Phytoconstituents and Medicinal Uses of Asparagus Racemosus: A Review

Asparagus racemosus (Asparagaceae) is a valuable medicinal plant native to tropical and subtropical India. It is utilised in Ayurveda, Unani, and Siddha medicine. It is regarded as a feminine tonic in Ayurveda and is commonly used in ailments such as dysentery, diabetic retinopathy, inflammations, tumour, bronchitis, mental disturbance, hyperacidity, certain viral disorders, neuropathy, conjunctivitis, spasm, persistent fevers, and rheumatism. It is also useful in female infertility because it boosts libido and treats sexual organ inflammation, improves folliculogenesis and ovulation, prepares the womb for conception, prevents miscarriages, and acts as a postpartum tonic by increasing lactation and normalising the uterus and changing hormones. It is also used to denote leucorrhoea and menorrhagia. It is also used to treat epilepsy, kidney diseases, chronic fevers, excessive heat, stomach ulcers, and liver cancer, as well as to enhance milk secretion in nursing mothers and to regulate sexual behaviours. Steroid saponins are the primary active ingredients of Asparagus racemosus.