The mangrove, Bruguiera cylindrica belongs to Family Rhizophoraceae, commonly known as Kuttikandel, it’s a valuable medicinal plant found along the West coast of India. This review aims at the botanical description, medicinal importance, phytochemistry and current knowledge on the biological activities of the mangrove B. cylindrica. A comprehensive literature search was done using electronic databases including journal articles, books, theses, scientific reports and internet sources. Conventionally, this mangrove has been valued as firewood and charcoal and other uses include food, construction, wood crafts and dyeing etc. To date, forty-two metabolites were isolated from the genus B. cylindrica. These include three sulphur compounds, one alkaloid, nine diterpenoids, twenty two triterpenoids, six sterols and one fatty acid. The constituents present in the leaves, stem and root have shown anti-microbial, anti-diabetic and with cytotoxic activities. Bruguiera cylindrica plant extract contains chemical constituents of medicinal importance, which can play a significant role in the production of pharmaceutical products for future use. © The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Society for Plant Research 2023.