Capparis spinosa – The Plant on the Wall

Abstract

Capparis spinosa a native Mediterranean plant is common in Israel. It grows flowers and gives fruits in the hot and dry summer. In this review article its morphological properties, chemical constituents, biological activities, traditional uses, culinary uses, medicinal use and pharmacological studies are reported. Based on the literature we conclude that Capparis spinosa has highly diverse economic and medicinal value in different systems of medicine, including Chinese medicine, the Ayurveda, the Unani and the Siddha medicine. It is recommended to encourage studies in Israel, and to investigate ways to use the Caper for medicine, cosmetics and food, as a natural plant resource of our country.