Abstract

CALOTROPIS GIGANTEA: A REVIEW ON ITS PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIVITY

Verma Smita*, Gupta Dilip and Mayank Sirivastava

ABSTRACT

Calotropis gigantea Family Asclepiadacea commonly known as Madar in Hindi is a perennial herb with a long history of use in traditional medicines. Calotropis gigantea (Asclepiadaceae) is a hoary, laticiferous shrubs tree, also known as “the milkweed”. Calotropis is used as a traditional medicinal plant. C. gigantea contain chemical constituents are cardenolides, flavonoids, terpenes, pregnanes and a nonprotein amino acid. The root bark contains α-amyrin, β-amyrin, taraxasterol and its ψ-isomer taraxasteryl isovalerate, taraxasteryl acetate, gigantin, giganteol, isogiganteol, β-sitosterol and wax (United State Department of Agriculture). The Plant root shows Nootropic activity in methanolic extract. The latex, leaves, flowers, bark is also used as caustic, acrid, expectorant, removes body hairs, antihelmintic, Also useful in leprosy, ulceration, cough, scabies ring worm of the scalp, piles, explosion on the body, asthma, enlargement of spleen and liver, edema applied to painful joint swellings. Also evaluate possible anxiogenic activity, sedative property and anxiolytic potential of crude ethanolic extract of Calotropis gigantea leaves, memory enhancing activity in methanolic extract of Calotropis gigantea root. This review gives a brief idea about its pharmacological activity (K.S. Krishanan marg).

Keywords: Calotropis gigantea, Memory, Scopolamine, Pharmacological activity.