Feronia limonia - A source of diverse bioactive principles

The study of plants used in traditional medicine requires the effective integration of information on chemical composition of extracts, pharmacological activities of isolated compounds, as well as indigenous knowledge of traditional herbs. The acquisition of ethnobotanical information remains as an empirical aspect in any such study.There is a great need and ethical obligation to accurately document the findings on plants used for health and medical purposes. This will additionally aid in the efficient preservation and conservation of traditional knowledge, thereby preventing the further disappearance of indigenous systems of medicine, which may potentially benefit society in general. Thus the literature survey on phytomedicine reveals that Feronia limonia Linn was known as a medicinal plant already in ancient Greek and Roman times- one of the most important plant of 'Ayurveda' as well as of traditional Indian medicines to treat various ailments and the fruit was called "poor man's food" in India.We made an attempt to sum up the medicinal properties of Feronia limonia in this book.