FICUS RELIGOSA LAM: A MAGICAL TREE WITH VARIOUS THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES

Abstract

Individuals' essential needs to be alive or to care for themselves are provided by nature. Nature, in addition to meeting fundamental needs such as food and shelter, also has medicinal properties due to the existence of different complex chemical molecules known as secondary plant metabolites in one or more components. Since ancient times, hundreds of medicinal plants have been utilised to treat a variety of ailments. Among herbal plants, Ficus religiosa (Peepal) holds a prominent position. Herbal medicines are made from almost every part of this tree, including the leaves, bark, seeds, and fruits. Ficus religiosa is sacred tree, which is having great traditional uses as well as pharmacological activities. Almostall parts of the tree are useful in traditional system. The various parts like leaf, bark, fruit, and seeds arebeneficial in treatment of gastrointestinal diseases, healing and curative, heart diseases, constipation,mumps and boils, gynaecological problems, fever and joint pains, respiratory problems, skin diseases or dental and ear problems. Ficus religiosa tree shows pharmacological activities analgesic, antioxidant, anticonvulsant, antimicrobial, wound healing, ant amnesic, anti-acetyl cholinesterase, proteolytic activity. The presented exhausted review article also covers the comprehensive data of F. religiosa ethnobotanical information, natural product chemistry and detailed pharmacological data.