Phytochemistry, Pharmacological Activities, Nanoparticles Synthesis, Commercial Exploration and Valorization of Endangered Medicinal Plant Embelia ribes Burm.: A Review

Author: Amilia Nongbet, Mohammad Zaki Shamim and Bibhu Prasad Panda

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Abstract

E. ribes Burm. is a medicinally important woody climber belonging to the family Myrcinaceae. It is also known as "Vidanga" and has been used for various medicinal purposes since ancient times. It has always been a significant part of history in the ayurvedic system of medicine in various forms like churna, asava, aristha, lauha, and taila. It has been extensively used as a curative agent for stomach aches, leprosy, nervous debility, dyspepsia, flatulence, colic tumors, asthma, fever, ascaris, infestation, and skin diseases. The main chemical constituent of E. ribes is "Embelin," and other chemical constituents are volatile oils, tannins, christembine, resinol, embeliol, embelinol, quercitol, vilangin, potassium embelate, aryl substituted benzoxadiazine, 5-O-ethylembelin, 5-O-methylembelin (derivatives), 2-hydroxy-5-substituted-3-undecylcyclohexa-2,5-diene-1,4-diones (derivatives), and phenolic acids like caffeic acid. Among the many promising pharmacological effects demonstrated by the essential oils, extracts, and isolated chemical constituents were those of antioxidant, wound healing, antidiabetic, central nervous system (CNS) disease, antiobesity, antibacterial, antiviral, cardioprotective, antifungal, and antifertility. Various applications of E. ribes are reported, as well as its phytochemical and phytochemical composition, pharmacological activities, and nanoparticle fabrication. More thorough, state-of-the-art preclinical research is needed to learn about its efficacy and safety profileapproaches are needed to examine the efficacy and safety profile of E. ribes as itmay be a good candidate for the introduction of novel drugs because of their potential utility in both traditional and contemporary medical settings. Our primary goal is to describe the current state of knowledge concerning the historical use, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of E. ribes. Further, the scientific connotation of traditional uses has been highlighted, and the value and importance of considering both modern therapeutically known actions and traditional uses in folk medicine have been described, through research into the therapeutic potential of essential oils/extracts and isolated compounds obtained from E. ribes, correlated with their antioxidant potential. This article provides a concise overview of the studies that have been conducted on the pharmacological properties and potential uses of the phytochemical substances extracted from E. ribes plants.

Keywords

Embelia, phytochemicals, pharmacology, nanotechnology, valorization

Conclusion

According to the current medical literature, E. ribes has been used as a traditional folk medicine in several Asian countries and cultures (India, Sri Lanka, Malaya, Singapore, and China) to treat digestive, carminative, laxative, anti-helminthic, and other disorders. E. ribes contain embelin and other vital constituents such as tannins, christembine, resinol, embeliol, embelinol, quercitol, vilangin, and potassium embelate, which have many pharmacological properties. According to the study results, the plants need to be treated with care to prevent any unwanted side effects, and those other potential uses need to be explored. This review provides insight into the development of many phytochemical compounds in E. ribes, which can play an important role in the treatment of various diseases. However, medicinal research has been hampered in its efforts to find an efficient delivery method for these compounds. Persistent efforts are required to further understand their efficacy, their structural activity, and their bioavailability. The available data suggest that embelin may one day be used to treat a wide variety of diseases and conditions, including cancer. While embelin has gained significance, more extensive pharmacological studies with animal models and subsequent clinical trials are needed to establish embelin's use as a conventional therapeutic agent alone or in combination.

References

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How to cite this article

Amilia Nongbet, Mohammad Zaki Shamim, Bibhu Prasad Panda (2023). Phytochemistry, Pharmacological Activities, Nanoparticles Synthesis, Commercial Exploration and Valorization of Endangered Medicinal Plant Embelia ribes Burm.: A Review. Biological Forum – An International Journal, 15(6): 450-460.