Therapeutic and Medicinal Uses of Karpura-A Review

The purpose of this literature review is to gain knowledge of the long history, wide variety and extensive applications of camphor, both in traditional and modern medicine. Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora) is obtained from the wood of camphor tree. It has been used for centuries, throughout the world as a remedy for treating variety of symptoms such as inflammation, infection, congestion, pain, irritation, etc. The studies have shown that some of the components of Cinnamomum camphora have suppressive and antimutagenic effect in number of human cancer cells without harming the healthy cells. In this paper our focus is on therapeutic and medicinal uses of karpura as a remedy for daily minor problems as well as reporting some information about the new applications of this traditional medicine to treat or prevent some serious life-threatening diseases such as cancer and diabetes.