TUKH-E-KAHU (LACTUCA SATIVA LINN.): PHARMACOLOGICAL AND PHYTOCHEMICAL PROFILE AND USES IN UNANI MEDICINE

Plant origin drugs have played a vital role in the prevention and treatment of diseases in Unani medicine and it becomes popular day by day due to its low cost and less adverse effect. One such drug is Tukhme kahu (Seeds) belong to the family Asteraceae is an important herbal drugs which have hypoglycaemic activity, anti-dysenteric, anodyne, sedative, anaesthetic, hypnotic, desiccative etc. and is recommended for various disease like insomnia, headache, dribbling of urine, hummae damwi, alopecia etc. Several activities have been validated such as sedative, Hypoglycaemic, anti-inflammatory activity etc. Further more potent antioxidant activity has been reported making it an important drug all together, Tukhme kahu can potentially act as a strong traditional herbal drug due to its multiple pharmaceutical effects and is therefore generating interest in drug discovery and development of formulations. The present review provides a summary of recent knowledge of significant traditional uses, pharmacognosy, phytochemical, and pharmacological activities of the plant Lactuca sativa Linn.