A Complete Review on Oxystelma esculentum R. Br.

Many plants which are found commonly and are mentioned in texts of traditional Indian medicine have not been investigated thoroughly. It is necessary to conduct systematic evaluation, standardization, documentation and patenting of these plants. Oxystelma esculentum R. Br. (Family - Asclepiadaceae), commonly known as 'Jaldudhi', is one such plant which has not been studied sufficiently. It has many potential therapeutic uses which are of vital importance in curing the diseases of the modern world like cancer, hepatitis, kidney disorders, stress-related disorders and microbial infections. It contains two very important classes of phytoconstituents: cardenolides and pregnane glycosides, which are easily obtained from this plant and can act as precursors of many therapeutically important compounds. The study of this plant will be important in the future for bioactivity-guided fractionation of medicinal phytoconstituents, for conducting pre-clinical or clinical trials and for preparing formulations or semi-synthetic compounds. The present review, based on an extensive literature search of reputed books, scientific websites and high-impact journals, sheds light on the research done on this plant so far, thereby providing informative guidelines regarding the work that can be done in the future.