A detailed investigation of phytochemical, biological and commercial utilization of horse tail tree Casuarina equisetifolia

Medicinal plants are the Nature’s gift to human beings to alleviate various kinds of ailments. The plant Casuarina equisetifolia belonging to the family Casuarinaceae, a tropical plant commonly called as horse tail in English, and sarugudu chettu in Telugu is used traditionally for the treatment of nervous disorders, acne, throat infections, stomach ulcer, constipation, cough, diabetes, diarrhoea, dysentery, gonorrhea. The phytochemicals isolated from the plant include condensed tannins epicatechin, hydrolysable tannins gallic acid, procyanidin, casuarine, rutin, hesperidin, alkaloid casuarin etc. The plant is rich in tannin content. The plant extracts were studied for antibacterial, antifungal, antidiabetic, antispasmodic, antihistaminic, gastroprotective, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities. The plant also possesses economical value as it finds its application in agroforestry, timber, paper and dyeing industries. The ethnomedicinal importance of the plant drives researchers towards further study of pharmacological activities of isolated components to develop novel medicaments.