A pharmacognostic and pharmacological review on curcuma pseudomontana J.Graham

Abstract

Curcuma pseudomontana J. Graham belongs to the family Zingiberaceae, commonly known as hill turmeric. It is an endemic to the Western and Eastern Ghats, of peninsular India. C. pseudomontana rhizome is beneficial against leprosy, dysentery, and cardiac diseases. The Savara, Bagata, and Valmiki tribes of Andhra Pradesh use tuber extracts to cure jaundice and Bagata tribes use this plant for diabetes. In the present study, the preliminary phytochemical study and antioxidant activity of the rhizome extracts of C. pseudomontana were evaluated. Phytochemical screening indicated that rhizomes are rich in a variety of primary and secondary metabolites such as carbohydrates, alkaloids, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, flavonoids, phenols, glycosides, and saponins. The study highlights the biochemical and ethnopharmacological significance of an endemic C. pseudomontana. The results of pharmacognostic analysis will be helpful in developing standards for quality, purity, and sample identification. The current review summarizes the pharmacognostic parameters such as macroscopic, microscopic, physicochemical constituents, fluorescence analysis, nutritive value, behavior analysis of rhizome powder, and pharmacological activities prove it is a useful medicinal plant.