Review Article Mahidol University Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences 2012; 39 (3-4), 1-10 A Review on Phytochemical and Ethnopharmacological Activities of Curculigo orchioides M. Asif* Department of Pharmacy, GRD (P.G) I MT, Dehradun, (Uttarkhand), India Abstract A scientiic evaluation of herbs or medicinal plants according to their ethnopharmacological or traditional methods of use in various diseases management can incorporate them into the complementary and alternative medicine. Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. (Hypoxidaceae) is a perennial herb with long cylindrical rhizomes, distributed throughout India, especially in north hillside region, as well as in other Asian countries. The rhizome, as well as the tuberous roots of the plant has been extensively used in indigenous systems of medicine in India, Pakistan, China and some other Asian countries for the treatment of various diseases. The rhizomes of this plant possess various medicinal as well as other properties such as cooling, diuretic, aphrodisiac, tonic hemorrhoids, leucorrhoea, pruritis, skin diseases, asthma, bronchitis, jaundice, cancer, diarthrosis wound healing, and sweet etc. The active compounds reported are lavones, glycosides, alkaloids, steroids, saponins, triterpenoids and other secondary metabolites. Therefore, the plants have long since been deemed a valuable source of natural products for maintaining human health. KEYWORDS: Curculigo orchioides, Curculigoside, Biological activities, Phytochemicals INTRODUCTION Curculigo orchioides Gaertn. of Amaryllidaceae is known as Golden eye grass or Black Musale in English, Kalimusli in Hindi. Root stock or rhizome, leaf, root or whole plant. C orchioidedes Geartn. (Hypoxidaceae) is known as musali or talamuli in Ayurveda and nilapani in siddha system of medicine 1 . The genus C. orchioidedes consist of 10 species, out of which 3 species are found in India. C. orchioidedes is an acaluesecent herb found in the sub-tropical Himalayas from kumaun eastwards to khasia hill, Manipur, bihar, chota Nagpur, west Bengal and estern ghats, the root tuber is used in siddha system for the treatment of diseases like diabetes, leucoderma, pain, and as an aphrodisiac 2 . It is also distributed in Sri Lanka, Japan, Malaysia and Australia 3 . It is a small, geophilous herb, the tuberous rootstock of which is used as a rejuvenating and aphrodisiac drug. It improves complexion and is useful in general debility, deafness cough, asthma, piles, skin diseases, impotence, jaundice, urinary disorders, leucorrhoea and menorrhagia. Rootstock is the oficial part and it enters into different Ayurvedic formulation 4 . One of the highly useful plants in the indigenous system of medicine is Black musale (C. orchioides). Pharmacological studies showed that C. orchioides are used in several disorders such as adaptogenic, anti-inlammatory, anticonvulsant, sedative, androgenic and immune-promoting activities. It helps to overcome erectile impotence by relaxing the smooth muscles of corpora cavernosa, the erectile tissue whereby more blood can be pumped into it. The plant lavonone glycoside is a powerful uterine *Corresponding author: GRD (P.G) Institute of Management and Technology, 214-Rajpur Road, Dehradun (U.K), 248009, India. Email: mohd.mpharm@gmail.com Tel: +91-9897088910