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
. 2021 Dec 31;11(1):118.
doi: 10.3390/plants11010118.

Pharmacological Efficacy of Tamarix aphylla: A Comprehensive Review

Saad Ali Alshehri  1 , Shadma Wahab  1 , Shahabe Saquib Abullais  2 , Gotam Das  3 , Umme Hani  4 , Wasim Ahmad  5 , Mohd Amir  6 , Ayaz Ahmad  5 , Geetha Kandasamy  7 , Rajalakshimi Vasudevan  8
Affiliations
Review

Pharmacological Efficacy of Tamarix aphylla: A Comprehensive Review

Saad Ali Alshehri et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Tamarix aphylla is a well-known species of the genus Tamarix. T. aphylla (Tamaricaceae) is a perennial tree in Asia, the Middle East, and Central Africa. It is used as a carminative diuretic in tuberculosis, leprosy, and hepatitis. Various pharmacological properties have been shown by T. aphylla, such as antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, anticholinesterase, and wound-healing activity. However, T. aphylla has not received much attention for its secondary metabolites and bioactive constituents. Research has shown that this plant has hidden potential that needs to be explored. This review aims to cover botanical classification, geographical distribution, taxonomy, ethnobotanical uses, and the phytochemical compounds found in T. aphylla. The toxicology and pharmacological effects of T. aphylla are also discussed. We examined various scholarly resources to gather information on T. aphylla, including Google Scholar, Scopus, Science Direct, Springer Link, PubMed, and Web of Science. The finding of this work validates a connection between T. aphylla in conventional medicine and its antidiabetic, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing, antifungal, anticholinesterase, and other biological effects. T. aphylla's entire plant (such as bark, leaves, fruits) and root extracts have been used to treat hypertension, stomach discomfort, hair loss, cough and asthma, abscesses, wounds, rheumatism, jaundice, fever, tuberculosis, and gum and tooth infection. The phytochemical screening revealed that noticeably all extracts were devoid of alkaloids, followed by the presence of tannins. In addition, different parts have revealed the existence of steroids, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, and byproducts of gallic acid and ellagic acid. T. aphylla has shown many valuable activities against different diseases and supports its traditional uses. Therefore, high-quality preclinical research and well-designated clinical trials are needed to establish the efficacy and safety of this plant in humans.

Keywords: T. aphylla; anti-inflammatory; antibacterial; anticholinesterase; antidiabetic; antifungal; biological activity; phytochemicals.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Overview of the T. aphylla ethnobotanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological potential.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Inflammatory pathway and the probable role of T. aphylla as an anti-inflammatory agent. ROS: Reactive oxygen species, TNF-α: Tumor necrosis factor alpha, NO: Nitric oxide, IL-1: Interleukin-1, IL-6: Interleukin-6.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Probable mechanism of T. aphylla wound-healing activity.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Possible antibacterial mechanism of T. aphylla against clinically important pathogens.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Periodontal disease and the probable role of T. aphylla.
Figure 6
Figure 6
The proposed mechanism underlying the glucosidase-inhibitory properties of T. aphylla.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Analgesic, anticholinesterase, cytotoxicity, and antifungal activity of T. aphylla.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Narendhirakannan R.T., Subramanian S., Kandaswamy M. Biochemical evaluation of antidiabetogenic properties of some commonly used Indian plants on streptozotocin-induced diabetes in experimental rats. Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol. 2006;33:1150–1157. doi: 10.1111/j.1440-1681.2006.04507.x. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Hussain A., Ahmad M., Wahab S., Hussain M., Ali M. A review on pharmacological and phytochemical profile of Asparagus racemosus Willd. Pharmacologyonline. 2011;3:1353–1364.
    1. Alsayari A., Muhsinah A.B., Almaghaslah D., Annadurai S., Wahab S. Pharmacological efficacy of ginseng against respiratory tract infections. Molecules. 2021;26:4095. doi: 10.3390/molecules26134095. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ali M., Alhazmi H.A., Ansari S.H., Hussain A., Ahmad S., Alam M.S., Ali M.S., El-Sharkawy K.A., Hakeem K.R. Plant and Human Health, Volume 3. Volume 3. Springer; Cham, Switzerland: 2019. Tamarix aphylla (L.) Karst. Phytochemical and Bioactive Profile Compilations of Less Discussed but Effective Naturally Growing Saudi Plant; pp. 343–352.
    1. Ahmad M.F., Ahmad F.A., Ashraf S.A., Saad H.H., Wahab S., Khan M.I., Ali M., Mohan S., Hakeem K.R., Athar M.T. An updated knowledge of Black seed (Nigella sativa Linn.): Review of phytochemical constituents and pharmacological properties. J. Herb. Med. 2021;25:100404. doi: 10.1016/j.hermed.2020.100404. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources