Ethnomedicinal Potential of Indian Coffee Plum: Flacourtia Jangomas

Abstract

Medicinal plants are large-scale sources of indigenous medicines and they have been used for centuries to treat various diseases. Bioactive compounds are being isolated from medicinal plants day by day and serve as an important source of raw materials for drug discovery. Flacourtia jangomas is a plant belonging to the family of Flacourtiaceae growing in various parts of the world. Common names of F. jangomas are Coffee plum, Indian plum, Manila cherry, and Paniala. Aerial parts of the plant are used in the treatment of diabetics, asthma, anemia, and antibacterial, antidiarrheal, and antioxidant activities. F. jangomas revealed several bioactive constituents, including carbohydrates, protein, lipids, alkaloids, glycosides, tannins, etc. The fruits are rich in nutrients, protein, fat, sugars, amino acids, vitamin C, and minerals including calcium, potassium, phosphorous, iron, magnesium, sodium, manganese, copper, and zinc. The ripe fruits have high fiber content together with good protein content, low fat, and higher amount of monounsaturated fatty acids as compared to polyunsaturated fatty acids. It contains a significant amount of beta-carotene followed by lutein and zeaxanthin, retinol, and phylloquinone which are important in the regulation of hemoglobin and fibrinogen in the human body. Flacourtiaceae family elaborates a diverse array of compound classes which include terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids and tannins, lignans and flavanolignans, glucosides, coumarins, and isocoumarins.