Tridax Procumbens (L.): A Weed With Immense Medicinal Importance: A Review

Abstract

Nature has been a source of medicinal agents for thousands of years and an impressive number of modern drugs have been isolated from natural resources. Traditional medicine is an important source of potentially useful new compounds for the development of chemotherapeutic agents. The essential values and uses of some plants have been worked out and published, but many of them remain unexplored to date. Therefore, there is a necessity to explore their uses and to conduct pharmacognostic and pharmacological studies to discover their medicinal properties.  Tridax procumbens (L.) is a spreading annual herb found throughout India but unfortunately it is one of the neglected plants. Hence, the present review aims to open new avenues for the improvement of medicinal use of Tridax procumbens (Compositae) for various ailments and to bring the anti-diabetic medicinal plant to the scientists’ notice, and raise awareness and add value to the resource. This review attempts to highlight the available literature on Tridax procumbens (L.) with respect to ethnobotany, chemical constituents and summary of various pharmacologic activities.