Background: Calotropis gigantea and Bauhinia variegata are medicinal plants reported to possess antioxidant and anticancer activities, but evidence has not been critically synthesized.

Objectives: To systematically review and critically evaluate preclinical evidence on the phytochemistry, antioxidant potency, and anticancer mechanisms of C. gigantea and B. variegata, and to identify translational gaps and priorities.

Methods: A narrative literature search (PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar) was performed for articles published between 2000–2025 using the keywords “Calotropis gigantea”, “Bauhinia variegata”, “antioxidant”, “anticancer”, “phytochemical”, and related terms. Inclusion criteria: original in vitro, in vivo, or clinical studies reporting antioxidant assays or anticancer outcomes for either species; English-language articles. Data extracted included phytochemical classes, assay types, reported IC₅₀ values, molecular pathways, and model systems.

Results: C. gigantea methanolic extracts show consistently potent antioxidant activity (DPPH/ABTS IC₅₀ range ~6.7–21.4 μg/mL across leaves/flowers/latex) and induce apoptosis, caspase activation, mitochondrial dysfunction and cell-cycle arrest in multiple cancer cell lines. B. variegata demonstrates significant antioxidant and cytotoxic activity but quantitative potency is less consistently reported. Reported mechanisms for both species include ROS modulation, Bcl-2/Bax regulation, and inhibition of migration/invasion (MMP suppression). Major limitations include heterogeneous extraction methods, inconsistent quantitative reporting, toxicity concerns (cardenolides), and absence of clinical data.

Conclusions: Preclinical data support the antioxidant and anticancer potential of both plants, particularly C. gigantea, but standardized phytochemical profiling, dose–response in vivo studies, toxicity assessment, and translational research are urgently needed.

Keywords: Calotropis Gigantea, Bauhinia Variegata, Antioxidant, Anticancer, Phytochemicals, Cardiac Glycosides, Flavonoids, ROS, Apoptosis.