ABSTRACT
Polygala is a large genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Polygalaceae. They are commonly known as milkworts or snake roots. The genus is distributed widely throughout much of the world in temperate zones and the tropics. The genus name Polygala is taken from the ancient Greek meaning “much milk” as the plant was supposed to increase milk yields in cattle. The objective of this chapter is to institute a relationship between traditional uses and scientific studies through crucial evaluation of the accessible fragmented literature on phytochemistry and pharmacology of genus Polygala. For phytochemical studies, about 14, 16, and 12 phytocompounds were identified in the ethanol extracts of Polygala chinensis, P. javana, and P. rosmarinifolia by GC–MS analysis. The prevailing compound in ethanol extracts of above said plants was 1, 5-anhydro-d-mannitol. The available scientific research on Polygala spp. signifies its importance as medicinal plant used in a wide range of cancer, liver disease, diabetes, inflammation, and fertility-related issues. Further this chapter highlighted the importance of Polygala spp. and provided baseline for further research.
