Abstract
Coleus is a genus comprising of a vast amount of medicinal plants that are being easily grown in house and cultivated in the fields for various economic purposes. This genus comprises around 325 medicinal plants that are used in Ayurveda and folk medicine. Among them, the most economically important species are C. aromaticus, C. zeylanicus, C. amboinicus, C. amboinicus variegatus, C. canninus, C. Vettiveroides, C. barbatus, and C. forskohlii. Morphology, medicinal properties, phytochemistry, geographical distribution, and cultivation of the above Coleus species were discussed in detail in this chapter, with special emphasis on C. forskohlii. The conditions for the in vitro culture of Coleus forskohlii and its propagation and the medicinal importance of forskolin extracted from the tuberous roots of Coleus forskohlii were also discussed.
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The research laboratory of K. V. Chaitanya is funded by grants from the Department of Science and Technology and University Grants Commission (UGC), Government of India.
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Reddymalla, N.R., Pureti, S., Kolluru, V.C. (2021). Cultivation and Utilization of Coleus Species. In: Ekiert, H.M., Ramawat, K.G., Arora, J. (eds) Medicinal Plants. Sustainable Development and Biodiversity, vol 28. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74779-4_7
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