PHYTOCHEMISTRY AND THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF AEGLE MARMELOS LEAVES: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW

Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa ex Roxb., commonly known as Bael or Bilva, is a culturally revered medicinal tree extensively used in Ayurvedic and folk systems of medicine across the Indian subcontinent for gastrointestinal, metabolic, inflammatory, and infectious disorders. Among its various parts, the leaves constitute the most frequently prescribed component in classical formulations; however, leaf‑specific evidence has only recently been systematized using modern phytochemical and pharmacological tools. Contemporary research has revealed that A. marmelos leaves are a rich repository of coumarins (imperatorin, marmelosin, and auraptene), alkaloids (aegeline and marmesiline), flavonoids (rutin and quercetin), phenolic acids, terpenoids, and other bioactive secondary metabolites with multi‑targeted antioxidant, anti‑inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, gastroprotective, and anticancer properties. This comprehensive review critically synthesises the botanical context, ethnomedicinal uses, detailed phytochemical profiles, pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetic considerations, safety evaluations, and research gaps pertaining specifically to Bael leaves. While preclinical evidence is extensive and encouraging, the translational pipeline remains underdeveloped, with a striking paucity of rigorous clinical trials on standardised leaf preparations. The review emphasises that rational standardisation, mechanistic depth, and well-designed human studies are essential to transform this classical Ayurvedic drug into an evidence-anchored phytopharmaceutical for contemporary noncommunicable and infectious diseases.