ABSTRACT
More than 350 species of Diospyros genus are a medium-sized tree or shrub and distributed in India, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, and Sri Lanka. Diospyros plants are used to improve kidney functions and to treat kidney infections. In Malawi, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, D. lycioides root decoction is given orally, or root powder is mixed with animal fat and applied externally to treat abdominal pain or general body pain. In Namibia, D. lycioides bark, leaf, or root decoction is employed to treat bleeding, fever, intestinal worms, and oral candidiasis. Diospyros plants contain ursanes, terpenoids, lupanes, tannins, polyphenols, hydrocarbons, lipids, naphthoquinones, benzopyrones, taraxeranes, and oleananes. Extracts and isolated compounds of Diospyros plants possess antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antidiarrheal, and antiprotozoal properties. This chapter discusses ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological effects, and culture conditions of Diospyros plants.
