Plants in traditional medicine with special reference to Cyperus rotundus L.: a review

The nutgrass, Cyperus rotundus L. (Family: Cyperaceae), is a colonial, perennial herb considered to have originated in India 2000 years ago and widely used in Ayurveda to treat several ailments. In addition to its prehistoric uses, it is used in several systems of medicine for treating variety of diseases. The synergistic actions of the Cyperus' compounds have added advantage over that of a single constituent. In the past decade, numerous studies proved analgesic, anti-allergic, anti-arthritic, anti-candida, anti-cariogenic, anti-convulsant, anti-diarrheal, anti-emetic, anti-helminthic, anti-histamine, anti-hyperglycemic, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, anti-malarial, anti-obesity, antioxidant, anti-platelet, anti-pyretic, anti-ulcer, anti-viral, cardioprotective, cytoprotective, cytotoxic, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, ovicidal, and larvicidal, wound healing and inhibition of brain Na⁺ K⁺ ATPase activities of C. rotundus and its chemical constituents. However, the exact the mechanism of action is not very clear and requires further evaluation. These properties strongly suggest an extensive use of C. rotundus for clinical applications. In this review, we attempted to provide information about the pharmacological effects of Cyperus and its proposed mechanisms of actions.