*Corresponding Author: Dr. Sunil Kumar, Email: drsuniltomarmuz@gmail.com ISSN 0976 – 3333 REVIEW ARTICLE Available Online at www.ijpba.info International Journal of Pharmaceutical & Biological Archives 2013; 4(4): 637 - 642 A Critical Review on Karamarda (Carissa carandas Linn.) Sunil Kumar * 1 , Pallavi Gupta 2 , Virupaksha Gupta K.L 3 1 Lecturer, Dept of Dravya Guna, Gaur Brahman Ayurveda Medical College, Rohtak, Haryana, India 2 Lecturer, Dept of Basic Principles, Gaur Brahman Ayurveda Medical College, Rohtak. Haryana, India 3 Reader, Dept of Rasa Shastra & Bhaishajya Kalpana, Gaur Brahman Ayurveda Medical College, Rohtak ,Haryana, India Received 06 May 2013; Revised 08 Aug 2013; Accepted 17 Aug 2013 ABSTRACT Herbal drugs are being used as well as recommended nowadays for all major health ailments. Karamarda is one such herb which is native and common throughout much of India. It is a widely used medicinal plant by tribes throughout India and popular in various indigenous systems of medicine like Ayurveda, Unani and Homoeopathy. All parts of the plant are used in traditional medicine. It is commonly known as "karanda." It contains several phyto-chemical constituents belonging to terpenoid category. It has a good nutritional value and is useful in multiple illnesses such as diarrhea, intestinal worms, skin ailments etc, various pharmacological activities have also been reported such as Anti microbial, Anti inflammatory, Antipyretic, Anti viral, Anti convulsant, Cardiotonic etc. Key words: Karamarda, Karanda, Traditional medicine. INTRODUCTION Karamarda (Carissa carandas Linn.) is a common herb of Apocynaceae family found throughout India mainly in the semi-arid regions. It is commonly used as a condiment or additive to Indian pickles and spices. It is a very hard, drought-tolerant plant that thrives well in a wide range of soils [1,2] . Traditionally the plant has been used in the treatment of scabies, intestinal worms, pruritus, biliousness etc. The notable biological activities reported are analgesic, anti inflammatory, anti pyretic, cardiotonic and histamine releasing [3,4] . Taxonomical Classification Additionally it has shown wide range of evidences for its, hepato-protective, free radical scavenging, antirheumatic, antibacterial, antiviral and anticonvulsant activity. Kingdom: Plantae Divison: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Gentianales Family: Apocynaceae Genus: Carissa Species: C.carandas Synonyms: Krishanapaakaphalam, Sushenaa, Karamardikaa, Vaneshudraa, Sheeraphenaa, saamlapushpaa. Vernacular names: Sanskrit: Karmard, Sushena Hindi: Karamarda, English: Cranberry Bengal currant, Christ’s thorn, Corinda tree, Karanda, Tamil: Kalakai, Kalakkay Telugu: Vakkay, Peddakalavi, Kannada: Karjige, Karekayi Gujarati: Karamdaa Marathi: Karvinda, Karavanda Bengali: Karamcha, Urdu: Karamarda, Oriya: Kerendokuli Malayalam: Karakka BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION Habit: A large thorny evergreen shrub; Height: 2-3m; Bark - light grey, Branches: These are numerous, rigid and spreading, with 2 straight, simple or forked thorns, up to 5 centimeters in length on the axils and nodes. Branchlets are usually with thin stout sharp spines. Leaves: opposite, simple; exstipulate; petioles short; laminae elliptic or broadly elliptic or obovate, the bases obtuse to rounded, the margins entire, tips acute, often shortly mucronate, unicostate, reticulate, the surfaces glabrous, glaucous, coriaceous. Inflorescences: in axillary corymbose