PHYTOCHEMICAL INVESTIGATIONS AND THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF Gloriosa superba: A REVIEW

Human beings have been dependent on plants since time immemorial. Certain plants possess abundant secondary metabolites that play a significant role as the source of medicines for various ailments. Researches in this field are going on wherein various plants and their extracts are derived and then experimented to generate beneficial outcomes One such plant is Gloriosa superba that is also known as Glory Lily. This plant belongs to Liliaceae family and is rich in certain active principle ingredients such as alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenes, saponins which are basically obtained from seeds and tubers of this plant. The most important alkaloid which is being worked upon for its therapeutic potential is ‘Colchicine’. The present review paper deals with the enormous medicinal properties of this plant and its phytochemical investigations.