A Review on Ethnobotany, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Dynamics of Prangos pabularia Lindl.

Prangos pabularia Lindley is a hardy perennial herb widely distributed in the alpine and sub-alpine regions. The multidisciplinary pharmacological actions exhibited by the whole plant owe to the presence of diverse phytochemical constituents residing in the plant. The plant is used in traditional medicine systems as diuretic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and in the treatment of leukoplakia. The constituents liable to account for such dynamic behaviour comprise of osthol, isoimperatorin, coumarins and furanocoumarins viz. xanthotoxin etc. The reported biological activities and far reaching range of physiological effects present an exigency for the establishment of various pharmacopoeial standards and assay methods for this herb. This review is intended to put forward adequate background information on P. pabularia&lt that will contribute in establishing the validity of this herb for its commercial exploitation.