Ethnobotany of the genus Taraxacum—Phytochemicals and antimicrobial activity

Abstract

Plants belonging to the genus Taraxacum have been used in traditional healthcare to treat infectious diseases including food-borne infections. This review aims to summarize the available information on Taraxacum spp., focusing on plant cultivation, ethnomedicinal uses, bioactive phytochemicals, and antimicrobial properties. Phytochemicals present in Taraxacum spp. include sesquiterpene lactones, such as taraxacin, mongolicumin B, and taraxinic acid derivatives; triterpenoids, such as taraxasterol, taraxerol, and officinatrione; and phenolic derivatives, such as hydroxycinnamic acids (chlorogenic, chicoric, and caffeoyltartaric acids), coumarins (aesculin and cichoriin), lignans (mongolicumin A), and taraxacosides. Aqueous and organic extracts of different plant parts exhibit promising in vitro antimicrobial activity relevant for controlling fungi and Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. Therefore, this genus represents a potential source of bioactive phytochemicals with broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. However, so far, preclinical evidence for these activities has not been fully substantiated by clinical studies. Indeed, clinical evidence for the activity of Taraxacum bioactive compounds is still scant, at least for infectious diseases, and there is limited information on oral bioavailability, pharmacological activities, and safety of Taraxacum products in humans, though their traditional uses would suggest that these plants are safe.

Existing bitter medicines for fighting 2019‐nCoV‐associated infectious diseases

“…To strengthen body resistance and reduce our chances of infection, we suggest drinking coffee, tea, kuding tea made of the broadleaf holly leaf, or tea made of lotus seeds. We also suggest eating bitter vegetables and foods, such as bitter gourds, dandelions, and chocolate, to reduce the risk of infection 57,58 For mild symptom patients and suspected cases: as an insurance policy, they should be given bitter anti‐infective drugs.…”

Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni bioactive effects: From in vivo to clinical trials towards future therapeutic approaches

“…Medicinal plants have been used in human pharmacologic treatments for a long time (Mishra, Saklani, Sharifi‐Rad, Iriti, Salehi, Maurya, et al, ; Mishra, Saklani, Salehi, et al, ; Prakash et al, ; Salehi, Sharopov, et al, ; Salehi, Valussi, et al, ; M. Sharifi‐Rad, Fokou, et al, ; M. Sharifi‐Rad, Nazaruk, et al, ; M. Sharifi‐Rad, Roberts, et al, ). Stevia is one of these species with healthy properties and is used especially in South America and some Asian regions (Lemus‐Mondaca et al, ).…”

“…; M Sharifi-Rad, Fokou, et al, 2018;M. Sharifi-Rad, Nazaruk, et al, 2018;M. Sharifi- Rad, Roberts, et al, 2018)…”

Phytochemicals in Helicobacter pylori Infections: What Are We Doing Now?

“…Plant products, their enriched-derived extracts, and their isolated bioactive molecules have been increasingly studied due their renowned health attributes, largely used in folk medicine over centuries for multiple purposes [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. Indeed, phytomedicine is garnering much attention among the medical and scientific communities [10,11,12].…”