An Overview of Phytochemical and Pharmacological Profile of Morus alba Linn

Abstract

Background: Morus alba Linn. commonly known as white mulberry, belongs to the family Moraceae, and is a promising traditional medicine. In Asia, besides its use in the preparation of delicacies, every part of this plant is utilized in traditional medicine. Over the past decade, studies related to the identification and isolation of biologically active compounds, with flavonoids as the major class of phytoconstituents, from this plant have been reported. These phytoconstituents are not only found to be beneficial for the maintenance of general health but also are associated with a range of potential pharmacological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti- diabetic, anticancer, hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, neuroprotective to name a few. Objective: This review aims to provide upgraded and comprehensive information regarding the phytochemical, ethnomedicinal use and pharmacological profile of the plant Morus alba Linn. Method: The significant information has been collected through various databases viz. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Science Direct based on the recent findings, using different terms of Morus alba. Results: The outcome of the study suggests that Morus alba is a multifunctional plant with numerous phytochemicals, and possesses a range of pharmacological activities. Conclusion: The data assembled on Morus alba will be beneficial to trigger research in various fields of pharmaceutical and allied sciences to explore the medicinal importance of this unique plant.