Dioscorea pentaphylla: A pharmacological agent

Dioscorea species are not fully explored. It is the most important genus of the family Dioscoreaceae having excellent medicinal and nutritional properties. Authors have made an attempt to explore D. pentaphylla in various aspects (food, medicinal, economic & pharmacological). The bioactivities and health benefits of D. pentaphylla extracts have been related to the presence of phytochemicals, which possess antioxidant, antitumor, antifeedant, antigenotoxicity, antimutagenic, anticancer activity etc. In Ayurveda, whole plant juice is used to treat boils. As we are now living in an era where people around the globe are suffering from untreatable infectious diseases because of the emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance, the ethnobotanical properties of this tuberous plant have generated further interest in studying on D. pentaphylla plant parts for validating the efficacy as a nutraceutical.