ABSTRACT
Medicinal plants are a reservoir of biologically active compounds with therapeutic properties. The present chapter provides an up-to-date report on the traditional uses, phytochemicals, and pharmacological activity of the Rhododendron arboreum. It belongs to the dicotyledonous family Ericaceae, and is an evergreen shrub or small tree widely distributed from the Western to Eastern Himalayan region and other neighboring countries. Ethnopharmacologically, various parts of the plant (e.g., leaves, fruits, and roots) demonstrated various pharmacological actions such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antidiarrheal, antidiabetic, and antioxidant properties due to the presence of flavonoids, saponins, tannins, and other phytochemicals. Traditionally, the flowers and leaves are used for treatment of diarrhea, dysentery, headache, nose bleeding, rheumatism, wound, fever, and blood pressure. Different types of phytochemical constituents have been successfully identified and isolated from various parts of R. arboreum. Therefore, the information related to botany, ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemical constituents, and pharmacological activities of R. arboreum were reviewed here. This chapter will be useful for discovering lead compounds from indigenous plant species for the development of novel phytotherapeutic drugs.
