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Review
. 2019 Jun 7;55(6):255.
doi: 10.3390/medicina55060255.

Drimia indica: A Plant Used in Traditional Medicine and Its Potential for Clinical Uses

Sonali Aswal  1 , Ankit Kumar  2 , Ruchi Badoni Semwal  3 , Ashutosh Chauhan  4 , Abhimanyu Kumar  5 , Jörg Lehmann  6 , Deepak Kumar Semwal  7
Affiliations
Review

Drimia indica: A Plant Used in Traditional Medicine and Its Potential for Clinical Uses

Sonali Aswal et al. Medicina (Kaunas). .

Abstract

Drimia indica (Roxb.) Jessop (Asparagaceae) is a reputed Ayurvedic medicine for a number of therapeutic benefits, including for cardiac diseases, indigestion, asthma, dropsy, rheumatism, leprosy, and skin ailments. The present work aimed to critically and extensively review its traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and taxonomy together with the mechanisms of action of selected extracts of D. indica. A systematic literature survey from scientific databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science as well as from some textbooks and classical texts was conducted. The plant, mainly its bulb, contains various bioactive constituents, such as alkylresorcinols, bufadienolides, phytosterols, and flavonoids. Various scientific studies have proven that the plant has anthelmintic, anticancer, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and wound healing activities. The present work concludes that D. indica has the potential to treat various diseases, mainly microbial infections. This review also suggests that bufadienolides, flavonoids, and steroids might be responsible for its bioactive potential.

Keywords: Bufadienolides; Indian squill; Kolkanda; cardiotonic; traditional medicine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Drimia indica: (A) freshly harvested plants from their natural habitat; (B) a single whole plant.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of compounds reported from Drimia indica.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Chemical structures of compounds reported from Drimia indica.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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