Micropropagation and Phytochemical Studies on Oroxylum Indicum (L) Kurz – A Review

Oroxylum indicum (L) Kurz is a medicinal forest tree with therapeutically active principles owing to its anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antiulcer, anti-arthiritic, and anti-angiogenic properties and known to be employed in ayurveda, Unani and folk medicine. Due to the possession of biologically active constituents, the tree is uprooted for the isolation of phytoconstituents and preparation of drugs from different parts of a tree and is over-exploited by pharmaceutical industries. Hence the tree is becoming an endangered species. In view of the above, this medicinally important tree species needs conservation and also thorough study on its medicinal properties. In vitro culture methodologies have to be employed for large-scale production and to know the importance and the activity of various chemical components of this valuable medicinal tree, as this knowledge plays a vital role in the conservation and synthesis of active principles with specific activity to treat various ailments. The present review focuses on the published data on conservation and also phytochemical studies of O. indicum to highlight the traditional usage of this tree species in various health disorders and also to conserve the tree using various in vitro culture techniques for its large-scale production.