Acanthaceae is popularly known as acanthus family which belong to mint order – lamiales. They are distributed from tropics to a temperate region such as India, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Brazil, Central America and Africa. Most members of this family are therapeutically important since they are in the up to date usage by ethnic communities. Andrographis paniculata, Clinacanthus nutans, Graptophyllum pictum, Hemigraphis alternata, Justicia gendarussa and Strobilanthes Crispus are some of the medicinal plants of Acanthaceae family. These plants are recognized for their biopharmaceutical potential usage in traditional medicine. These plants have a plethora of phytochemical compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic compounds, glycosides, terpenoids, benzenoids, quinine, triterpenoids and naphthoquinone present in various parts of the plant that plays a vital role in drug industries. The pharmacological properties of these plants such as anti-bacterial, anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritis, hepatoprotective, anti-viral and anti-hypertensive are in general practice as an alternative and complementary medicine in both ethnobotanical and pharmacological fields. This article encompasses not only the comprehensive survey based on the electronic resources, scientific journals but also the books that summarize the botanical, phytochemical properties of these plants and also accentuate their significant role in both ethnobotanical and pharmacological fields. It is felt that this article would provide more insight into the health benefits of some plants of the Acanthaceae family.
Promising Medicinal Plants Their Parts and Formulations Prevalent in Folk Medicines among Ethnic Communities in Madhya Pradesh, India
