Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad (bitter apple fruit): a review of its phytochemistry, pharmacology, traditional uses and nutritional potential

Hussain AI 1 , Rathore HA 2 , Sattar MZ 2 , Chatha SA 3 , Sarker SD 4 , Gilani AH 5

Affiliations 

  • 1 Department of Applied Chemistry & Biochemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan; School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia. Electronic address: abdullahijaz@gcuf.edu.pk
  • 2 School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia
  • 3 Department of Applied Chemistry & Biochemistry, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan
  • 4 Medicinal Chemistry and Natural Products Research Group, School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, Faculty of Science, Liverpool John Moores University, James Parsons Building, Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, England, UK
  • 5 Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Aga Khan University Medical College, Karachi 74800, Pakistan; Department of Pharmacy, College of Health Sciences, Mekelle University, PO Box 1871, Mekelle, Ethiopia.. Electronic address: anwar.gilani@aku.edu
J Ethnopharmacol, 2014 Aug 8;155(1):54-66.
PMID: 24936768 DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2014.06.011

Abstract

Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad is a valuable cucurbit plant, widely distributed in the desert areas of the world. Citrullus colocynthis fruits are usually recognized for its wide range of medicinal uses as well as pharmaceutical and nutraceutical potential. This review aims to appraise the published information on the ethnobotanical knowledge, phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology, nutraceutical potential and safety studies of Citrullus colocynthis (bitter apple) fruit, with critical analysis on the gaps and potential for future studies.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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