TITLE:
Jamun (Syzygium cumini (L.)): A Review of Its Food and Medicinal Uses
AUTHORS:
Shrikant Baslingappa Swami, Nayan Singh J. Thakor, Meghatai M. Patil, Parag M. Haldankar
KEYWORDS:
Jamun-Syzygium cumini; Chemopreventive; Radioprotective; Antineoplastic Activities
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.3 No.8,
August
8,
2012
ABSTRACT: Eugenia jambolana Lam., commonly known as black plum or “jamun” is an important medicinal plant in various traditional systems of medicine. It is effective in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, inflammation, ulcers and diarrhea and preclinical studies have also shown it to possess chemopreventive, radioprotective and antineoplastic properties. The plant is rich in compounds containing anthocyanins, glucoside, ellagic acid, isoquercetin, kaemferol and myrecetin. The seeds are claimed to contain alkaloid, jambosine, and glycoside jambolin or antimellin, which halts the diastatic conversion of starch into sugar. The present review has been primed to describe the existing data on the information on traditional and medicinal use.