Figure 1: Leaves of P. santalinus

Recent pharmacological investigations have demonstrated numerous biological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, anticancer, wound-healing, radioprotective, anti-photoaging, anti-obesity, and neuroprotective effects (Kwon et al., 2006; Kumar et al., 2011; Ghali et al., 2018; Gao et al., 2018; El-Badawy et al., 2019; Reddy et al., 2021; Darshani et al., 2024; Zwirchmayr et al., 2023; Nguyen et al., 2024). Most studies have focused on the heartwood because it contains abundant phenolics, flavonoids, lignans, stilbenoids, and other bioactive constituents responsible for these pharmacological properties (Bulle et al., 2016; Dahat et al., 2021). Despite the growing number of scientific investigations, information regarding the medicinal importance of different plant parts remains scattered. Therefore, the present review compiles published reports on the medicinal uses of P. santalinus (Figure 1), summarizes plant-part-specific pharmacological activities, and identifies research gaps for future studies.

Methodology

A literature-based review was conducted using peer-reviewed publications available in international scientific journals (Sahu et al., 2026). Relevant articles concerning the medicinal uses and pharmacological properties of P. santalinus were collected from the references provided in the present study (Biswas et al., 2004a; 2004b; Bulle et al., 2016a; 2016b). Information on plant parts investigated, biological activities, and therapeutic applications was extracted, organized, and summarized. Duplicate reports were excluded and emphasis was given to experimentally validated pharmacological studies and comprehensive review articles (Kumar, 2025).

Results and discussion

The literature reviewed indicates that P. santalinus possesses a wide range of medicinal properties distributed across different plant parts, although the majority of pharmacological investigations have focused on the heartwood (Table 1). The heartwood exhibited the greatest diversity of biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic, pancreatic protective, anti-adipogenic, radioprotective, DNA-protective, anti-apoptotic, anti-lipid peroxidation, anti-photoaging, analgesic, wound-healing, anticancer, and potential anti-metabolic syndrome activities. Several studies also demonstrated its insulin-enhancing properties, inhibition of lipid accumulation, and promising drug-likeness based on in vitro and in silico analyses.  Compared with the heartwood, relatively fewer investigations have been conducted on other plant parts. Bark has been reported to possess antidiabetic and antidiarrhoeal properties, while seed extracts have demonstrated significant antitumour, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglycaemic, hepatoprotective, and nephroprotective activities in experimental studies. Wood powder has primarily been reported as a traditional insect repellent (Table 1). The compiled evidence suggests that although P. santalinus is recognized as a valuable medicinal species with diverse pharmacological potential, research has been concentrated largely on heartwood-derived extracts and their phytochemicals.

Table 1: Medicinal uses of plant parts of P. santalinus

Conclusion

Pterocarpus santalinus is an endangered medicinal tree species with remarkable therapeutic potential, as evidenced by numerous pharmacological studies. The compiled literature demonstrates that the heartwood is the most extensively investigated plant part, exhibiting diverse biological activities such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, anticancer, radioprotective, anti-photoaging, analgesic, and anti-adipogenic effects. In comparison, the bark has received limited attention for its antidiabetic and antidiarrhoeal properties, while seed extracts have shown promising antitumour, antioxidant, hypoglycaemic, hepatoprotective, and nephroprotective activities. However, medicinal investigations on leaves, roots, flowers, fruits, pods, and other renewable plant parts remain extremely limited or absent.  The predominance of heartwood-based research raises important conservation concerns because harvesting heartwood requires felling the tree, further threatening natural populations of this endangered species. Therefore, future studies should prioritize the phytochemical and pharmacological evaluation of renewable plant parts such as leaves, bark, flowers, fruits, and seeds to identify alternative sources of bioactive compounds. In addition, comprehensive toxicity studies, standardization of extracts, mechanistic investigations, and well-designed clinical trials are required to validate their therapeutic efficacy and safety. Exploring sustainable utilization strategies alongside conservation measures will not only facilitate the development of novel plant-based therapeutics but also contribute to the long-term preservation of P. santalinus.

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