Background:
Vitex negundo Linn. commonly known as five leave chase tree is an ethnobotanically important drug in traditional system of medicine. The plant is widely distributed in India, China and other Asian and American countries.
Objective:
The review aims at presenting comprehensive information with respect to ethnopharmacological rele-vance and recent findings on phytochemical and biological activities of Vitex negundo.
Method:
Literature was collected from various sources such as pubmed, scopus, science direct, and others.
Results:
Extracts and secondary metabolites of this plant, particularly those from roots and leaves, possess useful pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antitumor, antioxidant, antimicrobial, galactagogue, antigas-tric, antiflatulant, antiparasitic, analgesic, hepatoprotective and antihypertensive, some of which have been vali-dated scientifically. All parts of plant especially leave and roots contain a large number of bioactive phytoconstitu-ents including flavonoids, iridoids, lignans, volatile oil, terpenes, coumarins, phenolic and steroidal compounds which impart it multiple medicinal properties. Vitexin, isovitexin, viridifol, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid and iso-chlorogenic acid are the main components.
Conclusion:
The review emphasises the medicinal importance of Vitex negundo and its bioactive constituents in traditional system of medicine.
