Description
The species Trichosanthes cucumerina L. (Vern: Adavi potla) belongs to Cucurbitaceae. All the parts are being used as medicine. It is also used in Ayurveda, Siddha and Allopathy. It has long been used as appetizer, laxative, aphrodisiac and blood purifier and also in cardiac failure. The stem is used for bilious disorders, skin diseases. The fruit is considered to be antihelmintic and hepatoprotective. The dried seeds are used as anthelmintic,anti-diarrhoeal,anti-bacterial and insecticidal,antifibrile and haemoagglutinating activities. The whole plant is used for antifertility activity, in preventing infections and malignancies and it has potent action against HIV because of its ribosome inactivating activity. Due to over exploitation of this species, it has been pushed into the threatened list. Hence, the species needs conservation and mass-scale multiplication.In view of the potential importance of this threatened species T. cucumerina in pharmaceutical industry, reviewed on its multiplication through invitro conservation, screening phytochemicals, anti microbial activities and also on genetic fidelity by using ISSR and RAPD primers in this book which is useful for further studies.
