ABSTRACT
Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit. (Lamiaceae) is one of the common weeds with enormous medicinal qualities. The focus of this chapter is to provide information on the morphology, active constituents, and pharmacological activities of H. suaveolens. In traditional medicine, almost all parts of H. suaveolens are being used as a stimulant, carminative, sudorific, for wounds, catarrhal condition, infection of uterus, galactagogue, rheumatism, tuberculosis, leprosy, skin disease, dyspepsia, pruritis, flatulence, laxative, aphrodisiac, antipyretic, and as a cure for parasitic cutaneous diseases. Phytochemically, the aqueous and ethanolic leaf extracts of this plant showed the availability of volatile oil, starch, proteins, tannins, saponins, fats, alkaloids, and glycosides. Oil extracted from H. suaveolens contains 36 chemical components of which 72.54% were monoterpenoids, 21.96% sesquiterpenoids, and 5.49% nonterpenoid constituents. H. suaveolens has also reported many pharmacological activities include antioxidant, anticancer, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antidiarrheal, antimalarial, antiplasmodial, anthelmintic, antifertility, immunomodulatory, and antiulcer. This chapter 126highlights some of the new research which explains the multifaceted activity of H. suaveolens.
