Reproductive Health Benefits of Euryale ferox Salisb.: A Short Comprehensive Review

Medicinal plants are receiving increasing attention lately for their potential to cure many human illnesses. Euryale ferox Salisb., an aquatic cash crop that grows in ponds and is popularly known as makhana, foxnut, and gorgon nut, is one of these medicinal plants. It is also recognized as a delicious dry fruit. In view of their great nutritional and therapeutic values, E. ferox seeds are included in the Ayurvedic pharmacopeia. These benefits include curing chronic diarrhea, excessive leucorrhea, kidney failure, hepatic dysfunction, and other gastrointestinal issues. For many years, E. ferox has been used as a remedy for various illnesses affecting the digestive, respiratory, and reproductive systems. Antioxidant, anti-cancer, antibacterial, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, anti-diabetic, anti-melanogenic, and anti-cytotoxic properties are only a few of the plant’s many biological activities. Additionally, this article discusses, in brief, the anti-fatigue and antioxidant properties of the phenolics isolated from E. ferox seed coat. Besides these, the extracts show hepatoprotective and cardioprotective properties. It has been established that the bioactive components found in E. ferox are responsible for these benefits. This is a unique plant with great nutritional and therapeutic potential throughout, particularly in the seeds and plant shells. This article provides an overview of the recognized bioactive components discovered in the extracts with pharmacological characteristics present in different sections of the E. ferox plant. It also focusses on certain reproductive benefits in males as well.