Phytochemical and pharmacological aspects of Tephrosia genus: A brief review

Tephrosia, the plant genus belongs to the family Fabaceae. It belongs to the major group of angiosperms (flowering plants) that comprises more than 350 species which is widely distributed in the regions of tropical and subtropicalcountries of the world. Since the herbal medicine is in demand due to its fewer associated side effects, the genus Tephrosia is extensively used for the treatment of large number of diseases in traditional medicines. The main aim of this review is to summarize and document the phytochemical and pharmacological activities performed on Tephrosia genus. To promote the continual use of these plants and in order to plan for the future studies, it becomes important to provide a basis by combining a number of available information into a single data covering the different aspects of the plant.