Erythrina variegata-An Overall Review

The plant Erythrina variegata belongs to the Fabaceae family, is a tree with prickly stems. It is a wild growing forest plant in India. The common English names for Erythrina variegata include Indian coral tree, Moochy wood tree. The genus includes 110 species, many of which are cultivated as ornamentals. This is the most cultivated member of the genus. Erythrina variegata also called as Erythrina indica is a thorny deciduous tree growing upto 60 feet tall. Its young stems and other parts are finely hairy, its leaves are mostly ovate and sometimes variegated with yellow. Flowering and fruiting is done in the February-may. It is popular in indigenous system of medicine like Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homeopathy. A wide range of chemical compounds have been isolated from this plant mainly alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids and lectin. Different parts of the plant have been used in traditional medicine as a nervinesedative, collyrium in opthalmia, anti-asthmatic, antiepileptic, antiseptic, astringent, toothache, emmenagogue and galactagogue. Erythrina variegata is an adulterant to the ayurvedic drug Rohitaka. The younger the leaves are the better is their food value, and is an unsurpassed stuff for mixing with rice-straw. The present article summarize review on the plant, its phytochemistry and pharmacological activities.