Medicinal importance of Papra (Podophyllum hexandrum Royle) in Unani System of Medicine

Abstract

Abstract Podophyllum hexandrum Royle [=Sinopodophyllum hexandrum (Royle) T.S. Ying] is an important, endemic medicinal plant species of Himalaya. It is used in Unani System of Medicine under the name of ‘Papra’. The drug was not mentioned in previous literatures, but the first time it introduced in Unani Medicine by a great scholar Hakim Najmul Ghani. He has mentioned its uses and benefits in his classical book Khazainul Advia. In Unani Medicine the plant species has been used to treat various ailments like constipation, fever, jaundice, liver disorders, syphilis, diseases of lymph glands etc. In Kashmir Himalaya it is used to treat various diseases by local medicinemen, but now it is listed in rare drugs. Various pharmacological studies have been done such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, radio-protective etc., recently it has also been reported that podophyllotoxin or podophyllin can be used to treat some forms of cancers also.