NATURAL ORIGIN OF ANTICANCER AGENTS: A REVIEW ON CATHARANTHUS ROSEUS AND ITS VINCA ALKALOIDS

India has a vast biodiversity of medicinal plants that have yet to be fully studied. Medicinal plants have long been used in traditional medicine. Cancer, the most dreaded six-letter word harming humanity in the worst imaginable manner. Despite significant advancements in recent decades, cancer treatment remains a mystery. Nature maintains equilibrium, and plants offer promise anti-cancer benefits. Catharanthus roseus alkaloids were proven to be effective in cancer chemotherapy. This plant is well-known in Ayurvedic medicine. It is a vital native, evergreen, legendary medicinal herb from Madagascar's Indian Ocean islands, belonging to the Apocynaceae family. The plant possesses a wide range of biological properties, including antibacterial, anticancer, antioxidant, antihyperglycemic, antidiabetic, and wound healing. The plant kingdom is still regarded as the primary source of medicine, with demonstrated efficacy in treating a variety of ailments such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, painful ulcers, malaria, Hodgkin disease, leukaemia, and dysentery. Many ancient treatments were delivered without knowing the core mechanism; yet, their usefulness could be shown further with the application of modern technologies and instruments. This well-organised review shed light on the agrotechnological, biological, alkaloid toxicity, and pharmacological characteristics of Madagascar periwinkle, as well as potential pathways and modes of action.