Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Jun 24;25(12):2898.
doi: 10.3390/molecules25122898.

Marrubium vulgare L.: A Phytochemical and Pharmacological Overview

Milica Aćimović  1 , Katarina Jeremić  2 , Nebojša Salaj  2 , Neda Gavarić  2 , Biljana Kiprovski  1 , Vladimir Sikora  1 , Tijana Zeremski  1
Affiliations
Review

Marrubium vulgare L.: A Phytochemical and Pharmacological Overview

Milica Aćimović et al. Molecules. .

Abstract

Marrubium vulgare is a plant with high bioactive potential. It contains marrubiin, a labdane diterpene that is characteristic for this genus, as well as a complex mixture of phenolic compounds. According to numerous studies, M. vulgare acts as a good antioxidant agent, and due to this, it could potentially be useful in treatments of cancer, diabetes mellitus, and liver diseases. In addition, its anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, antihypertensive, hypolipidemic, and sedative potential are discussed. Apart from that, its antimicrobial activity, especially against Gram+ bacteria, fungi, herpes simplex virus, and parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii, Trichomonas vaginalis, and Plasmodium berghei-berghei was recorded. Additionally, it could be used as a chicken lice repellent, herbicide, and natural insecticide against mosquito larvae and natural molluscicide. In veterinary medicine, M. vulgare can be used as an anthelmintic against the eggs and larvae of bovine strongyles parasites, and as an antibiotic against bovine mastitis caused by resistant bacterial strains. Due to the mentioned benefits, there is a tendency for the cultivation of M. vulgare in order to ensure high-quality raw material, but more firm scientific evidence and well-designed clinical trials are necessary for the well-established use of M. vulgare herb and its preparations.

Keywords: bioactivity; horehound; marrubin; medicinal properties; morphology.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Knoss W. Marrubium vulgare (White Horehound): In vitro culture, and the production of diterpene marrubiin and other secondary metabolites. In: Biotechnology in Agriculture and ForestryBajaj Y.P.S., editor. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants XI. Volume 43. Springer; Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany: 1999. pp. 274–289. - DOI
    1. EMA—European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC) Community Herbal Monograph on Marrubium vulgare L., herba. HMPC; London, UK: 2013. EMA/HMPC/604271/2012.
    1. Lodhi S., Vadnere G.P., Sharma V.K., Usman M.R. Marrubium vulgare L.: A review on phytochemical and pharmacological aspects. J. Intercult. Ethnopharmacol. 2017;6:429–452. doi: 10.5455/jice.20170713060840. - DOI
    1. Ahvazi M., Balali G.R., Jamzad Z., Saeidi H. A taxonomical, morphological and pharmacological review of Marrubium vulgare L., an old medicinal plant in Iran. J. Med. Plants. 2018;17:7–24.
    1. Yabrir B. Essential oil of Marrubium vulgare: Chemical composition and biological activities. A review. Nat. Prod. Sci. 2019;25:81–91. doi: 10.20307/nps.2019.25.2.81. - DOI

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources