Original Articles
Olounladé AP,
Abstract
Pleiocarpa pycnantha belong to the family Apocynaceae which is widely distributed throughout tropical Africa. It has an impressive range of medicinal uses. Different parts of this plant contain families of compounds such asalkaloids, Terpenoids, Saponins. The P. pycnantha plant provides actives compounds likeursolic acid, 27-p-E-coumaroloxyursolic acid, 27-p-Z-coumaroyloxyursolic acid, pycanocarpine, 2-carboxy-3-hydroxy derivative of pycanocarpine.P. pycnantha is very important for its medicinal value. Various parts of this plant such as the leaves, roots, seed, bark, fruit, flowers and immature pods act as laxative, anthelmintic, possess antitumor, diuretic, anti-inflammatory,antibacterial and antifungal activities, andare being employed for the treatment of jaundice, diarrhea. P. pycnantha is then administered to gain and retain good memory. This review focuses on the detailed phytochemical composition, medicinal uses, along with pharmacological properties of different parts of this tree.