scholarly journals Phytochemistry, Traditional Uses and Pharmacological Properties of the Genus Opopanax W. D. J. Koch: A Mini-Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 99-106
Author(s):  
Alev Önder ◽  
Lutfun Nahar ◽  
Sushmita Nath ◽  
Satyajit D. Sarker

The genus Opopanax W.D.J. Koch is a member of the Apiaceae family, distributed throughout the Mediterranean region and comprises only three recognized and well-defined species, O. chironium (L.) W.D.J. Koch, O. hispidus (Friv.) Griseb. and O. persicus Boiss. The species of this genus with yellow flowers are well-known in traditional medicine and consumed as food. This review critically appraises published literature on the phytochemistry, traditional usages, and pharmacological activities of the genus Opopanax. In addition, it provides evidence to suggest that the plants from this genus have potential phytotherapeutic applications. Previous phytochemical and bioactivity studies revealed that the genus Opopanax predominantly produces coumarins, diterpenes, phenolics, and phthalides, and possesses various biological and pharmacological properties, including anticancer, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. The phytochemical profile and pharmacological activities of the genus Opopanax could be useful for further study and might find additional medicinal applications in evidence-based phytotherapy

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benyin Zhang ◽  
Xiaona Jin ◽  
Hengxia Yin ◽  
Dejun Zhang ◽  
Huakun Zhou ◽  
...  

Medicinal plants have been known as a rich source of natural products (NPs). Due to their diverse chemical structures and remarkable pharmacological activities, NPs are regarded as important repertoires for drug discovery and development. Biebersteinia plant species belong to the Biebersteiniaceae family, and have been used in folk medicines in China and Iran for ages. However, the chemical properties, bioactivities and modes of action of the NPs produced by medicinal Biebersteinia species are poorly understood despite the fact that there are only four known Biebersteinia species worldwide. Here, we reviewed the chemical classifications and diversity of the various NPs found in the four known Biebersteinia species. We found that the major chemical categories in these plants include flavonoids, alkaloids, phenylpropanoids, terpenoids, essential oils and fatty acids. We also discussed the anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibacterial, antioxidant, antihypertensive and hypoglycemic effects of the four Biebersteinia species. We believe that the present review will facilitate the exploration of traditional uses and pharmacological properties of Biebersteinia species, extraction of the NPs and elucidation of their molecular mechanisms, as well as the development of novel drugs based on the reported properties and mode-of-action.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. K. M. Moyeenul Huq ◽  
Jamia Azdina Jamal ◽  
Johnson Stanslas

Persicaria hydropiper(L.) Delarbre, belonging to Polygonaceae family, is a common weed found in most of the temperate countries including Bangladesh, China, Malaysia, and Japan. The plant is also referred to as “marsh pepper” or “smart weed.” It appears to be a useful herb with evidence-based medicinal properties. The present work addresses the botanical description, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology ofP. hydropiper. All plant parts have been commonly used in the traditional systems of medicines. Flavonoids are the major group of phytochemical components followed by drimane-type sesquiterpenes and sesquiterpenoids, as well as phenylpropanoids. Different extracts and plant parts showed remarkable pharmacological activities including antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antihelminth, antifeedant, cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, oestrogenicity, antifertility, antiadipogenicity, and neuroprotection. Mutagenicity and acute and subchronic toxicities of the plant were also reported.P. hydropiperhas tremendous medicinal properties that could further be investigated for the development of evidence-based herbal products.


2021 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 4
Author(s):  
Panagiotis Lymperis ◽  
Ekaterina-Michaela Tomou ◽  
Marco Nuno De Canha ◽  
Namrita Lall ◽  
Helen Skaltsa

In South Africa, plants belonging to the Restionaceae family possess an ecological dominance. As a result, they have been the subject of numerous morphological, anatomical, and evolutionary studies. However, few studies have focused on their phytochemical profile and their potential pharmacological activities. The genus Elegia L. is the second largest of this family comprising 52 species, which are mainly used as materials for thatching. Limited studies on the chemical constituents of Elegia species and their importance as medicinal plants have been undertaken. This review provides constructive and extensive information about the botanical characterization, distribution, traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of the genus Elegia. A comprehensive search of previously published literature was performed for studies on this genus, using databases with different key search words. This survey documented 52 Elegia species summarizing their previous taxonomic classification. In addition, 14 species were found to be studied for their phytochemical profile, revealing 14 chemical compounds. Concerning their biological activities, only one species (E. tectorum (L.f.) Moline and H.P.Linder) is reported for its anti-wrinkle activity. Moreover, two species are locally used for thatching and as materials for brooms. The present review highlights the Elegia genus as an important source of bioactive phytochemicals with flavonol glycosides being the main metabolites and reveals the uncharted territory of this genus for new research studies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Christina Barda ◽  
Maria-Eleni Grafakou ◽  
Ekaterina-Michaela Tomou ◽  
Helen Skaltsa

Knowledge within the field of phytochemistry research has accelerated at a tremendous speed. The excess of literature reports featuring plants of high ethnopharmacological importance, in combination with our interest in the Asteraceae family and traditional medicine, led us to acknowledge the value of the Achillea L. genus. In a broad context, the various Achillea species are used around the globe for the prevention and treatment of different diseases, including gastrointestinal problems, haemorrhages, pneumonia, rheumatic pains, diuresis, inflammation, infections, and wounds, as well as menstrual and gynaecologic abnormalities. The present review aims to provide and summarize the recent literature (2011–2021) on the phytochemistry of the Achillea genus. In parallel, this study attempts to bridge the reports on the traditional uses with modern pharmacological data. Research articles that focused on secondary metabolites, traditional uses and pharmacological activities were collected from various scientific databases such as Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Reaxys and Google Scholar. This study revealed the presence of 141 phytochemicals, while 24 traditionally used Achillea spp. were discussed in comparison to current data with an experimental basis.


Planta Medica ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (01) ◽  
pp. 48-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu Lei ◽  
Peng Fu ◽  
Xie Jun ◽  
Peng Cheng

AbstractGeraniol is an acyclic isoprenoid monoterpene isolated from the essential oils of aromatic plants including Cinnamomum tenuipilum, Valeriana officinalis, and several other plants. The limited source of geraniol from plant isolation cannot fulfill the great demand from the flavor and fragrance industries, which require maximizing geraniol production through biotechnology processes. The diverse activities of geraniol suggested that geraniol could treat various diseases as a promising drug candidate. In order to evaluate the potential of geraniol applied in a clinical trial, this review aims at providing a comprehensive summary of the pharmacological effects of geraniol. The publications retrieved from PubMed, ScienceDirect, Springer, and Wiley databases were collected and summarized for the last 6 years. Then, the potential application of geraniol as a drug is discussed based on its pharmacological properties, including antitumor, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and antimicrobial activities, and hepatoprotective, cardioprotective, and neuroprotective effects. Hence, this review aims at providing evidence of the pharmacological activities of geraniol in the context of further development as a drug candidate in clinical application.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 190-193
Author(s):  
Amritha C K ◽  
Suma C ◽  
Ananya V M ◽  
Thushara P V ◽  
Deepak V S

Justicia procumbens L. is usually known as water willow which belongs to family Acanthaceae growing widely in southern regions of China, Japan, Vietnam, India and Australia. It is one of the important herbal being used in Ayurvedic system of medicine. The plant contains various active compounds like arylnaphthalide and diarylbutane lignans, glycosides, flavonoids. Few pharmacological properties including anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, anti-arrhythmic, anti-asthmatic, anti-proliferative, anti-allergic, antibacterial, cytotoxic and anti-HIV activities activity have been reported for this plant. Conventionally, it is used for the treatment of fever, inflammation, cold, cough, asthma, cancer, snake bites etc. The current review is created with an intended to focus on the numerous ethnobotanical and traditional uses as well as the phytochemical and pharmacological report on Justicia procumbens.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 362-367
Author(s):  
Rasikh Javaid ◽  
Ghazala Javed ◽  
Raheela Javaid ◽  
, Anju ◽  
Farah Ahmed ◽  
...  

Hing (Family- Umbelliferae) or asafoetida is the latex obtained from living rootstocks or taproots of several species of Ferula, e.g. F. alliacea Boiss, F. rubricaulis Boiss, F. assafoetida Linn and F. narthex Boiss found in central Asia. Asafoetida occurs in three forms, viz Tears, Mass and Paste. Hing has shown diverse biological and pharmacological activities. It has been used in Unani Medicine (Tibb-e-Unani) and other Traditional Systems of Medicine from time immemorial and it is described as diuretic, anti-diabetic, emmenagogue etc. The present review highlights the botanical description, traditional uses, pharmacognositcal features, pharmacological properties and pharmacological studies conducted on this Medicinal plant used in Unani system of medicine. Keywords: Hing; Ferula foetida; Unani Medicine; Traditional Uses; Pharmacological Properties


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 1490-1495
Author(s):  
Yuniarni U ◽  
Sukandar E Y ◽  
Fidrianny I

Syzygium is a genus of the Myrtaceae family consisting of large and widespread species from Africa, Asia, Australia, and throughout Oceania and the Pacific region. Some have been cultivated for bearing fruit, ornamental plants and used as traditional medicine. This article excavated Syzygium genus which was focused on traditional uses, chemical compounds and biological activities related to treatment of syndrome metabolic. All information was obtained from the scientific literature such as Science Direct, Google Scholar, Scopus and PubMed. Several species were known to have therapeutic potential and used in traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda, and herbal medicine in Indonesia. Traditionally, Syzygium is known for its therapeutic purposes such as coughing, diarrhea, colds, dysentery, inflammation, pain, skin, and mouth infections. Only a few species have been scientifically studied to verify their usage as traditional medicine. There were many reports on the traditional uses and medicinal effects of Syzygium plants, but only a few review articles mainly about phytochemical constituents and their role in pharmacological activities. The present reviews highlight the phytochemical and pharmacological activity of various species of the Syzygium genus. The pharmacological activities were discussed in this article focused to metabolic syndrome treatment, such as antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic, antioxidant and antihypertensive activities. Chemical components isolated mainly flavonoid, terpenoids/sesquiterpenoid, sterols, and lignan. Several bioactive compounds have been identified correlated with pharmacological activity, but the chemical compounds were different for each species.


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