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Review
. 2018 Apr;32(4):597-615.
doi: 10.1002/ptr.6006. Epub 2017 Dec 15.

Psoralea corylifolia L: Ethnobotanical, biological, and chemical aspects: A review

Fiaz Alam  1 , Gul Nawaz Khan  1 , Muhammad Hassham Hassan Bin Asad  1
Affiliations
Review

Psoralea corylifolia L: Ethnobotanical, biological, and chemical aspects: A review

Fiaz Alam et al. Phytother Res. 2018 Apr.

Abstract

Psoralea corylifolia L. (Leguminosae) is a well-known traditional medicinal plant used from ancient times for treatment of various ailments. It is widely distributed and an important part of therapeutics in Ayurveda and in Chinese medicines. The aim of this review is to present comprehensive and most up to date report on its ethnobotanical, ethnopharmacological, clinical, phytochemical, and side effects. Studies on the ethnobotanical, ethnopharmacological, clinical, phytochemical, and side effects of P. corylifolia were published until year 2017 and were searched using various scientific databases. The scientific literature searched revealed that these plant species has been extensively investigated in vivo and in vitro for various biological and phytochemical studies. It has cardiotonic, vasodilator, pigmentor, antitumor, antibacterial, cytotoxic, and anti-helminthic properties and locally used for alopecia, inflammation, leukoderma, leprosy, psoriasis, and eczema. So far, about a hundred bioactive compounds have been isolated from seeds and fruits, and most important compounds identified belongs to coumarins, flavonoids, and meroterpenes groups. This review article summarized the most updated scientific literature on bioactive phytochemical and biological activities of P. corylifolia. This article will be a useful addition to providing information for future research, and more standard clinical trials are needed for the plant to be used as therapeutic agent.

Keywords: Psoralea corylifolia; biological activities; coumarins; ethnopharmacology; flavonoids; phytoconstituents.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
File photo of Psoralea corylifolia [Colour figure can be viewed at http://wileyonlinelibrary.com]
Figure 2
Figure 2
Structures of important compounds isolated from Psoralea corylifolia
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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