Dodonea Viscosa Linn: Its Medicinal, Pharmacological and Phytochemical Properties

Herbal medicine is the oldest form of health care known to mankind. Herbal medicines have great importance in maintaining the health of every person. Demands of Herbal medicines are increasing in both developed and developing countries due to growing recognition of natural plants being lesser or of no side effect, easily available in surrounding place with low cost. Different parts of the plant have different active constituents and these active constituents may vary in their extent of activity and concentration. Most of active principles are existing in leaves, flower, fruit, bark, root and seeds of the plant. Certain herbs have become popular over the last twenty years, but herbal medicine is still poorly understood by the public, medical practitioners and the media. Nigeria is not left behind most of the world in this endeavor of utilizing herbal medicine. Dodonea viscosa is often used traditionally to treat many diseases like fever, cold, malaria, rheumatism, aches, toothaches, headaches, indigestion, ulcers, diarrhea, constipation, dysmenorrheal and irregular menstruation. The plant is reported to contain alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, steroids, triterpenoids, phytosterols and volatile oil. This review was aimed at describing the medicinal uses, phytochemical components and other important aspects of the plant.