An Overview of Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Action of Selected Medicinal Plants

The plants Acorus calamus, Withania somnifera, Clitoria ternatea, Centella asiatica, Wedillia chinensis, Cissus quadrenqularis are the commonly used plants in South India in day-to-day life as part of food as well as to treat many diseases as traditional medicine, Cassytha filiformis is a parasite herb which is used in many parts of the world for traditional medicine. Like food, these are consumed for immunity, energy, vitamin and mineral sources as well ashome remedies for certain health conditions. As a medicine, these plants have many Phytochemical constituents which are the reason for their biological activity. Various secondary metabolites were found from these plants including Alkaloids, Terpenoids, Saponins, Tannins, Flavonoids, etc and multiple biological activities were established by in-vivo and in vitro studies so far. In the future also, studies needto be carried out to bring effective medicines to cure various new diseases in humans.