Glinus lotoides (Ciru-Ceruppadai): An overview

Glinus lotoides. Linn is an ancient herb of India, generally known as Ciru-Ceruppadai, belonging to the family Molluginaceae. The natural plant resources and nature-derived chemical moieties are gaining the global demand to provide holistic health care to the Mankind. There is an indispensable need to explore the herbal resources to produce newer generation of drugs with great potential and minimal adverse effects in highly illness susceptible living environment. Glinus lotoides L. herb is reported to contain hopane type saponins, tri-terpenoid saponins, sapogenins like mollugogenins, flavonoids vicenin 1 & 2, and also has nutritional value. It has demonstrated several pharmacological activity including anti-helminthic activity, anti-spasmodic activity, wound healing property, antitumor activity, molluscicidal activity, geno-toxicity and bio-pesticidal activity. This review summarizes on pharmacognostical account of various plant parts, phytochemical constituents, and different pharmacological investigations carried out on the plant.