Ethno-pharmacological review on the wild edible medicinal plant, Lilium martagon L

Abstract

Purpose: Martagon lily (Lilium martagon L.) is used in Eastern traditional medicine for wound healing and treatment of toothache. This review is intended to provide a comprehensive and critical evaluation of the chemical, botanical, ethnological, pharmacological, and pharmacognostic aspects of L. martagon, with a view to facilitating further in-depth pharmaceutical studies on the potentials of the plant as a herbal remedy.
 Methods: Diverse electronic search engines and specialized reference tools such as Google, Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, scientific literature, publishing sites and electronic databases (Pubmed, Springer, Wiley and Science Direct) were used for data retrieval. The data focused on botany, traditional uses, biological activities and phytochemistry of L. martagon, with emphasis on integration of this plant in official medicare.
 Results: Lilium martagon possesses anti-inflammatory, sedative, anticancer, analgesic and hemostatic properties. Some modern techniques (in vitro propagation, genetic manipulation and advanced molecular biology techniques) have been applied in L. martagon biotechnology, with respect to major plant diseases and genetic variation issues.
 Conclusion: Lilium martagon L contains different groups of biologically-active substances, amongst which are pyrroline derivatives and steroidal saponins. These may justify the usage of this plant and its subspecies in the traditional treatment of a wide spectrum of diseases.