A Review of Tridax Procumbens and Its Activity

The document reviews the various medicinal properties of Tridax procumbens, a weed known for its traditional use in treating a range of ailments. The plant exhibits activities such as wound healing, antifungal, antibacterial, insect repellent, antimalarial, and antiprotozoal. Notably, the raw leaf extract is used in Ayurvedic medicine in India for wound healing. The review highlights specific findings such as the prolongation of clotting time in rabbits injected with 200 mg/µg of T. procumbens, the promotion of wound healing through increased lysyl oxidase activity and protein content, and the plant's antioxidant activity, which is comparable to standard ascorbic acid. The ethanolic extract of T. procumbens showed a 96.70% antioxidant activity, while the standard gallic acid and ascorbic acid showed 92.92% and 94.81%, respectively. Additionally, the oil from T. procumbens demonstrated strong insect repellent properties and high antimalarial activity against Anopheles stephensi. The plant also promoted hair growth in albino rats when administered as a 10% ointment or orally at 100g/kg for about 20 days. The methanol extracts from the plant showed potent leishmanicidal activity against Leishmania mexicana promastigotes. Furthermore, the anti-inflammatory activity of T. procumbens was comparable to ibuprofen and aspirin at 200 mg/kg in a carrageenan-induced oedema model. Overall, the review concludes that despite being a weed, T. procumbens has significant immunological and pharmaceutical properties, with some activities still requiring further clarification.