Decalepis hamiltonii Wight & Arn.: An Overview of its Bioactive Constituents and Conservation Strategies

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Decalepis hamiltonii Wight & Arn. (Family: Apocynaceae) is a climber native to Southern Peninsular India, commonly called Swallow Root. The plant is used in Ayurveda, Siddha and other traditional systems of medicines as a blood purifier, appetizer, rejuvenator, wound healing agent, etc. Apart from this, various other medicinal uses and pharmacological properties created a great demand for this plant that has resulted in destructive harvesting practices in the wild. The plant is generally reproduced through seeds; however, in most of the cases, germination is an intricate process due to its poor seed viability and delayed seed production. Hence, its population has gradually declined due to over-harvesting of medicinally important tuber. International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared all the species of Decalepis as ‘Critically Endangered Globally’. In the present chapter, complete information on traditional uses, phytoconstituents and micropropagation of ethnomedicinally important and critically endangered species D. hamiltonii is discussed.