Phytochemistry and pharmacology of traditionally used tropical medicinal plant Bauhinia racemosa Lam

Bauhinia racemesa Lam, a small deciduous tree belonging to the family Caesalpiniaceae, is traditionally used in the indigenous system of medicine Ayurveda, Unani and Sidha for the treatment of several ailments like headache, fever, skin and blood diseases, jaundice, chronic dysentery, diarrhoea, and leucorrhoea, infection of malaria, boil, glandular swelling, tumors and cancer. It is also used to cure scorpion bite, to relief food poisoning in cattle and as contraceptive by women. In order to reveal full pharmacological and therapeutic potentials, the aim of the present review was focused on the assessment of its current medicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology. Literature survey on scientific journals, books as well as electronic sources was performed. It showed that this plant is of an immense value because of its various potent pharmacological actions shown by it and several pharmacologically active principles like galactolipids, racemosol, de-O-methylracemosol, pacharin, resveratrol which have been isolated from it. It will be definitely useful to explore it for further research to be carried out on this medicinal plant.