Averrhoa Carambola : A Study on Pharmacognostic Standardization

The use of plants as medicine is as old as human civilization. People of all ages in both developing and developed countries use plants in an attempt to cure various diseases and to get relief from physical sufferings. Natural products are a source for bioactive compounds and have potential for developing some novel therapeutic agents. Averrhoa carambola L., belonging to family Oxalidaceae, is popularly known as the "Star Fruit" or "Kamrakh". It has various medicinal uses viz. antipruritic, antipyretic, anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, anti-ulcer, antimicrobial etc. Over the past decades, many reports have appeared in mainstream scientific journals describing its nutritional and medicinal properties. The available literature on this plant divulges that it contains many phytoconstituents including tannins, terpenoids, saponins, flavonoids etc., some of which have proven pharmacologically to be medicinally significant. However, HPTLC work on Averrhoa carambola has not yet been reported.