An Ethnomedical, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Profile of Artemisia parviflora Roxb.

Artemisia parviflora Roxb. (Asteraceae) is commonly known as Himalayan wormwood, is a member of Indian tarragon family. It commonly found in Himalayas, Nepal, Uttarakhand, Western Ghats and in southern part of India. The plant is used in traditional system of Indian medicine and is considered as digestive, febrifuge, anthelmintic, pain reliever, in treatment of abdominal pain, high blood pressure, diabetes and skin diseases. In the past few decades the plant is explored for its various activities like, antioxidant, antimalarial, insecticidal, antimicrobial, antisporulant, cytotoxic and osteoinductive activities. The essential oil is reported to contain alpha-caryophyllene, germacrene D, camphor, artemisia ketone, 1, 8-cineole, alpha-copaene, artemisia alcohol, terpinene-4-ol, caryophyllene oxide, alpha-pinene and alpha-humulene. The oil possesses antifungal activity against Candida and Cryptococcus species. The wide variety of uses makes it an important herb medically and economically which can be exploited commercially for human and veterinary use. The antioxidant and anticomplement activity of the plant makes it a perfect candidate for further bioassay guided fractionation studies.