Madhuca longifolia var. latifolia (Roxb.) A.Chev: A plant with medicinal boon

Abstract

Throughout human history, people used to obtain drugs from natural resources like plants to cure their ailments and improve their health. Nowadays human beings rely more on herbal medicines for the treatment of various ailments because they show better therapeutic activity and have very little to zero side effects on the human body. Madhuca longifolia is also one of the plants used in this category. The plant has been used by people for its medicinal properties since the Ayurveda period (before B.C 300). The plant possesses various medicinal activities including anti-proliferative, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-cancer, anti-ulcer and antidiabetic, and antioxidant activity. In various parts of India, the plant is used in the treatment of different diseases in ethnomedicinal practices. The plant possesses several phytochemicals which are responsible for its medicinal properties. The primary focus of this manuscript is to emphasize the significance of diverse ethnomedical characteristics, multiple preclinical investigations, and clinical trials conducted on this particular plant. The study also encompasses the plant's geographical distribution, pharmacognostic and anatomical studies, as well as its various anthropological applications within the Indian subcontinent.