Asparagus racemosus: a review on its phytochemical and therapeutic potential

Abstract

Asparagus racemosus (Willd.) is a widely found medicinal plant in tropical and subtropical parts of India. The therapeutic applications of this plant have been reported in Indian and British Pharmacopoeias and in traditional system of medicine, such as Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha. The crude, semi-purified and purified extracts obtained from different parts of this plant have been useful in therapeutic applications. Numerous bioactive phytochemicals mostly saponins and flavonoids have been isolated and identified from this plant which are responsible alone or in combination for various pharmacological activities. This review aims to give a comprehensive overview of traditional applications, current knowledge on the phytochemistry, pharmacology and overuse of A. racemosus.

Keywords:

• Asparagus racemosus
• Satavari
• pharmacology
• phytochemistry
• adverse effect

Acknowledgements

The author RS is thankful to Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR), India for financial support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.