A Review on Therapeutic Potential of Artemisia nilagirica

Abstract

In the modern world of therapy, medicines are in major short of new treatments. It can take many years for a new drug to get through the research and development pipeline to be available in the market and the cost is enormous. And the growing drug resistance caused by the misuse of medications, has rendered several antibiotics and other life-saving drugs useless. Both these trends mean that scientists and pharmaceutical companies are urgently looking for new drug sources and are increasingly turning their eyes to traditional medicine. Major population (80%) in countries of Africa and Asia depends on traditional herbal treatments for their primary health care needs. When adopted outside of its traditional culture, traditional medicine is often called alternative medicine. Artemisia nilagirica which is locally known as 'Indian wormwood' belongs to the Asteraceae family and is considered against many ailments as it is possessed to have high content of biologically active molecules and essential oils. The plant has been used since centuries in antimicrobial, antifungal, antibacterial, antifilarial, insecticidal, antiulcer, anticancer, antioxidant and anti-asthmatic activity. This review indicates the collected information on the description of in vitro cultivation, phytochemical constituents and therapeutic potential of A. nilagirica. The pharmacological studies reported in the present review confirms the therapeutic value of A. nilagirica. Presences of wide range of chemical compounds indicate that the plant could serve as a potent material for the development of novel agents having good efficacy in various disorders in the coming years.

Phytochemistry and pharmacological activity of the genus artemisia

“…A peptic ulcer is increasing worldwide due to the emanation of unhygienic food and contaminated dietary supplements that adversely influence the health of human beings. Helicobacter pylori, one of the major causative microorganisms of duodenal ulcers, accounts for an inflammatory effect in gastric mucosa by enhancing the formation of cytokines, therefore, developing ulcer production (Zapata-Colindres et al 2006 ; Marcus et al 2013 ; Mohanty et al 2018 ). Freeze-dried ethanolic extracts obtained from upper segments of A. nilagirica were ascertained for gastric antiulcer effects on rats.…”

“…A. nilagirica possesses many essential oils, as discussed earlier and these oils have an antiulcer effect as well as gastroprotective action, which was evidenced by its in-vitro study on rats (Moraes et al 2009 ; Baananou et al 2013 ). It was also authenticated that extracts of A. nilagirica on ulcer produced rats showed to prevent the ulcer formation by increasing the mucus concentration (Braquet et al 1988 ; Mohanty et al 2018 ).…”

“…The leaves are 5–20 cm in height, peachy, soft, dark green on apex pale green with tiny white hairs on base. It is the medicinal plant that has been described to be pre-owned over ten decades employed to treat a large number of ailments; their signs and symptoms like inflammation, diabetes, malaria, anxiety, depression and several other microbial illnesses (Mohanty et al 2018 ). The plant has exploited to possess several biochemical constituents i.e., volatile oils and essential oil that is considered for the cure of diverse kinds of ailments and disabilities (Kishore et al 2001 ; Singh et al 2015 ; Mishra et al 2017 ).…”

“…Mugwort leaves and stems are used therapeutically as an acrid pungent assimilative tonic, uterine stimulant and antirheumatic (Balunas and Kinghorn 2005 ). Few species of the genus artemisia recommended for the treatment of gastrointestinal problems, hypertension (Zeb et al 2018 ), also possess potent immunomodulatory, antihypertensive, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory properties (Lian et al 2018 ; Mohanty et al 2018 ). Mugwort contains secondary metabolites like flavonoids, terpenoids, saponins, and polysaccharides, etc.…”

Anti-tumor effects of Artemisia nilagirica extract on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells: deciphering the biochemical and biomechanical properties via TGF-β upregulation

“…This extract has been previously characterized chemically and has been used to treat asthma, cough, and leprosy [11,12]. Its methanolic-extract has also been shown to have anti-cancer properties [13,14]. These studies hypothesized that the anti-cancer properties may be due to the presence of flavonoids and sesquiterpene lactones, which have free radical quenching properties.…”