Abstract

COCCINIA GRANDIS: A PLANT WITH MULTIPLE ETHNOMEDICINAL USES

Mirza Nipa Monalisa, Abdullah Al-Nahain, Mohammed Rahmatullah*

ABSTRACT

Coccinia grandis is a vinous plant, which can be found in various countries of Asia, Africa, and Micronesia, as well as Australia. It is a perennial plant with edible leaves and fruits. The plant is considered a medicinal plant in many countries by traditional medicinal practitioners and has reportedly diverse ethnomedicinal uses. The various traditional uses described for the plant include snake bite, stomach pain in children, digestive, carminative, diarrhea, filarial swellings, diabetes, bronchitis, jaundice, ulcer, piles, to keep body cool, wounds, infertility, rheumatism, body pain, ear pain, mouth ulcer, and respiratory tract disorders. This review shall focus on the various ethnomedicinal uses of the plant and attempt to correlate such uses with reported phytoconstituents and pharmacological properties of the plant.

Keywords: Coccinia grandis, Cuicurbitaceae, ethnomedicine, phytoconstituents.