Asian Journal
Of Traditional Medicines

Abstract: Plants and their active constituents play an important role in the prevention of a variety of ailments. Most of the species of the Genus Vitex are used therapeutically in ancient Indian systems of medicine especially, Ayurveda and Siddha. The genus Vitex contains about 270 species distributed around the world. These species contain a variety of potentially bioactive molecules, such as iridoids, flavonoids, diterpenoids, derivatives, and phytosteroids. Most of these species possess analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antihistamine, and antiasthmatic properties. This work reviews the pharmacological evidence for the effects of extracts of plants from the genus Vitex, giving an overview of the most widely studied biological effects and the known phytochemical constituents.

Key words: medicinal plants, pharmacology, phytochemistry, indian systems of medicine