KASNI (CICHORIUM INTYBUS L.) A PROPITIOUS TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL HERB

The Kasni, Cichorium intybus of family Asteraceae Class Magnoliopsida, which is also known as Chicory, is well known traditional herb included in many systems of medicine like Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha system of medicine. The genus Cichorium has six species with majorly distributed in Europe and Asia. It is cultivated in countries such as the UK, Belgium, France, Netherlands, Germany, South Africa, USA, and India. Kasni is a small aromatic biennial erect perennial herb around 1 m. in height with a fleshy taproot up to 75 cm in length and mainly it contains alkaloids, inulin, sesquiterpene lactones, coumarins, vitamins, chlorophyll pigments, unsaturated sterols, flavonoids, saponins, tannins, carbohydrates, glycosides, fats, gums, and minerals. Fresh chicory typically contains 68% inulin, 14% sucrose, 5% cellulose, 6% protein, 4% ash, and 3% other compounds, while dried chicory contains approximately 98% inulin and 2% other compounds. Kasni is used as antidiabetic, liver tonic, cardiotonic, diuretic, stomachic, cholagogue, depurative, and emmenagogue, etc. The present article reviews the historical, phytochemical, pharmacological, therapeutic and toxicological aspects of...