Pharmacological and pharmacognostical aspect of Prosopis juliflora: A review

Abstract

Prosopis juliflora also called as mesquite or Velayati babul, found all over the world specially in semiarid and arid areas. It is a competitive weed and has been declared as noxious in several countries. WHO found that herbal medicines are used traditionally for the treatment of diseases, nearly 80% of the population utilize plants due to their less side effects and easy availability as compared to allopathic systems of medicine. Prosopis juliflora belongs to family Leguminosae and also has an effective role as traditional medicine. Every part of this species contains a large number of phytoconstituents mainly flavonoids, alkaloids, tannins, phenolics, terpenes and saponins. The plant possesses some pharmacological activity like antibacterial, anti-pustule, antitumor, larvicidal, anthelminthic, antimicrobial, anti-rheumatic, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antioxidant, antimalarial activities. Despite of its various uses, it is a serious invasive weed and is cytotoxic in nature. Due to ingestion of Prosopis juliflora pods, a neurological disorder "Cara-torta" is most common in the ruminant animals like goats which directly affect mitochondria of nerve cell. So, this article is an aggregate of all the details and information of Prosopis juliflora plant published in different books and journals.