Formulation innovations, pharmacological insights, and recent patent advancements in Andrographis paniculata

Andrographis paniculata, popularly known as Kalmegh in the Indian subcontinent, is a multifunctional herb that possesses immense pharmacological properties. It has been used in Ayurvedic and other herbal formulations globally, in particular as a hepatoprotectant, antimalarial, and anti-inflammatory agent. Recent years have witnessed substantial progress in the research initiatives focused on the herb. The present review considers the pharmaceutical dosage forms of the multifarious herb A. paniculata along with discussing recent patents on the plant, venturing into the details of its therapeutic uses, methods of preparation of its extracts and their modification along with a brief discussion of various roles of the plant that constitute its pharmacological properties. The analysis was carried out using various web-based sources such as Scopus, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Google Patents, and other allied databases. The data of patents on A. paniculata was extracted from the Google Patents database along with the use of the advanced search option to access the exact data on the plant along with the specific dates of publication, grant date, language, and countries. A. paniculata has huge potential as a major pharmaceutical drug on the market as evident from its many pharmacological activities. China dominated this field and had the highest number of patents granted and published. America, Australia, Korea, and Japan also contributed significantly towards new inventions.