL for fruits and leaves, respectively) [98]. The major bioactive phytoconstituents included nonanal, tricosane, squalene, and malonic acid [99].…”

Plant-Based Ethnopharmacological Remedies for Hypertension in Suriname

“…Decoctions, infusions, powders, and pastes have been used in several traditional medicinal systems including those in Suriname for preventing and treating many diseases such as skin eruptions, cough, cold, syphilis, diarrhea, obesity, diabetes mellitus, microbial infections, and hypertension [46,178]. Physicochemical and pharmacological studies supported some of these uses [179].…”