Desmostachya bipinnata: A FOCUSED REVIEW ON ETHNOBOTANY, PHYTOCONSTITUENTS AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES

Traditionally Desmostachya bipinnata (D. bipinnata) known as darbh is commonly used in day-to-day life in various rituals. It is used for the treatment of cuts, wounds, and dysentery and used as a diuretic. The present study aimed in reviewing the botanical, phytoconstituents, biological activities, and some other activities of darbh. This study’s findings are based on a review of the literature conducted using search engines such as BioMed Central, SpringerLink, Scopus, Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct. The extracts prepared from the plant are reported with various biological activities like an antibiotic, antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antiulcer, anti-diarrhea, antipyretic, analgesic, and antihistamine activities, etc. The plant contains multiple phytoconstituents which include carbohydrates, alkaloids, steroids, proteins, glycosides, flavonoids, saponins, coumarins, volatile oils, tannins, and phenolic compounds. Its phytoconstituents are used as a biosorbent for the removal of heavy metals from industrial waste and also have great potential as a herbal medicine in treating several diseases, but more research is proving the activities of D. bipinnata by animal models is needed to link its medicinal uses to its phytochemistry and pharmacological properties.