Khirni [Manilkara hexandra (Roxb.)]-A Review of its Uses in Unani Medicine, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology

Khirni is fruit of Manilkara hexandra (Roxb.) Dubard and belongs to the Sapotaceae family. Khirni tree is a commercially and medicinally important tropical tree. The fruit has been source of livelihood and nutritional support for local tribal population in India who have been using it for medicinal benefits also. It has been used in Unani medicine for various conditions like general debility, respiratory diseases, ulcers etc. since ages. The aim of this review is to highlight the medicinal properties of Khirni as mentioned in Unani Medicine and also to explore its other ethnomedical uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological studies. For this purpose, Pubmed, Elseveir, Scopus, SID and Google scholar were searched for the key terms “Manilkara hexandra” and “Khirni” up to 30th September 2023 and also Unani classical books were studied. The work on the review article was carried out at Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine, Ministry of Ayush, Govt. of India, New Delhi. Khirni has various pharmacological properties including antioxidant, anti-ulcer, antiviral, antibacterial and hypolipidimic properties and also has several ethnomedical uses. In Unani medicine, Khirni is used as atonic for vital organs like brain, heart and liver. This fruit is a valuable source of compounds with health-promoting properties and can be used as good sources of antioxidants in our diet.