Abstract: Dacryodes edulis is a dioecious, shade loving, evergreen tree, indigenous to the Gulf of Guinea and widely cultivated in other tropical parts of Africa for its fruit. The edible fruit to which the plant owes its principal values is a rich source of nutrients such as lipids, vitamins and protein. The fruit yields a high content of fixed and essential oils. The fruits are highly consumed and traded locally and internationally, conferring enormous economic value on the plant. The plant has long been used in the traditional medicine of some African countries to treat various ailments such as wound, skin diseases, dysentery and fever. The extracts and secondary metabolites have been found to show biological activities such as antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti sickle cell anemia. A wide range of chemical constituents such as terpenes, flavonoids, tannins, alkaloids and saponins have been isolated from the plant. This review provides a comprehensive detail of the plant’s ethnomedicinal uses, biological effects, chemical constituents and economic property as a medicinal plant.