Natural Product Radiance, Vol. 8(1), 2009, pp.84-90 Review Paper Ficus racemosa Linn.–An overview Padmaa M Paarakh Department of Pharmacognosy The Oxford College of Pharmacy J P Nagar, I Phase Bangalore-560 078, Karnataka, India E-mail:
[email protected]; Phone: 09880681532 (Mob) Received 22 February 2008; Accepted 26 July 2008 ovate, ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, sub Abstract acute, entire and petiolate. Leaves are shed Ficus racemosa Linn. is a moderate-sized avenue tree found throughout India either wild or cultivated for its fruits eaten by villagers. It is popular in Indigenous System of by December and replenished by January Medicine like Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy. In the Traditional System of Medicine, and April, when the tree becomes bare various plant parts such as bark, root, leaves, fruits and latex are used in dysentery, diarrhoea, for a short period. Figs subglobose or diabetes, bilious affections, stomachache, menorrhage, haemoptysis, piles and as carminative and pyriform, red when ripe, borne in large astringent. The present review is therefore, an effort to give a detailed survey of the literature on its clusters, on short, leafless branches pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, traditional and pharmacological uses. emerging from the trunk and the main Keywords: Ficus racemosa, Cluster Fig, Gular Fig, Pharmacognosy, Phytochemistry, branches1, 9. The tree is without aerial roots Pharmacology, Traditional medicine. unlike its many family members. It 8 IPC code; Int. cl. —A61K36/00, A61P1/04, A61P1/12, A61P1/16, A61P3/06, A61P7/12, naturally comes up in wasteland and A61P11/14, A61P17/02, A61P31/04, A61P33/10, A61P39/06. forests in subtropical climate.