Rotula aquatica. Lour-A Review on Medicinal uses Phytochemistry and Pharmacological actions

Abstract

Rotula aquatic Lour is an important medicinal herb in Ayurvedic system of medicine. The plant occurs as a small branched shrub that grows characteristically among rocks and trailing over pebbles in stream beds, belonging to the family Boraginaceae and widely distributed throughout India. It is commonly called as Pasanabheda in Ayurveda. As only few studies are done on this plant, the comprehensive review presenting here will summarize regarding its Phytochemical and Pharmacological activities with the help of available and update information. Various studies indicated the antiurolithiatic, hypoglycemic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anthelmintic properties of Rotula aquatica. Although the information are very encouraging and revealed some of the constituents of the plant like polyphenols and tannins as important therapeutically agents. The herb should be studied more extensively to confirm these results and reveal other potential therapeutic effects. Various traditional claims of the plant are still remain to be validated scientifically. Clinical trials for the reported preclinical studies should be performed urgently to further validate the claims on humans