An Overview of Pharmacognostical and Pharmacological Properties of Sida rhombifolia

Sida rhombifolia is a very small perennial or annual plant which grows in tropical and subtropical areas. It belongs to the family Malvaceae. Malvaceae is a cosmopolitan family of herbs, shrubs and trees. Modern research carried out on the Malvaceae plants revealed that most of the plants belonging to this family are medicinally important as they contain biologically active compounds. Sida rhombifolia has considerable reputation for its medicinal value in traditional medicine. It grows upto 50-120cm in height. It is commonly called Bala or Atibala. It has been reported the presence of steroids, terpenoids, alkaloids, phenol, saponins, glycosides, tannins in it. Its leaves, stem, bark and ischolar_mains are usable parts. The stems are rich in mucilage and are employed internally as an emollient, diuretic, and as a febrifuge with pepper. The ischolar_mains are bitter, cooling, and anthelmintic. It possesses antiseptic, wound-healing activities and it is also used for the treatment of diarrhoea, cough and ulcer, and in the treatment of dysenteries, tuberculosis, urogenital diseases and for a skin application in chicken pox. It is an Ayurvedic herb, used in the treatment of a variety of conditions including female infertility. It is having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory antimicrobial, anthelminthic, antifungal, and anti rheumatic properties. The present review is therefore, an effort to give a detailed survey of the literature on its pharmacognostic, pharmacological properties.