Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. (Kali Musali) An endangered medicinal plant of commercial value

Plant drugs have been in use for the treatment of diseases since times immemorial. Due to over exploitation, destructive mode of collection, and other biotic and abiotic factors, a number of medicinal plants are facing genetic erosion and are under the threat of extinction. Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. commonly known as Kali Musali is an endangered medicinal plant and as such required to be conserved and domesticated. It is extensively utilized as nutritive tonic for strength, vigour and vitality. In the recent times, many novel chemical constituents have been isolated and characterized and many pronounced biological activities such as anticancer, antihepatotoxic and immunomodulator activities have been reported from the plant. The present article highlights medicinal values, chemical constituents and biological activities along with cultivation strategies of the species in India.