Ethnomedicinal, pharmaceutical and pesticidal uses ofCalotropis procera(Aiton) (Family: Asclepiadaceae)

Abstract

Caloropis procera is a multipurpose plant that is extensively used by traditional folk healers and local people for preparation of different drugs and ailments of choice to treat different diseases and disorders. Plant contains diverse phyto-chemicals which show various pharmaceutical and ethno-medicinal properties. Two related species are of Asclepiadaceae, Caloropis procera and Calotropis gigantea, and both possess enormous disease curing potential against various infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoans and worms; and are widely used for treatment of different diseases and physiological disorders. Active components of Calotropis procera displayed cytostatic, cytotoxic, wound healing, procogulant, analgesic, anticonvulsant, anti-arthritic, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, anti-fertility, antipyretic, anti-coccidial, anticancer, antitumor and anti-inflammatory properties. Natural Calotropis latex in preserved and concentrated forms finds many pharmaceutical applications and may be more useful in interventional therapies, complementary and alternative medicine to cure different types of cancers. Latex can be used for preparation of various herbal drugs and drug templates which might be non-steroidal and show wider cancer suppressing efficacy in patients. Plant can become a future source of therapeutic drugs, pesticides and industrial products. It can be used for phyto-extraction of toxic chemicals and reclamation of polluted derelict lands.

Cytotoxic Cardenolides from Calotropis Species: A Short Review

“…The compound displayed anti-tumour activity against a panel of 57 human cancer cell lines that is comparable to taxol, and stronger than SN-38, two of the most potent drugs used in hospitals to treat cancer [55]. Against Hs683, U373, HCT-15, LoVo and A549, the IC 50 values of UNBS1450 (3, 9, 24, 10 and 8 nM) were superior to those of 2"-oxovoruscharin (8,15,16,10 and 74 nM), respectively. UNBS1450 markedly inhibited the viability and proliferation of human prostate cancer cell but not of normal cells [66].…”

“…Both C. gigantea and C. procera occur naturally from Africa to South and Southeast Asia including southern China while C. acia is restricted to India, Bangladesh and Nepal in South Asia [2]. From the many reviews on Calotropis species [3], C. gigantea [4][5][6][7] and C. procera [9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18], their uses in traditional medicine are so multifarious that all plant parts including the latex are remedy for many kinds of ailments and infections. A literature review on different plant parts of C. procera reported as many as 77 ethno-medicinal uses, notably, latex (27), leaves (19) and roots (10) [19].…”

Various chemical groups produced by endophytic fungi isolated from the Calotropis procera- A pharmaceutically important xerophytic plant

“…Calotropis procera is an important medicinal wild plant that belongs to Asclepiadaceae family. This plant is used in the traditional Indian medicinal system for the treatment of leprosy, ulcers, tumors, piles, diseases related to spleen, liver and abdomen (Upadhyay, 2014;Mohsin et al, 1989;Larhsiniet al, 1997). The aqueous and various organic extracts of this host showed analgesic, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antimalarial and antimicrobial activity (Dewan et al, 2000;Mascolo et al, 1988) and many of these properties are linked to the endophytic fungi associated with it Isolation and bioactivity study on the endophytic fungi from Calotropis procera was carried out.…”

Evaluation of antioxidant and antibacterial efficacy of flowers of Calotropis gigantea

“…It has inflorescence stalk (5cm) and petals (2.5-4cm). It is used by native tribes for various ailments for healing both epidemic and endemic diseases as well as disorders (Upadhyay, 2014 . The various ) parts of the plant have noteworthy medicinal value in the middle of human beings.…”