Food, medicinal, pharmacological, and economic values of Cassia fistula L.

Several wild plants have been used for several purposes by indigenous people since time immemorial. Some of them are cultivated, and some are collected from the forest. These are commonly used in human nutrition, as medicines, and for economic purposes. They are known to be excellent sources of nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins and minerals, dietary fibres, and diverse secondary metabolites. Among the wild plants, Cassia fistula is one of them. It is used as food (a flower), medicine (all plant parts), and has economic values. It is planted as an ornamental plant along the roadside due to its beautiful flowers. Medicinally, these plants have various pharmacological compounds that cure several ailments. Keeping this in view, an attempt has been made to gather the food, medicinal, and pharmacological values along with their role in upgrading the livelihood of local communities through field and literature surveys. The results revealed that all plant parts are used for various purposes, and their cultivation and conservation are needed for sustainable utilisation and development.