Article: KARIRA (Capparis decidua Edgew.) AS FOOD AND MEDICINE: A COMPREHENSIVE CHRONOLOGICAL REVIEW

Article Category: Review articles

DOI: 10.7897/2277-4343.100224

Pages: 1-6

Author: Dipti *, Kumar Savan, Jaiswal Mohanlal

Abstract: Ayurveda involves natural healing process and it is gaining importance now a days. Today more emphasis is given on medicinal plants in this globalized world. A number of medicinal plants are available and one amongst them is kar?ra or Capparis decidua Edgew., order Capparidaceae. It has been a source of food and medicine from ancient times. Present study aimed to find out the various nutritive and therapeutic applications of this important plant as per ancient Ayurveda scholars. The term kar?raand its related synonyms were searched in various ancient Sanskrit and Ayurveda literatures, a review has been done in chronological order and then analysis and discussion has been done regarding its nutritive and therapeutic values. Study revealed out that its fruit have high nutritive value and has been mentioned in various diseased conditions. Though numbers of pharmacological studies have already been reported on this medicinal plant and it’s used as a food in preparing pickles is very common but practically it’s used as a medicine in treatment is still limited. So, there is plenty of scope of advance scientific research regarding its ancient therapeutic application.

Keyword: kar?ra, Capparis decidua, food, medicine, nutritive value