A REVIEW ON ETHNO-MEDICINAL USES, PHYTO-CHEMICAL CONSTITUENTS AND PHARMACOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF APIUM GRAVEOLENS LINN

Apium graveolens Linn., popularly known as Karafs or Celery, belongs to family Apiaceae. It has been used in traditional system of medicine for a long time, for the treatment of the various ailments like bronchitis, asthma, liver and spleen diseases, gout, anuria, amenorrhoea, renal and vesicular calculi, renal colic, strangury and many more. A. graveolens Linn. contains a variety of chemical constituents which are medicinally important, such as flavonoids, alkaloids, glycosides, steroids. Whole plant contains medicinal value but seeds and roots are more commonly used therapeutically and are considered one of the best diuretic and lithotriptic drug according to Unani literatue. The present review is therefore, an effort to give a detailed study in pharmacognostical, phytochemicals and pharmacological properties.