85BIOACTIVE COMPONENTS AND PHARMACOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF CANNA INDICA- AN OVERVIEWCanna indica L. is a tropical herb belonging to the family Cannaceae. It has been widely used in traditional medicine for the treatment of many complains. The phytochemical analysis of Canna indica showed that it contained various phytochemicals including alkaloids, carbohydrates, proteins, flavonoids, terpenoids, cardiac glycosides, oils, steroids, tannins, saponins, anthocyanin pigments, phlobatinins and many other chemical compounds. The pharmacological studies showed that this plant exerted antibacterial, antiviral anthelmintic, molluscicidal, anti-inflammatory, analgesic immunmodulatory, antioxidant, cytotoxic, hemostatic, hepatoprotective, anti diarrheal and other effects. This review deals with highlight the chemical constituents and the pharmacological effects of Canna indica.aboahmad61@yahoo.comReview522015Canna indica,Constituents,Pharmacology,PharmacognosyAli Esmail Al-SnafiDepartment of Pharmacology, College of Medicine, Thiqar University, Nasiriyah, PO Box 42, Iraq