The plant is used in India as well as several countries since several centuries for treating different types of ailments. The plant is an important constituent of the Ayurvedic Materia Medica and finds mention in several ancient texts including Caraka Sanhita ($6^{th}$ century A.D.) and the Bhavprakasa ($16^{th}$ century A.D.). The scientific studies on this plant have reported several activities of this plant. Though the plant has cardiotonic, vasoconstrictor, sedative, neuro-muscular blocking, and anticancer activities, it is more popular as memory enhancer. Traditionally, a poultice made of the boiled plant is placed on the chest in acute bronchitis and coughs of children. The plant contains saponins: bacosides A and B, hersaponin, sapogenins: bacogenin $A_{1}$, $A_{2}$, and $A_{3}$ stigmasterol, and flavonoids: luteolin and luteolin-7 glucoside, nicotine, brahmine, and herpestine. This review focuses on the scientific data published since 1931.