Abstract

A BRIEF REVIEW ON THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF ACACIA NILOTICA (Linn)

Munawar Muneer K. V.* and Ashoka Shenoy M.

ABSTRACT

From ancient times, people have used a wide variety of medicinal plants to treat illnesses. In emerging and developing countries, medicinal plants still play an important role because they are natural, inexpensive, and effective. Acacia nilotica commonly known as babul is one among them. They belong to the family Mimosaceae. It is native to Indian subcontinent and tropical Africa, Burma, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the West and East Sudanese. Whole plant is evaluated for phytochemical constituents and they are rich in constituents such as terpenoids, tannins, alkaloids, saponins, glycosides, carbohydrates and anthraquinones. They are nitrogen-fixing tree legume that can be used for a variety of purposes. It's a 5– 20 m tall tree. The different parts of Acacia nilotica were investigated for their pharmacological profile by extracting them with different chemical solvents. They are used as antiviral, antifungal, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, antimutagenic, antibacterial, antioxidant, antidiarrhoeal, catalytic activity, antiplasmodial activity, anti-inflammatory activity and antiplatelet aggregatory activity in traditional medicine. This review focuses on the ethnomedicine uses, phytochemical properties, and pharmacological benefits of Acacia nilotica reported to date.

Keywords: Acacia nilotica, chemical constituents, medicinal uses.