Importance of conserving Vitex peduncularis: A depleting forest resource with immense ethnopharmacological uses

Abstract

Vitex peduncularis, vernacularly known as 'Charaigorwa' is a large evergreen tree having numerous ethnopharmacological uses and belongs to the family Lamiaceae. The species is globally known for its usage to cure multifarious human health issues in traditional as well as contemporary medicines. The species exerts high bioactivity due to the presence of several secondary metabolites, including flavonoids, Vitexin, iridoid glycosides, pachypodol, ursolic acid, 2-hydroxy-ursolic acid terpenoids. Due to the high demands of V. peduncularis in pharmaceutical industries, the species is being exploited indiscriminately, pushing it towards the abyss of extinction. Immediate conservation measures are required to sustain the available natural population through multidisciplinary scientific interventions. This article cumulates the importance of the species directing towards its specialized pharmacological characteristics and its therapeutic uses. It also highlights the research gaps needed to be filled up for judicial use of the species conserving its depleting genetic resources.