INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND CHEMICAL SCIENCES Review Article Ficus religiosa Linn. (Peepal): A Phyto-Pharmacological Review Sunita Panchawat Department of Pharmacognosy, Bhupal Noble’s Girls’ College of Pharmacy, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India. __________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACT Ficus religiosa is known to be a native Indian tree. It is a familiar sight in Hindu temples, Buddhist monasteries and shrines, villages and at roadsides. It is known to be a sacred plant in India and since ancient times it is widely being used to treat various ailments like skin diseases, heart diseases, constipation, dysentery, snakebite and important constituent of various traditional herbal preparations like shankha vati, chandraprabha vati, kaminivindravan rasa. In recent studies Ficus religiosa has been investigated for presence of a wide range of phytoconstituents viz. glycosides, flavonoids, tannin, terpenoids and sterol. This compilation provides comprehensive review of its ethnopharmacological use, phytochemistry, phytopathology, pharmacological activities, traditional and medicinal use. Keywords: Ficus religiosa, phytochemistry, Phytopathology, antioxidant, pharmacological activities. INTRODUCTION Ficus religiosa is a variety of fig tree that Vedic history was already known as the bodhi tree, The Brahma Purana and the Padma even before Gautama Buddha sat under Purana, relate how once, when the its branches meditating and achieved demons defeated the Gods, Vishnu hide enlightenment. It is the oldest depicted in the peepal. Therefore spontaneous tree in Indian art and literature and it can worship to Vishnu can be offered to a be said that this is the mythical 'World peepal without needing his image or Tree' or the 'Tree of Life' of the Indian subcontinent. This plant is considered temple. The Skanda Purana also sacred by the followers of Hinduism, considers the peepal, a symbol of Vishnu. Jainism and Buddhism, and hence the He is believed to have been born under name 'Sacred Fig' was given to it. this tree. Some believe that the tree Siddhartha Gautama is referred to have houses the Trimurti, the roots being been sitting underneath a Bo Tree when Brahma, the trunk Vishnu and the leaves he was “enlightened” (Bodhi) or Shiva. The Gods are said to hold their "awakened" (Buddha). Thus, Bo Tree is councils under this tree and so it is well-known symbol for happiness, associated with spiritual understanding. prosperity, longevity and good luck1. The peepal is also closely linked to Peepal tree or sacred fig is a large Krishna. In the Bhagavad Gita, he says: deciduous tree. It is often planted near "Among trees, I am the ashvattha." temples and holy places. It is supposed to Krishna is believed to have died under this be one of the longest-living trees and tree, after which the present Kali Yuga is there is one in Sri Lanka which is said to said to have begun. Five-trees (Pancha- be over one thousand years old. This tree vat) are considered sacred in India. They grows very fast and roots are attached to are: the trunk as if they are pillars supporting it. 1. Fig tree, The tree needs lots of space, and the soil 2. A wild fig (Sycamore) tree must be deep enough to let the roots grow (Gular), down a long way. It is sometimes also 3. Banyan tree, called kalpvruksha2. 4. Pakar (citron-leaved), Indian fig Vol. 1 (1) Jan – Mar 2012 www.ijpcsonline.com 435 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND CHEMICAL SCIENCES tree, 'Pipal' relates (I believe) to the same 5. Mango tree. ancient roots which give rise to English According to the Skanda Purana, if one words like 'Pip' and 'Apple' and therefore does not have a son, the peepal should be mean something like 'fruit-bearing tree'. regarded as one. As long as the tree lives, 'Ashwattha' and 'Ashvattha' come the family name will continue. To cut down from an ancient Indian root word "Shwa" a peepal is considered a sin equivalent to means 'morning' or 'tomorrow'. This refers killing a Brahmin, one of the five deadly to the fact that Ashwattha is the mythical sins or Panchapataka. According to the Hindu world tree, both indestructible and Skanda Purana, a person goes to hell for yet ever-changing: the same tree will not doing so. Some people are particular to be there tomorrow5. touch the peepal only on a Saturday. The Brahma Purana explains why, saying that Common names 5 Ashvattha and peepala were two demons Gujrati : Jari, Pipers, Pipal who harassed people. Ashvattha would Hindi: Pipal, Pipali take the form of a peepal and peepala the Kanarese: Arani, Ashwatha mara, Pippala, form of a Brahmin. The fake Brahmin Ragi would advise people to touch the tree, and Marathi: Pimpala as soon as they did, Ashvattha would kill Sanskrit: Ashvattha, Bodhidruma, Pippala, them. Later they were both killed by Shuchidruma, Vrikshraj, yajnika. Shani. Because of his influence, it is considered safe to touch the tree on Habitat Saturdays. Lakshmi is also believed to Ficus religiosa is known to be a native inhabit the tree on Saturdays. Therefore it Indian tree, and thought to be originating is considered auspicious to worship it. mainly in Northern and Eastern India, Women ask the tree to bless them with a where it widely found in uplands and plane son tying red thread or red cloth around its areas and grows up to about 1650 meters trunk or on its branches3. or 5000 ft in the mountainous areas. It is also found growing elsewhere in India and Taxonomy/Botanical classification4 throughout the subcontinent and Southern Domain: Eukaryota Asia, especially in Buddhist countries, wild Kingdom: Plantae or cultivated. It is a familiar sight in Hindu Subkingdom: Viridaeplantae temples, Buddhist monasteries and Phylum: Tracheophyta shrines, villages and at roadsides. People Subphylum: Spermatophytina also like to grow this sacred tree in their Infraphylum: Angiospermae gardens. Ficus religiosa has also been Class: Magnoliopsida Brongniart. widely planted in many hot countries all Subclass: Dilleniidae. over the world from South Africa to Hawai Super order: Urticanae and Florida but it is not able to naturalize Order: Urticales away from its Indian home, because of its Family: Moraceae dependence on its pollinator wasp, Division: Magnoliophyta Blastophaga quadraticeps. An exception Tribe: Ficeae to this rule is Israel where the wasp has Genus: Ficus (FY-kus) Linnaeus been successfully introduced6. Specific epithet: religiosa L. Description a. Macroscopic characteristics Nomenclature General 'Ficus' is the Latin word for 'Fig', the fruit of Small tree or taller strangling climber, with the tree. 'Religiosa' refers to 'religion' wide-spreading branches, semi or fully because the tree is sacred in both deciduous in monsoon climates and Hinduism and Buddhism and is very broadly ovate, glossy, leathery, dark green frequently planted in temples and shrines leaves, 5-7 in (12-18 cm) long, with of both faiths. 'Bodhi' or its short form 'Bo' unusual tail-like tips. Bears pairs of means 'supreme knowledge' or rounded, flat-topped green figs, to 1/2 inch 'awakening' in the old Indian languages. Vol. 1 (1) Jan – Mar 2012 www.ijpcsonline.com 436 INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND CHEMICAL SCIENCES (1.5 cm) across, ripening to purple with purple (may have reddish dots). The red dots. The trunk has smooth grey bark fruiting tree becomes a treat for many and with age this trunk becomes different birds and animals8. irregularly shaped. It becomes leafless for a brief period in dry habitats7. b. Microscopic characteristics Transverse section of bark shows Leaves rectangular to cubical, thick walled cork When the leaves first appear their colour cells and dead elements of secondary is red-pinkish, but then they turn deep cortex, consist of masses of stone cells; green and grow to about 12 to 18 cm long cork cambium distinct with rows of newly (5-7 inches). They are attached to long formed secondary cortex, mostly flexible stalks which makes them rustle, composed of stone cells towards flutter and dance in the slightest whiff of periphery. Stone cells found scattered in wind. The foliage can often be dense. The large groups, rarely isolated; most of alternate leaves are heart-shaped, shiny parenchymatous cells of secondary cortex with an elegant tail-like tip which is often contain numerous starch grains and few called a "drip-tip", guiding water efficiently prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate; down to the soil. This prevents sometimes secondary phloem a wide zone, consisting heavy monsoon rain from collecting on the of sieve elements, phloem fibers in singles leaves for prolonged periods, which could or in groups of two and non lignified; make them hot in very warm weather. The numerous crystal fibers also present; in leaves have 6-8 pairs of side-veins and a outer region sieve elements mostly further network of very fine veins. This collapsed while in inner region intact; delicate venation and the ability of the leaf phloem parenchyma mostly thick-walled; to disintegrate easily in water are both stone cells present in single or in small clearly illustrated in the greeting cards groups similar to those in secondary which are sometimes made with peepal cortex; a number of ray-cells and phloem leaves. The leaves are soaked for 8 hours parenchyma filled with brown pigments; (in warm countries) in a bowl of water and prismatic crystals of calcium oxalate and then washed carefully under running water starch grains present in a number of until only the veins remain8. parenchymatous cells; medullary rays uni to multiseriate, wider towards outer Bark periphery composed of thick-walled cells Bark occurs in flat or slightly curved with simple pits; in tangential section ray pieces, varying from 1.0 - 2.5 cm or more cells circular to oval in shape; cambium in thickness; outer surface brown or ash when present, consists of 2-4 layers of colored; surface uneven due to exfoliation thin-walled rectangular cells7.