Unveiling the therapeutic and nutritious potential of Vigna unguiculata in line with its phytochemistry
Haseeba Sardar, Fazal Hadi, Waqas Alam, Ibrahim F. Halawani, Fuad M. Alzahrani, Rimah Abdullah Saleem, Ida Cerqua, Haroon Khan, Raffaele Capasso
Abstract
Background: commonly known as cowpea is an important edible legume, distributed mainly across the African and Asian countries. Traditionally, the plant has an outstanding background for the management of multiple diseases, animal feeding and human consumption. Objective: This review aims to mainly focus on the traditional applications, pharmacological activities, phytochemistry as well as nutritious composition of the Methods: were collected from major scientific databases including Science Direct, SpringerLink, Google Scholar, Medline Plus, Web of Science, PubMed and Elsevier. Results: including anthelmintic, antibacterial, antinociceptive, thrombolytic, antidiabetic, hypocholestrolemic and antiatherogenic effect, antimicrobial, anti-sickling, antioxidant, anti-covid activity, anticancer and neurobehavioral activities. These compounds have strong pharmacological background and might be responsible for the traditional uses of this plant that are not investigated. Conclusion: possessed strong pharmacological, nutritious and phytochemical potential, therefore, it is strongly recommended for additional comprehensive investigations in order to determine its clinical utility.