Abstract
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.
Highlights
The traditional knowledge of medicinal plants is a cornerstone on which medicine has been built since the beginning of mankind [1]
Chlorogenic acid (81) is one of the most abundant compounds found in A. alpina, A. asiatica, A. biebersteinii, A. coarctata, A. distans, A. kotschyi, A. ligustica, A. lycaonica, A. millefolium, A. multifidi, A. schurii, A. setacea, A. vermicularis and A. wilhelmsii (Table 5)
The present review summarizes the existing knowledge on the phytochemistry of the genus Achillea and attempts to bridge, in parallel, the reports on the traditional uses with modern pharmacological data
Summary
The traditional knowledge of medicinal plants is a cornerstone on which medicine has been built since the beginning of mankind [1]. The medicinal properties of these plants are described in the ancient medical texts of Dioscorides (1st c.A.D.) and Pliny the elder (1st c.A.D.) [6,7] Several species of this genus are widely used in traditional medicines of different countries. Some of the reported and validated pharmacological activities (in vitro, in vivo, and clinical tests) of the Achillea species are antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antidiabetic, antibacterial, anthelmintic, antihypertensive These important biological effects are directly correlated to plant-derived bio-active phytochemicals. In comparison with a similar study [12] in our review, we exhaustively summarized the non-volatile secondary metabolites of the last decade, identifying more than 141 chemical entities whose structures are depicted This overview gives an account of the ethnopharmacological relevance for the traditional uses of the genus supported by modern pharmacological research knowledge. It is hoped that such work could encourage researchers to continue working on this outstanding genus, aiming to unveil the whole potential of its diverse phytochemical profile, with flavonoids and sesquiterpene lactones being lead compounds for future drug development, targeting serious human ailments
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