Review on the Pharmacognostical, Phytochemical and Pharmacological aspects of Tabernaemontana coronaria

Tabernaemontana coronaria is an ornamental, evergreen, dichotomously branched shrub or small tree with large, shiny dark green leaves and white coloured flowers, pinwheel arrangement of petals, which are especially fragment at night. Stems exude milky latex when broken. The root is acrid, digestible with a bitter and bad taste. No specific environmental conditions are required for the growth of the plant. It can easily grow in garden and along roadsides. The plant is highly used in Chinese, Ayurvedic and Thai traditional medicine for the treatment of several diseases. Phytochemical studies revealed the bioactive chemical constituents of the plants such as monoterpene indole alkaloids, flavonoids, proteins, glycosides, carbohydrates, steroids, enzymes and phenolic acids from leaves, stems and roots of the plant. Pharmacological studies found that the plant extract has an anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antioxidant, antifertility, antifungal, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antimalarial, cardiovascular effects, hypolipidemic, anticataract, antitussive, insecticidal, antidepressant, anxiolytic activity, local anaesthetic activity, anti-acetylcholinesterase activity, wound healing, hepatoprotective and gastroprotective properties. This article briefly describes the ethanomedicinal uses, pharmacognostical studies, phytochemical constituents and pharmacological activities of Tabernaemontana coronaria plant and it's bring the research up-to-date on the bioactive compounds produced by Tabernaemontana coronaria, directly or indirectly releated to the human health.