Phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of Tephrosia genus: A brief review

ABSTRACT

Tephrosia, the plant genus belongs to the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the major group of angiosperms (floweringplants) that comprises more than 350 species which is widely distributed in the regions of tropical and subtropicalcountries of the world. Since the herbal medicine is in demand due to its fewer associated side effects, the genusTephrosia is extensively used for the treatment of large number of diseases in traditional medicines. The main aim ofthis review is to summarize and document the phytochemical and pharmacological activities performed on Tephrosiagenus. To promote the continual use of these plants and in order to plan for the future studies, it becomes importantto provide a basis by combining a number of available information into a single data covering the different aspects ofthe plant.