ISSN 2582-788X REVIEW ARTICLE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF APPLIED CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES Page | 1 Medicinal properties of phyto-constituents from Rubiaceae family of Assam: Critical Review Das B. P. and Ghosh A.* Microbiology Division, Department of Botany, Gauhati University, Assam, India ____________________________________________________ ABSTRACT Assam is the gateway to Northeast India and is well-known for its rich biodiversity and wildlife resources. The land of Assam is very fertile and is blessed with different plant species with high medicinal properties. The tribal and ethnic people living here have a vast knowledge of different medicinal plants and have been using these plants as herbal medicines for different diseases and ailments for ages. Rubiaceae, one of the medicinally and economically important plant families are widely distributed over different locations of Assam. Most of them have great medicinal value because of the different phytochemicals present in it. The present review deliberates some commonly found medicinal plant species of the Rubiaceae family, including Adina cordifolia, Anthocephalous cadamba, Gardenia jasminoides, Gardenia ternifolia, Ixora coccinea, Ixora pavetta, Paederia foetida, Pavetta indica, Randia dumetorum, Rubia cordifolia in Assam and their phytoconstituents, ethnomedicinal and pharmacological activities. Keywords: Assam, Rubiaceae, phytoconstituents, ethnomedicinal, pharmacological activity _____________________________________________________ 1. INTRODUCTION Plants have been used as medicine along with food, fodder, and fuel since primeval periods [1]. Plants produce several chemical compounds that enhance their therapeutic properties, which can be used directly or indirectly [2]. Some commonly isolated phytochemicals from plants are alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, lignins, terpenoids, saponins, phytosterols, and glycosides [3]. They have many biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, antipyretic, anti-gastric ulcer, antifungal, antibacterial, antimalarial, antitumor and immunomodulatory [4] and so on [5]. Assam is located in the northeast part of India and the southern region of the Himalaya. Depending on the two major rivers, Brahmaputra and Barak, Assam is classified into the Brahmaputra valley and Barak valley [6]. 35.48% of the total land of Assam is covered by forest areas. The total area of Assam is 78,523 sq. km, which extends from 24°09′ to 27°58′ N longitudinal, from 89°42′ to 96°01′E latitudinal [6, 7].