Wild banana [Ensete superbum (Roxb.) Cheesman.]: Ethnomedicinal, phytochemical and pharmacological overview

Abstract

Ethnopharmacological relevance: Ensete superbum (Roxb.) Cheesman. (Family: Musaceae), commonly known as "Wild Banana" is well recorded as popular ethnomedicine for medicinal and nutritional uses by different people and communities native to India, Ethiopia, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam.

Aim of the review: Despite the wide ethnomedicinal and pharmacological studies on E. superbum, there are no concise elaborated article comprising reviews of published literature. So, herein we designed this review article to discuss the current ethnopharmacology, pharmacognosy, phytochemistry, pharmacology and intellectual property status of E. superbum.

Materials and methods: Exhaustive literature searches were performed on E. superbum through various scientific and patent search engines such as Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, USPTO, Google patents, and Espacenet, using different keywords for screening of relevant information.

Results: E. superbum was recorded in different regions of the world for ailments such as dog bite, calculi, semen production, abortion, leucorrhoea, stomachache, immune response, pain, diabetes, psychosomatic, contraceptive, umbilical cord care, convulsions, pneumonia, cholera, labor and delivery pain, dehydration, appendicitis, chickenpox, measles, urinary problems, food poisoning, snake bites, diarrhoea, dysentery, jaundice, bone fracture, infections, fever, asthma, hiccups and leucoderma. Major bioactive phytochemicals such as triterpenoid esters, proanthocyanidin, pro-pelargonidin glucosides, pelargonidin, anigorufone, hydroxyanigorufone, β-carboline alkaloids and fractions such as VIDR-2T, VIDR-2GC, VIDR-2GD were reported. Pharmacologically, E. superbum was found to be non-toxic (LD₅₀ = 3235.9 mg/kg) and has been reported to possesses antiurolithiatic, antidiabetic, antifertility, anti-estrogenic, antiviral, cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory activities.

Conclusions: E. superbum could be an excellent source of safe and effective medicinal and nutritional herbal remedies for human and animal consumption.

Keywords: Alkaloids; Antiurolithiatic; Ensete superbum; Musa superba; Wild Banana.