Asparagus: The Queen of Herbs

Satavar is an important drug which has been used in Unani and Ayurveda systems of medicine since long as an effective aphrodisiac and galactogogue drug. It is widely distributed throughout tropical and sub-tropical parts of India up to an altitude of 1500 m. It is also known as the queen of herbs. It is cultivated in gardens as an ornamental plant. Chemically it is comprised of saponins, alkaloids, steroids, carbohydrates, mucilage and essential nutrients like mineral and vitamins by virtue of which it possesses therapeutic actions such as aphrodisiac, galactogogue, immunomodulator, demulcent and anti-inflammatory etc. Modern scientific researches have also proved its novel therapeutic activities like antioxidant, antibacterial, hypoglycemic, antidepressant etc. In this article an attempt has been made to summarize the immense classical Unani literature and modern researches on Satavar. Key words: Satavar, Asparagus racemosus, galactogogue, Unani, Ayurveda