Asian Journal of Research in Chemistry

Solanum indicum L. (Fam. Solanaceae) commonly known as poison berry in English is a prickly, much branched perennial under shrub, nearly upto 1m high, mostly found throughout India in warmer parts upto an elevation of 1500 m. This important medicinal plant is widely used in folk and traditional Indian systems of medicine for poisonous affections, skin diseases, ulcers difficult breathing, abdominal pain, cough and dyspepsia. In Ayurveda and Siddha. It is an important ingredient of dasamoola group of plants. The review attempts to highlight various available literature with respect to the therapeutic uses, enthno-medicinal uses, pharmacognostic studies, chemical constitutes and various reported pharmacological activities. Some steroidal alkaloids/glycoalkaloids such as Solasodine, Solasonine, Solamargine, Solanidine and Solanine were reported by various investigators. Pharmacognostic studies revealed the presence black powdery depositions of sandy crystals, throughout the root, sclerieds in the cortical region, phloem fibres towards the periphery and uni to biseriate medullary rays in xylem and phloem as the diagnostic characters of root of S. indicum. It is reported to have hepatoprotective, anthelmintic, antioxident and antimicrobial activity.