2.3 Coumarins
Coumarin and its derivatives, such as: hydroxy-coumarins and furanocoumarins are present in a plethora of medicinal plants. However, the most common and the most widespread plant coumarin is the parent compound i.e., coumarin itself, which is reported to occur in more than twenty-seven plant families viz., Caprifoliaceae, Leguminosae, Oleaceae, Rubiaceae, Solanaceae, Umbelliferae to name a few such families.
In a broader sense, the coumarins may be classified into three major categories, namely:
