Murraya koenigii (Curry leaf): Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology - A Review

Murraya koenigii is genus of tree, native to tropical Asia from Himalaya foothill’s of India to Srilanka eastward through Myanmar, Indonesia, Southern China and Hainan. In India it occurs in foothill ofHimalaya, Assam, Sikkim, Kerala, Tamilnadu, Andhra pradesh and Maharashtra. The various parts of thisplant are widely used by different tribal communities. The leaves of plant are use as tonic, stomachic, carminative, internally in dysentery also checking vomiting. Anthelmintic, analgesic, cures piles, allaysheat of the body, thirst, inflammation and itching. Following various claims for cure the numerousdiseases, efforts have been made by researchers to verify the efficacy of the plant through scientificbiological screening. A scrutiny of literature reveals some notable pharmacological activities of the plantsuch as activity on heart, Anti diabetic and cholesterol reducing property, antimicrobial activity, antiulcer activity, antioxidative property, cytotoxic activity, anti diarrhea activity, phagocytic activity. The present review is an attempt to highlight various ethnobotanical and traditional use as well as phytochemical andpharmacological reports of Murraya koenigii.