Ethnopharmacological Perspectives on Mimosa pudica - A Review

The Mimosa genus belongs to the Fabaceae family of legumes and consists of about 400 species distributed all over the world. The growth forms of plants belonging to the Mimosa genus range from herbs to trees. Several species of this genus play important roles in folk medicine. Mimosa pudica is a perennial herb and belongs to the family Fabaceae. Ecological studies have shown that M. pudica grows in all types of soil which can survive in soil with low nutrient concentration. It usually requires disturbed soil to establish itself. It is commonly seen in the wastelands and along roadsides, which is an ethnomedical plant that may be used in managing various types of disease. Epidemiological studies have revealed that M. pudica contains metabolites such as phenols and flavonoid compounds which possess pharmacological properties such as antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antiulcer, antidepressants and anti-inflammatory. Hence, in the current narrative review of literature we mainly aimed to describe and delineated on ethnopharmacological potential of M. pudica.