Vol. 1, Issue 2, Part A (2019)

Historic documents present evidences of Quince domestication in the Mesopotamia, between 5000 and 4000 BC that have been pursued to about 500 BC in the ancient Persian and Greek empires. By the end of nineteenth century, domesticated populations of this plant had been spread to the West and East Asia, Europe and America which in turn, created several centers of diversity along its distribution route in some regions such as plateau of Iran, Anatolia, Greece and Southern Europe, north of the Black Sea and Russia. Cydonia oblonga Miller (C. oblonga) is considered as an important medicinal plant throughout the world. It is native to Mediterranean region and Central Asia having a long term history of medicinal and ethnobotanical use. C. oblonga is well known for its anti-diabetic, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, anti-allergic, anti-hemolytic, aphrodisiac and UV-protectant activity. It is a good and low cost natural source of metabolites with interesting biological properties. Extensive research has been performed on the metabolic profile and biological potential of this species. In particular, quinces leaves reveal to constitute a promising natural source of bioactive phytochemicals and are suitable for application in nutritional/pharmaceutical fields. Mostly it is grown for fruit and also serves as rootstock for pear. This paper gives an overview of scientific literature available on plant C. oblonga. This knowledge about the medicinal plants usage can also be extended to other fields like field of pharmacology. In view of the nature of the plant, more research work can be done on humans so that a drug with multifarious effects will be available in the future market.