Martynia annua: An Overview

Abstract

Martynia annua belongs to family Martyniaceae is an herbaceous annual plant, spread throughout India. It is commonly known as the Cat's claw or Devil’s claw. In India, traditional healers used M. annua in the treatment of epilepsy, inflammation, sore throat, burns, itching, skin affections and tuberculosis. M. annua contains alkaloids, tannins, saponins, glycosides, flavonoids, anthocyanins, amino acid, steroids and phenols. The researcher scientifically documented various pharmacological activities such as anthelmintic, analgesic, antipyretic, antibacterial, anti convulsant, antifertility, antinociceptive, antioxidant, CNS depressant, antidiabetic and wound healing activity of this plant. The reported activities make the plant in great interest among scholars to determine the mechanism of pharmacological activities of crude extracts. Hence the review paper outlines the previous research done on M. annua.