A REVIEW ON ASTONISH PLANT FICUS VIRENS

Plants serve humans as primary sources for food and medicines, so their use in treating diseases is very important for leading a healthy life. Our ancestors employed numerous plants for medicinal purposes, urging the imperative for scientific validation of these traditional practices. Ficus virens (F. virens) is commonly known as white fig, pilkhanand plaksa, one such plant that belongs to the family Moraceae and normally found in India, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, and northern Australia, this plant contains chemical constituents like phenols, flavonoids, tannins, saponins, vitamins, anthocyanins, glycosides, alkaloids, and amino acids. Not much scientific support was given to the folklore claims of the plant, and some of its traditional uses have been investigated, including anti-diabetic, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective effect, wound healing properties, anti-hyperlipidemic, anti-viral, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-implantation, anti-ovulatory, anti-estrogenic, and anti-cancer activity. As per the literature review, the detailed pharmacological information of F. virens is not yet reported. In this review article taxonomy, synonyms, vernacular names, distribution, food value, ethnomedical uses, phytochemicals, and pharmacological activities of F. virens have been discussed.