Abstract

Natural products continue to play a significant role in the detection and advancement of new pharmaceuticals as clinically useful drugs and as raw materials to produce synthetic drugs, or as lead compound from which a totally synthetic drug is designed. Coleus is a member of the mint family and native to India and grows in the subtropical temperate climates of India, Nepal, Thailand and Sri Lanka and is a popular ornamental plant. Coleus plant have reputed medicinal uses including antiaggregant, anticancer, antidepressant, antidiuretic, antiglaucomic, antimetastatic, antispasmodic and bronchodilator. This article gives a comprehensive look on Coleus as a natural product and aims to present it in a brief manner for the researchers, botanists, pharmacognosists and herbalists to refresh their knowledge about Coleus.

Key words: Coleus, ornamental plant, mint family.