Vol. 8, Issue 5 (2019)

Author(s):
Rajani Srivastava and Neetu Soni

Abstract:
Euphorbia tithymaloides (L.) Poit or Pedilanthus tithymaloides, (Family: Euphorbiaceae), is a tropical and subtropical succulent plant. This plant is available in various parts of India: Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Uttar Pradesh. The stem of this plant has morphological resemblance with spinal column due to zigzag structure. The fleshy tubular stems of this plant are thin pencil like which produce thick, dark-green or variegated, fleshy, ovate leaves and peculiar beak shaped flowers. Pedilanthus tithymaloides is mostly used as an ornamental plant and for making fencing in garden. It is latex producing plant and its latex has been traditionally used to treat various pathological conditions apart from latex its leaves, stem and roots also used to treat ear ache, insect stings, ringworm, skin cancer, toothache, umbilical hernias, and warts. This plant is reported to possess various phytochemicals viz. steroids, tannins, triterpenes, coumarins and saponins which have been shown to possess anti-diabetic, antioxidant, analgesic, stomachic, hemostatic, anti-microbial, antifungal, anti-helminthic, antimutagenic, anti-tubercular, antimalarial, anti-inflammatory, abortifacient, antivenom, antibiotic, antiseptic, antihemorrhagic, antiviral and antitumor effect and useful for venereal diseases. The isolated phytochemicals reported in this plant were cycloartenone, dammaronol A, dotriacontan- 1-ol, friedelanol, hentriacontan-1-ol and sitosterol. Some of the antioxidant principles like Kaempferol, quercitrin, isoquercitrin, and scopoletin were isolated. The significant bioactive principles reported in Pedilanthus tithymaloides were diterpenoids, triterpene, flavonoids, carotenoids, pedilanthus coumarin A, pedilanthus coumarin B, 5,7-dihydroxy-8-(2-methylbutyryl)-4-phenylcournarin, theraphin C, isodispar B, isodisparinol B and isomesuol. Recently silver nanoparticles of plant latex have been synthesized for their potential use as antibacterial agents. The aim of present review is an effort to provide coherent literature survey of plant Euphorbia tithymaloides or Pedilanthus tithymaloides in relation to its phyto-pharmacological, ethnobotanical and therapeutical uses that would pave the way for development of phytopharmaceuticals.