An overview of Pistacia integerrima a medicinal plant species: Ethnobotany,biological activities and phytochemistry

Pistacia integerrima with a common name crab's claw is an ethnobotanically important tree native to asia. traditionally plant parts particularly its galls have been utilized for treatment of cough,asthma,dysentery,liver disorders and for snake bite. plant mainly contains alkaloids,flavonoids,tannins,saponins and sterols in different parts including leaf,stem,bark,galls and fruit. a number of terpenoids,sterols and phenolic compounds have been isolated from pistacia integerrima extracts. plant has many biological activities including anti-microbial,antioxidant,analgesic,cytotoxicity and phytotoxicity due to its chemical constituents. this review covers its traditional ethnomedicinal uses along with progresses in biological and phytochemical evaluation of this medicinally important plant species and aims to serve as foundation for further exploration and utilization. © 2015,pakistan journal of pharmaceutical sciences. all rights reserved.