~ 155 ~ Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry 2019; 8(2): 155-162 E-ISSN: 2278-4136 P-ISSN: 2349-8234 JPP 2019; 8(2): 155-162 Received: 21-01-2019 Accepted: 25-02-2019 Riyas CT Department of Botany, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India Arun R Pillai Department of Botany, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India Kamarudeenkunju M Department of Botany, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India TS Swapna Department of Botany, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India Correspondence TS Swapna Department of Botany, University of Kerala, Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India A review on phytochemical, ethnomedicinal and pharmacological studies of genus Pittosporum (Pittosporaceae), in India Riyas CT, Arun R Pillai, Kamarudeenkunju M and TS Swapna Abstract Pittosporum is a genus of family Pittosporaceae, which includes approximately 200 species having world wide distribution and the richest concentration is in Australia and China. In India only 11 species were reported till date. Among these, 7 species have been explored for its phytochemical compounds. In this review phytochemical, pharmacological and ethnomedicinal properties of the genus Pittosporum, in India has been evaluated and documented with maximum available data from journals, thesis, and various books. So far 26 principle compounds were isolated from the four species of the genus Pittosporum. Most of them belongs to the class of essential oils followed by glycosides and diterpenes. A highly promising compound Isosteviol isolated from the P. tetraspermum has anti-microbial as well as anti- biofilm activity. Methanolic extract of different species of Pittosporum bark showed promising antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and hepatoprotective activity. The different species have been used traditionally for ethnomedicinal purpose especially for eczema, arthritis, diabetic, diuretic, chest pain and antidote of snake bite etc. Hence, in this review an attempt was made to analyse and review the information generated through pharmacological studies of phytoconstituents from the genus Pittosporum distributed in different parts of India. Keywords: phytochemistry, essential oils, pharmacology, isosteviol, Pittosporum Introduction Pittosporum is the genus of the family Pittosporaceae which consists of approximately 200 species in the world [1] . The family Pittosporaceae includes trees, shrubs, and lianas with nearly about 200 species that included in 9 genera. In India, the family is represented only by one genera, Pittosporum which contains eleven species such as Pittosporum anamallayense, P. ceylanicum, P. dasycaulon, P. eriocarpum, P. ferrugineum, P. humile, P. neelgherrense, P. podocarpum, P. tetraspermum, P. viridulum and P. wightii [2] . The history of the genus Pittosporum began from the specimen collected and defined by Joesph Banks from New Zealand. The generic name derived from the Greek word “Pitta”, pitch, and “sporos” defining the ‘seeds’ which are enveloped by resinous pulp. During his expedition to Japan, Kaempfer collected the first member of this genus which was scientifically studied by European botanists for the first time. The genus is mainly concentrated in Australia, but China has the richest concentrations of species in Asiatic continent. In India most of the species were known by the mid-19 th century and a Scottish botanist William Roxburg recorded the species in Flora of Indica [3] as the genus Celastrus, for first time where the botanist Wight observed Celastrus as the genus Pittosporum [4] . It is commonly known as ‘cheese woods’. Gondwana is probably considered as the origin of the genus Pittosporum. Now it is distributed in parts of Australia, Eastern Asia and some parts of Africa [5] . Different species of Pittosporum were widely used for medicinal purposes. Flower, root, bark and leaves were used traditionally against inflammations, arthritis, snake poison, rheumatic swelling, chronic bronchitis etc [6] . Phytochemical screening of several Pittosporum species had been started from the last decades. From this investigations, several physiologically potent chemical constituents such as triterpenoids, flavinoids, glycosides, sesquiterpenes, saponins, carotinoids and essential oils were reported [7, 8]. The different parts of the plants such as root, bark, leaves and flowers of the genus Pittosporum were used as anti-inflammatory as well as anti-septic drug and also used for rheumatic disorders as reported by Wetson [9, 10] . Several phytochemical studies emphasized the genus Pitosporum having wide range of pharmacological actions such as anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer, anti-microbial, etc. [11] . The different species of Pittosporum. (P. dasycaulon and P. floribundum) were used against inflammation and an anti-dote for snake poison etc [12, 13] . (Table; 1).