Five Pistacia species (P. vera, P. atlantica, P. terebinthus, P. khinjuk, and P. lentiscus): a review of their traditional uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacology.

Mahbubeh Bozorgi,Masumeh Mobli,Mohammad Reza Shams-Ardekani,Roja Rahimi,Zahra Memariani,Mohammad Hossein Salehi Surmaghi

doi:10.1155/2013/219815

Mahbubeh Bozorgi, Masumeh Mobli + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.1155/2013/219815

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Abstract

Pistacia, a genus of flowering plants from the family Anacardiaceae, contains about twenty species, among them five are more popular including P. vera, P. atlantica, P. terebinthus, P. khinjuk, and P. lentiscus. Different parts of these species have been used in traditional medicine for various purposes like tonic, aphrodisiac, antiseptic, antihypertensive and management of dental, gastrointestinal, liver, urinary tract, and respiratory tract disorders. Scientific findings also revealed the wide pharmacological activities from various parts of these species, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, antiviral, anticholinesterase, anti-inflammatory, antinociceptive, antidiabetic, antitumor, antihyperlipidemic, antiatherosclerotic, and hepatoprotective activities and also their beneficial effects in gastrointestinal disorders. Various types of phytochemical constituents like terpenoids, phenolic compounds, fatty acids, and sterols have also been isolated and identified from different parts of Pistacia species. The present review summarizes comprehensive information concerning ethnomedicinal uses, phytochemistry, and pharmacological activities of the five mentioned Pistacia species.

Highlights

The genus Pistacia belongs to the Anacardiaceae, a cosmopolitan family that comprise about 70 genera and over 600 species
Three Pistacia species naturally occur in Iran: P. vera L., P. khinjuk Stocks., and P. atlantica Desf.; P. atlantica has three subspecies or varieties which have been described as cabulica, kurdica, and mutica [3]
In traditional Iranian medicine (TIM), different parts of P. vera, P. atlantica, P. khinjuk P. terebinthus, and P. lentiscus have been used for a long time as useful remedies for different diseases, for example, the fruit kernel of P. vera as a cardiac, stomach, hepatic, and brain tonic; the fruits of P. atlantica, P. khinjuk, and P. terebinthus for their aphrodisiac activity and treatment of liver, kidney, heart, and respiratory system disorders, and the gum resin of P. lentiscus, P. atlantica, P. khinjuk, and P. terebinthus for their wound healing activity, and treatment of brain and gastrointestinal disorders [9, 11]

Summary

Introduction

The genus Pistacia belongs to the Anacardiaceae, a cosmopolitan family that comprise about 70 genera and over 600 species. Pistacia lentiscus L., P. atlantica Desf., P. terebinthus L., P. vera L., and P. khinjuk Stocks. Three Pistacia species naturally occur in Iran: P. vera L., P. khinjuk Stocks., and P. atlantica Desf.; P. atlantica has three subspecies or varieties which have been described as cabulica, kurdica, and mutica [3]. Most of the papers are devoted to the resin of P. lentiscus that is known as mastic. In addition to their therapeutic effects, Pistacia species are used in food industry, for example, consumption of pistachio (P. vera) nut as food additive [4], P. terebinthus fruit as snack food or in making coffee-like drink [5, 6], and the anthocyanin composition of P. lentiscus fruit as food colorants [7]. Our review presents a comprehensive report on phytochemical aspects, pharmacological activities, and toxicity of the genus Pistacia by focusing on the data reported since the year 2000 via papers on databases including PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and Web of Science

Traditional Uses

Terpenoids

62 Cyanidin-3-galactoside

Pharmacological Aspects

Findings

Conclusion