Plants have been employed for their therapeutic and aesthetic benefits since ancient times. Traditional herbal medicine is well-documented and practised in India. The goal of the current review is to provide current information on botany, morphology, ecological biodiversity, medicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activity on various portions of Butea monosperma (Lam.) Taub because there haven't been many studies done on it (B. monosperma). Technical literature from electronic search engines like Springerlink, BioMed Central, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Scielo, Medline, and Science domain was used to compile this review. Books, book chapters, dissertations, websites, and other scientific publications served as the source of the supplemental texts. B. monosperma, a member of the Fabaceae family, is found throughout the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, including in Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and western Indonesia. It is also known as Flame of the Forest, Dhak, Palash, or Bastard teak. It is an herb that has long been used voluntarily in traditional Asian treatments. It has been used to treat a variety of illnesses, including diabetes, cancer, diarrhoea, dysentery, fever, and jaundice. Recent in vivo and in vitro research have shown that it has hepatoprotective, anti-cancer, anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, anti-asthmatic, anti-oxidant, anti-convulsant, and anti-microbial effects. Many phytochemicals, primarily flavonoids, lactones, diterpenoids, diterpene glycosides, and phytosterols, are present in the plant's aerial portion. Bark produces a red fluid called "Butea gum" or "Bengal kino" that is produced. This complementary medical approach is becoming more and more well-known worldwide. Isolating the active components, testing them biologically, understanding their molecular mechanisms, mounting an experimental defence, and getting B. monosperma's medicinal usage approved are all necessary. The information gathered will be required to identify up study protocol for modern medications and Ayurveda formulation extension in luxurious and remedial a number of illnesses. To further validate the claims on humans, clinical trials for the stated preclinical investigations should be started right away.
Keywords: Butea monosperma, Fabaceae, Phytochemistry, Pharmacological activity, Ethno medical uses.