The parts of the plant Garcinia cambogia (Gaertn.) Desr. commonly known as Malabar tamarind, have been used by many Asian countries in traditional medicine for treating intestinal parasites, constipation, cancer, piles, bowels complaints, rheumatism, edema, delayed menstruation, demulcent, bilious affections and other diseases. The root contains the xanthone called garbogiol. The bark of the stem contains benzophenones such as garcinol and isogarcinol. Malabar tamarind is shown to possess antioxidant, antihelmintic, anticattarhal, anti-cancer and antimicrobial activities. The rind of the fruit is the most extensively studied part of the plant. Hydroxycitric acid, the most abundant constituent of the fruit rind apart from the other constituents, has reported to be the active principle for many of its useful properties. The ethanol extract of the leaves and the fruit have been shown to possess invitro antihelmintic activity. This review paper describes the chemical compounds present in Malabar tamarind, their therapeutic applications and their occurrence in different parts of the plant.