PHYTOCHEMISTRY AND PHARMACOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF VITEX NEGUNDO LINN.: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF TRADITIONAL USES, BIOACTIVE CONSTITUENTS, QUALITY CONTROL AND FUTURE DIRECTION

Vitex negundo Linn., known as Nirgundi, is a fragrant medicinal shrub that features prominently in the folk medicine of South and Southeast Asia. Researchers have taken an interest in the plant because of its chemical variety and the many biological effects described for its extracts and purified compounds. The literature records flavonoids, iridoid glycosides, lignans, terpenoids, triterpenoids, phenolics and volatile components across different parts of the plant. Laboratory work has looked at anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, antioxidant, antimicrobial, liver-protective, heart-protective, metabolic and neurological actions. The results, however, shift with the identity of the plant, where it was grown, the part used, the extraction solvent, the dose, the assay and the model, which makes side-by-side comparison hard and restricts extrapolation from one preparation to another. Recent reviews point to better chromatographic and spectrometric characterization, including HPLC, UHPLC, LC–MS/MS and NMR, yet they also stress shortfalls in biomarker-based standardization, pharmacokinetics, toxicology and clinical confirmation. This review offers a critical discussion of botanical identity, ethnomedicinal background, phytochemical groups, pharmacological evidence, analytical quality control, safety issues and future research needs. Special emphasis is placed on separating traditional use, preclinical activity and benefit actually demonstrated in people. The available data justify further study of authenticated, chemically characterized preparations, but they do not support the assumption that every traditional preparation is safe and effective. Moving toward reproducible phytopharmaceutical products will demand sound study design, validated analytical methods, uniform raw material, transparent reporting, exposure assessment and well-designed clinical studies.