Coccinia grandis: Phytochemistry, pharmacology and health benefits

Abstract

Coccinia grandis, commonly known as Ivy gourd is a plant of the Cucurbitaceae family that has been used in traditional medicinal systems for centuries. Its most common traditional use is managing Diabetes Mellitus which has been scientifically proven along with other pharmacological activities. This review aims to thoroughly explore the scientific evidence of various pharmacological activities of C. grandis and its therapeutic application. This review aims to thoroughly explore the scientific evidence of various pharmacological activities of C. grandis and its therapeutic applications. A thorough search of literature was carried out to identify relevant research on C. grandis. With the combination of the plants’ scientific names, different keywords have been used for search using Boolean operators. Retrieved articles were strictly screened to maintain inclusion criteria. 177 papers were eventually chosen for this review after a thorough examination of the retrieved articles that matched the inclusion and exclusion criteria. C. grandis was found to have a number of compounds that are biologically active and exhibit anti-diabetic, anti-dyslipidemic, anti-obesity, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammation, anti-cancer, analgesic, anti-oxidant, antinociceptive, antipyretic, anthelmintic, analgesic, spasmolytic, wound-healing, anti-ulcerogenic, anti-convulsant, hepatoprotective and immunomodulatory activities without obvious side effects. Nanoparticles produced from the plant and different extracts of the plant show excellent anti-microbial activity. The scientific evidence encourages exploring more in-depth experimental studies regarding the pharmacological activities to develop C. grandis as a novel therapeutic agent.