SOLANUM TORVUM: A REVIEW OF ITS TRADITIONAL USES, PHYTOCHEMISTRY AND PHARMACOLOGY

Abstract

Solanum torvum Swartz (family: Solanaceae) is commonly known as turkey berry. This plant is found in tropical Africa, Asia and South America. S. torvum, is an important medicinal plant in tropical and subtropical countries is widely used like food and in folk medicine around the world. This aims a comprehensive of the chemical constituents, pharmacological, and clinical uses. A number of metabolites are in good yield and some have been shown to possess useful biological activities belonging mainly to steroid glycosides and saponins, flavonoid, vitamin B group, vitamin C, iron salts and steroidal alkaloids. Extracts and metabolites of this plant, particularly those from leaves and fruits possess useful pharmacological activities. A survey of the literature shows S. torvum is mainly used for the treatment of fever, wounds, tooth decay, reproductive problems and arterial hypertension. Many pharmacological studies have demonstrated the ability of this plant to exhibit Anti-oxidant activity, cardiovascular, immunomodulatory and nephroprotective activity supporting its traditional uses. This review attempts to highlight the available literature on S. torvum with respect to ethnobotany, chemical constituents and summary of various pharmacological activities.