Biological, nutritional, and therapeutic significance of Grewia flavescens Juss.

Grewia flavescens is a tropical and subtropical shrub or small tree found in Africa, Asia, and Australia. The extracts of whole plant and different parts (leaves, roots, stems, and fruits) are used in various traditional and folklore systems of medicine. A variety of phytochemicals, including N, N-dimethyl ethanamine, acetic acid, 1,1-diethoxy ethane, pyridine, diethyl phthalate, ethyl.alpha-d-glucopyranoside, and 4-((1e)-3-hydroxy-1-propenyl) -2-methoxyphenol; n-hexadecanoic acid, hexadecanoic acid ethyl ester, desaspidinol; phytol, octadecanoic acid, α-amyrin, β-amyrin, erythrodiol, β-sitosterol, betulin, friedelin and triacontanol, various amino acids, minerals, etc. were identified from the plant. The plant are also reported to have anti-diabetic, anti-urolithiatic, anthelmintic, acute toxicity, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. The current review highlighted the updated scientifically documented literature on traditional uses, chemical compositions and pharmacological potentials of G. flavescens.