Feronia limonia From Folk Medicine to Modern Therapeutics. DE

The growing popularity of herbal products is due to their cultural acceptability, availability, affordability, and claims of efficacy and safety. Scientific validation of herbal medicines has contributed to the development of modern drugs like aspirin, morphine, digitoxin, and quinine. Reviews of various national pharmacopoeias indicate that at least 120 distinct chemical products derived from herbal sources are used as lifesaving drugs. Natural medicine is gaining more attention compared to allopathic systems because of increasing public awareness and its environmentally friendly nature with minimal side effects. Feronia limonia, commonly known as the wood apple, is a deciduous tree that grows up to 9 meters in height. It has slow growth, an erect stature, and slender branches with rough, spiny bark. The tree features short, straight axillary spines on some zigzag twigs. The dark green, leathery leaves are arranged alternately and consist of 5-7 leaflets, each 25-30 millimeters long and 10-20 millimeters wide. The leaflets have minutely toothed edges, blunt or notched apices, and are dotted with oil glands, emitting a slight lemon scent when crushed.