Terminalia arjuna (Roxb.) Wight &Arn.: Competent source of bioactive components in functional food and drugs

Medicinal plants have been a major source of therapeutic agents to cure human diseases, since ancient time. Terminalia arjunais one kind of widely used medicinal plant used in various indigenous system of medicine like Ayurveda, Sidda and Unani. This review has been conducted to pile up phytochemical, pharmacological information and application in ayurveda and food products about the T.arjuna that is available indifferent scientific literatures. Many studies of this plant have been reported to contain phytochemical constituents like triterpenoids, glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, β-Sitosterol, minerals (calcium, magnesium, zinc, copper etc.), which exhibit various pharmacological activities like antimicrobial, anticancer, cardioprotective, antifungal, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypolipidemic, anthelmintic, insecticidal, wound healing, antiacne, gastroprotective etc. The present comprehensive review is therefore an effort to give detailed information on botanical description, phytochemical constituents, phytochemical, pharmacological studies and application in ayurveda and food products of T. arjuna