Review on Various Activities Exhibited by Coccinia Grandis

Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt, a member of the Cucurbitaceae family and commonly known as Telakucha, is a significant medicinal plant widely distributed across the Indian subcontinent, Eastern Africa, and Central America. In many regions including Australia, Asia, the Caribbean, the southern United States, and the Pacific Islands different parts of this plant are primarily consumed as a food source. The fruits are edible at both the green, unripe stage and the fully matured, bright red stage. Additionally, the tender shoots and young leaves are often cooked and eaten as leafy vegetables. Beyond its nutritional value, various plant parts such as the fruits, stems, roots, and leaves are traditionally used to manage numerous health conditions. These include edema, eye ailments, hypertension, fever, inflammation, headaches, typhoid, sunstroke, jaundice, stomach discomfort, dysentery, and skin disorders like dermatitis, eczema, scabies, and alopecia. It is also employed as a carminative, hypnotic, emetic, blood purifier, and in treating mental health issues and leucorrhea. Phytochemical investigations indicate that Coccinia grandis contains several bioactive compounds, including saponins, cardenolides, flavonoids, and polyphenols, which are believed to contribute to its antibacterial properties. The root is particularly rich in diverse constituents such as resins, alkaloids, starch, fatty acids, carbonic acid, triterpenoids, the saponin coccinoside, flavonoid glycosides, lupeol, β-amyrin, β-sitosterol, and taraxerol, all of which may play essential roles in the plant’s pharmacological activities. The objective of this review is to consolidate findings on various pharmacological activities of C. grandis, emphasizing the significance of its fruit as a potential therapeutic source.