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Ethnopharmacological relevance: Ficus religiosa L (Moraceae) has been extensively used in traditional medicine for a wide range of ailments of the central nervous system, endocrine system, gastrointestinal tract, reproductive system, respiratory system and infectious disorders. Aim of the review: To comprehend the fragmented information available on the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicology of F. religiosa to explore its therapeutic potential and future research opportunities.

Materials and methods: All the available information on F. religiosa was collected via electronic search (using Pubmed, SciFinder, Scirus, Google Scholar, Agricola and Web of Science) and a library search.

Results: Ethnomedical uses of F. religiosa are recorded throughout South Asia, where it has been used for about 50 types of disorders. Phytochemical research had led to the isolation of phytosterols, amino acids, furanocoumarins, phenolic components, hydrocarbons, aliphatic alcohols, volatile components and few other classes of secondary metabolites from F. religiosa. Fresh plant materials, crude extracts and isolated components of F. religiosa showed a wide spectrum of in vitro and in vivo pharmacological activities like, antidiabetic, cognitive enhancer, wound healing, anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antimicrobial, antiviral, hypolipidemic, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, antiasthmatic, parasympathetic modulatory, esterogenic, antitumor, antiulcer, antianxiety, antihelmintic, endotheilin receptor antagonistic, apoptosis inducer and hypotensive.

Conclusions: F. religiosa emerged as a good source of traditional medicine for the treatment of asthma, diabetes, diarrhea, epilepsy, gastric problems, inflammatory disorders, infectious disorders and sexual disorders. Although many of the experimental studies validated its traditional medicinal uses, but employed uncharacterized crude extracts. Thus, it is difficult to reproduce the results and pinpoint the bioactive metabolite. Hence, there is a need of phytochemical standardization and bioactivity-guided identification of bioactive metabolites. The results of few pharmacological studies and bioactive metabolites already reported in F. religiosa warrant detailed investigation for its potential against cancer, cardiovascular disorders, neuroinflammatory disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders, oxidative stress related disorders and parasitic infections. The outcome of these studies will further expand the existing therapeutic potential of F. religiosa and provide a convincing support to its future clinical use in modern medicine. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.