Ethnobotany, chemistry and toxicity of Petivera alliacea: A review

Abstract

Petivera alliacea (Family, Phytolaccaceae) is a wild and perennial shrub used in traditional medicine, especially as an antirheumatic, analgesic, and for various respiratory diseases. There is little comprehensive data on P. alliacea's pharmacological, nutritional, and ethnobotanical characteristics, and it is not in a well-documented form. In the present review, efforts have been made to gather its detailed medicinal uses, chemical composition, and pharmacological properties. The goal of this review is to present an updated summary of documents sourced from recent publications regarding the ethnobotanical importance, pharmacology, toxicological properties, and phytochemistry of P. alliacea to further investigate this plant and learn about its potential impact on pharmaceuticals. This literature review used web-based systematic research. PubMed, Google Scholar, Mendeley, and CriticalReview were used to find studies reporting pharmacological, nutritional, and pharmacological properties. The ethnobotanical uses of P. alliacea include the treatment of respiratory disorders, fever, venereal diseases, and influenza. The nutritional uses include the use of the powder as herbal concoctions in the form of extracts, teas, and capsules intentionally for boosting immune systems. The reported pharmacological activities are antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, anticancer, immunostimulating and antinociceptive activities. Along with flavonoids, steroids, and triterpenes, P. alliacea also has sulfur-containing compounds like sulfides, polysulfides, and sulfoxides that make it unique. This review provides detailed information about the history, traditional importance, phytochemistry, and clinical impacts of the studied plant as food and medicine. Keywords: Petiveria alliacea, Traditional medicine, Pharmacological activities, Nutritional importance, Secondary metabolites