Ethnopharmacological uses, Phytochemistry and pharmacological attributes of Argyreia nervosa (Burm. f.): A review

Abstract

Popular Indian medicinal plant Argyreia speciosa Sweet has been used for many years in traditional Ayurvedic Indian medicine to treat a variety of illnesses. Its common names include Vidhaara and Vrddhadaru. The plant is found mainly in tropical areas of the world. The therapeutic effects of Sweet's Argyreia speciosa has aphrodisiac, immunostimulatory, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-diarrheal, antibacterial, antiviral, antiulcer, anticonvulsant, analgesic, and central nervous depressant properties. This plant has produced a wide variety of phytochemical components that have been identified. Its seeds mostly contain the hallucinogenic compound isoeragine, also known as eragine.