The Phytochemical and Pharmacological Properties of Persicaria odorata: A Review
Nurfaizah Azmi
Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
Ezza Izzati Zulkurnain
Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
Salfarina Ramli
Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia and Integrative Pharmacogenomics Institute, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
Richard Johari James
Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia and Integrative Pharmacogenomics Institute, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
Hasseri Halim *
Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia. 2Integrative Pharmacogenomics Institute, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), 42300 Bandar Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 88% of its member or 61 countries acknowledge the use of traditional and complementary medicines. Persicaria odorata is being used as traditional herbs to treat fever, nausea and promoting hair growth. Besides, it is used as an anti-inflammatory agent in Vietnam to relieve swelling and treat wounds, sores, and ulcers. This review aims to evaluate the phytochemical and pharmacological status of P. odorata. P. odorata is a plant with a high content of phenols and flavonoids. Among the essential chemical constituents in the P. odorata are methyl gallate, (+)-catechin, eupatoriochromene, n-dodecanal, polygonumins A, α-humulene and anthraquinone. P. odorata also exerts many pharmacological effects such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anticancer effects. The commonly used part of P. odorata for extraction are leaves followed by the aerial part, rhizomes and stems. Nevertheless, more studies are needed to identify the efficacy and toxicity of P. odorata. New drugs could be developed from the active compounds of P. odorata in the future.
Keywords: Persicaria odorata, Polygonum odoratum, kesum, pharmacological study, phytochemical study