Abstract

REVIEW ON PHYTOCHEMISTRY AND PHARMACOLOGICAL ACTIONS OF CYPERUS ROTUNDUS L. A TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL HERB

Morari Radha Raman* and Lokkanya Dewangan

ABSTRACT

Nowadays due to the increasing demand for the herbal drugs for the treatment of various ailments or diseases of human as well as animals, the researchers are showing their interest in exploring health benefits of these herbal drugs, making an essential impact to work in the field of phytopharmaceuticals or phytotherapeutics. The herbal drugs are still the choice for the treatment of many diseases as these drugs are pharmacologically very potent and having no side effect or low side effect, when used as preventive medicine. Amongst many herbal medicinal plants cyperus rotundus (family-cyperaceae) commonly known as motha or more commonly nagarmotha in local languages, additionally called purple nut grass or sledge, is available all over the country, is an important plant as it shows various reported pharmacological activity viz. anti-inflammatory activity, analgesic activity, antimicrobial activity, anti-lesion activity, antipyretic activity, anti-emetic activity, tranquilizing activity, anti-urolithatic activity, anti-spatic activity, anti-diarrhoeal activity, anti-obesity activity, wound healing activity, antimalarial activity, metastatic tumor activity, antidiabetic activity, anti-allergic activity, anti-platelet activity, hypolipidaemic activity, gastro-protective activity, hepato-protective activity, hypotensive activity, ovicidal and larvicidal activity, antifungal activity. This paper provides review on phytochemical properties and pharmacological activities of motha.

Keywords: cyperus rotundus, phytotherapeutics, anti-inflammatory activity, antimicrobial activity, anti-arthritic activity.