Objectives: Carissa carandas is an evergreen thorny shrub (Apocynaceae family), commonly, known as karonda. It has small berry-shaped fruits, used as additive in many pickles or as a spice in northern India.

Methods: The present review covers the literature survey from 1968 to 2020. The data have been collected from various journals, books, thesis and some of the electronic search via Internet-based information such as PubMed, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, EBSCO, online electronic journals, SpringerLink, Wiley and Ayush.

Key findings: From literature survey, it has been found that the herbal drug contains wide variety of flavonoids, phenolic acids, steroids, volatile oils, lignans, alkaloids, polysaccharides and so on. These phytochemicals exhibit a range of pharmacological activities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial and antifungal properties.

Conclusions: This current review offers primary data for further research work. The in-vitro evaluations as well as in-vivo models/experiments have provided a biosynthetic observation for its various ethno-pharmacological uses and even pharmacological properties. This review would provide all valuable information which will be beneficiary to conduct some important pharmacokinetic and toxicological research works on human models with respect to ensure the effects of active ingredients in the body and even to validate its safety issues in clinical aspects.

Keywords: histochemical; microscopy; morphology; pharmacology; phytochemistry.