PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF ANNONA SPECIES: A REVIEW

Abstract

Herbal plants and phytogenic products have used for the treatment of various diseases from ancient times in the folklore medicine worldwide. Crude extracts from plants now play an important and valuable source for natural products that are used in the advancement of medicines against various diseases, for the improvement of pharmaceutical preparations and for novel bioscience research. One such plant genus is Annona, such as Annona muricata, Annona cherimola, Annona reticulata, Annona squamosa, and Annona senegalensis are some species widely cultivating in India and tropical regions of Asia for their edible fruits and medicinal values. These plants have been used for centuries as traditional folk medicine for the treatments of various diseases. The plants are considered to be a good source of vitamins, minerals, plant proteins, fibers, etc., as well as the plant is supposed to have many biological activities. This review describes the morphology and ecology of the plant, its ethnomedicinal uses, pharmacological activities, and phytoconstituents.