Author(s): Murad Husain, Nazima Sultana, Amreen Zehra, Mohd Uzair Beg, Mohd Mudassir, Qureshi Ansar Mohd Arshad and Kainat Mahmood

Abstract: Traditional system of medicines relies on the plant products for the treatment of various disorders. Cuscuta reflexa Roxb plant belongs to the genus Cuscuta and the Cuscutaceae family and in Unani medicine it is known as Aftimoon. It is a parasitic plant that can be found growing abundantly on various host plants in India up to 3000 meters in altitude during the rainy season. In the Unani system of medicine, it has been used for years to cure a variety of illnesses, including psychiatric illnesses like melancholia, schizophrenia, epilepsy and various skin disorders. It is used as mufrad (single drug) in the form of powder, concoction, decoction, etc., and in the murakkab (compound formulations) form in the Unani system of medicine. Various chemicals have been isolated from this plant having therapeutic potential and possessing ethnomedical and pharmacological activities. This review represents a detailed study of Cuscuta reflexa in the context of Unani medicine, its chemical constitution, ethnomedical uses and pharmacological activities.

DOI: 10.22271/flora.2025.v13.i5b.1036