Abstract
Hovenia dulcis Thunberg is an herbal plant, belonging to the Rhamnaceae family, widespread in west Asia, USA, Australia and New Zealand, but still almost unknown in Western countries. H. dulcis has been described to possess several pharmacological properties, such as antidiabetic, anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective, especially in the hangover treatment, validating its use as an herbal remedy in the Chinese Traditional Medicine. These biological properties are related to a variety of secondary metabolites synthesized by the different plant parts. Root, bark and leaves are rich of dammarane-type triterpene saponins; dihydrokaempferol, quercetin, 3,3′,5′,5,7-pentahydroflavone and dihydromyricetin are flavonoids isolated from the seeds; fruits contain mainly dihydroflavonols, such as dihydromyricetin (or ampelopsin) and hovenodulinol, and flavonols such as myricetin and gallocatechin; alkaloids were found in root, barks (frangulanin) and seeds (perlolyrin), and organic acids (vanillic and ferulic) in hot water extract from seeds. Finally, peduncles have plenty of polysaccharides which justify the use as a food supplement. The aim of this work is to review the whole scientific production, with special focus on the last decade, in order to update phytochemistry, biological activities, nutritional properties, toxicological aspect and regulatory classification of H. dulcis extracts for its use in the European Union.
Highlights
Introduction and Hovenia dulcis Traditional UsesHovenia dulcis Thunberg is an herbal plant belonging to the Rhamnaceae family
Bark and leaves are rich of dammarane-type triterpene saponins; dihydrokaempferol, quercetin, 3,3,5,5,7-pentahydroflavone and dihydromyricetin are flavonoids isolated from the seeds; fruits contain mainly dihydroflavonols, such as dihydromyricetin and hovenodulinol, and flavonols such as myricetin and gallocatechin; alkaloids were found in root, barks and seeds, and organic acids in hot water extract from seeds
Root, bark and leaves of H. dulcis are rich of dammarane-type triterpene saponins; dihydrokaempferol, quercetin, 3,3,5,5,7-pentahydroflavone and dihydromyricetin are flavonoids isolated from the seeds; fruits contain mainly dihydroflavonols such as dihydromyricetin and hovenodulinol, and flavonols such as myricetin and gallocatechin; alkaloids were found in root, barks and seeds, and organic acids in hot water extract from seeds
Summary
Hovenia dulcis Thunberg is an herbal plant belonging to the Rhamnaceae family. It is indigenous and widespread in East Asia, where is commonly known as Chinese Raisin Tree, Coral Tree, Japanese Raisin Tree, Korean Raisin Tree, Oriental Raisin Tree, while in USA, Australia, New Zealand and Central Africa, it has been introduced as an ornamental plant [1]. In Japan, China and Korea, fruits are used as ingredients for food supplements and nutraceuticals [3,4] All these biological properties can be related to the variety of secondary metabolites synthesized by the different plant parts. The aim of this work is to review the whole scientific production, with special attention to the last decade, in order to describe phytochemistry, biological activities and mechanism of action, and nutritional properties of H. dulcis extracts. Papers in their original language, rather than English, were not considered because they were not readable by the authors and unsuitable for critical analysis
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