A Review on Taxonomy, Anatomy, Ethnobotany and Pharmacology of Baccaurea courtallensis (Phyllanthaceae) from Westernghats

Abstract

Ethnic communities are traditionally using wild plants in their day to day life for nutrition and medicinal requirements. Baccaurea courtallensis (Moottipazham Mal., family Phyllanthaceae) is one such wild plants used by tribals from different parts of westenghat region. It is a medium-sized endemic tree found in semi-evergreen and evergreen forests of Western Ghats, India. All parts of the B. courtallensis are documented to possess varied medicinal properties and used to treat stomach and mouth ulcer, diarrhoea, piles and dysentery by traditional healers. In the recent years, this tree has been analysed scientifically for supporting its traditional claims. The present review is an effort to revisit to scientific information on botanical characteristics, anatomy, ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of B. courtallensis based on research papers from portals including Web of Science, Google scholar and Scopus. People belonging to Paniya, Kani and Kurichya tribal groups of different forest regions are the important payees of the plant. Both primary and secondary metabolites are present in leaves and roots of the plant. Various bioassays conducted in the leaves of B. courtallensis show that the plant has anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-hyperlipidemic, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory activity. The fruit of the plant shows significant antioxidant properties. This data compilation supports the basic perceptive of B. courtallensis and opens up new horizon for future research.