An Overview of Important Ethnomedicinal Herbs of Phyllanthus Species: Present Status and Future Prospects

The genus Phyllanthus consists of more than 1000 species, of which many are used as traditional medicines. The plant extracts have been used since ancient times, for treating hypertension, diabetes, hepatic, urinary, and sexual disorders, and other common ailments. Modern day scientific investigatio...

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Main Authors: Bharti Sarin, Nidhi Verma, Juan Pedro Martín, Aparajita Mohanty
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2014-01-01
Series:The Scientific World Journal
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/839172
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author Bharti Sarin
Nidhi Verma
Juan Pedro Martín
Aparajita Mohanty
author_facet Bharti Sarin
Nidhi Verma
Juan Pedro Martín
Aparajita Mohanty
author_sort Bharti Sarin
collection DOAJ
description The genus Phyllanthus consists of more than 1000 species, of which many are used as traditional medicines. The plant extracts have been used since ancient times, for treating hypertension, diabetes, hepatic, urinary, and sexual disorders, and other common ailments. Modern day scientific investigations have now confirmed pharmacognostic properties of Phyllanthus herbs. The phytochemicals attributing these medicinal properties have been identified in many of the Phyllanthus herbs. The morphologically similar herbs of Phyllanthus grow together and admixture of species during collection for manufacture of herbal medicines is quite common. Hence, along with pharmacognostic and phytochemical studies, appropriate protocols for correct identification of species are also important. As the use of these herbs as green medicines is becoming more popular, it is imperative to assess its genetic diversity and phylogenetic relatedness for future conservation strategies. This review is an attempt to present an overview of the existing studies on pharmacognostics, phytochemistry, species identification, and genetic diversity of Phyllanthus herbs and consequently (i) highlight areas where further research is needed and (ii) draw attention towards extending similar studies in underutilized but potentially important herbs such as P. maderaspatensis, P. kozhikodianus, P. rheedii, P. scabrifolius, and P. rotundifolius.
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spelling doaj-art-ddc87bc0d5a24861aecbc315523b844f2025-08-20T02:21:33ZengWileyThe Scientific World Journal2356-61401537-744X2014-01-01201410.1155/2014/839172839172An Overview of Important Ethnomedicinal Herbs of Phyllanthus Species: Present Status and Future ProspectsBharti Sarin0Nidhi Verma1Juan Pedro Martín2Aparajita Mohanty3Department of Botany, Gargi College, University of Delhi, Siri Fort Road, New Delhi 110049, IndiaNational Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources, IARI Campus, New Delhi 110012, IndiaDepartamento de Biologia Vegetal, Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingenieros Agronomos, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, SpainDepartment of Botany, Gargi College, University of Delhi, Siri Fort Road, New Delhi 110049, IndiaThe genus Phyllanthus consists of more than 1000 species, of which many are used as traditional medicines. The plant extracts have been used since ancient times, for treating hypertension, diabetes, hepatic, urinary, and sexual disorders, and other common ailments. Modern day scientific investigations have now confirmed pharmacognostic properties of Phyllanthus herbs. The phytochemicals attributing these medicinal properties have been identified in many of the Phyllanthus herbs. The morphologically similar herbs of Phyllanthus grow together and admixture of species during collection for manufacture of herbal medicines is quite common. Hence, along with pharmacognostic and phytochemical studies, appropriate protocols for correct identification of species are also important. As the use of these herbs as green medicines is becoming more popular, it is imperative to assess its genetic diversity and phylogenetic relatedness for future conservation strategies. This review is an attempt to present an overview of the existing studies on pharmacognostics, phytochemistry, species identification, and genetic diversity of Phyllanthus herbs and consequently (i) highlight areas where further research is needed and (ii) draw attention towards extending similar studies in underutilized but potentially important herbs such as P. maderaspatensis, P. kozhikodianus, P. rheedii, P. scabrifolius, and P. rotundifolius.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/839172
spellingShingle Bharti Sarin
Nidhi Verma
Juan Pedro Martín
Aparajita Mohanty
An Overview of Important Ethnomedicinal Herbs of Phyllanthus Species: Present Status and Future Prospects
The Scientific World Journal
title An Overview of Important Ethnomedicinal Herbs of Phyllanthus Species: Present Status and Future Prospects
title_full An Overview of Important Ethnomedicinal Herbs of Phyllanthus Species: Present Status and Future Prospects
title_fullStr An Overview of Important Ethnomedicinal Herbs of Phyllanthus Species: Present Status and Future Prospects
title_full_unstemmed An Overview of Important Ethnomedicinal Herbs of Phyllanthus Species: Present Status and Future Prospects
title_short An Overview of Important Ethnomedicinal Herbs of Phyllanthus Species: Present Status and Future Prospects
title_sort overview of important ethnomedicinal herbs of phyllanthus species present status and future prospects
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/839172
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