A Review on Immunomodulatory Medicinal Plants

Abstract

The ayurvedic system of medicine is one of the oldest systems of medicine and includes various ethnopharmacological activities such as immunostimulation, tonic, neurostimulation, anti-ageing, antibacterial, antiviral, antirheumatic, anticancer, adaptogenic, etc. An entire section of the Materia Medica of Ayurveda is devoted to “Rasayana”, drugs reputed to enhance body resistance. Listed as a class in the texts of traditional Indian Medicine literature, Rasayana consists of a number of plants reputed to promote physical and mental health, improve defense mechanisms of the body and enhance longevity. These attributes are similar to the modern concept of adaptogenic agents, which are known to afford protection of the human physiological system against diverse stressors. A number of medicinal plants as Rasayanas have been claimed to possess immunomodulatory activity. The present review highlights the use of various medicinal plants as immunomodulators.