Multifunctional Role of Phytochemicals Derived from Boerhaavia diffusa L. in Human Health, Ailments, and Therapy

Abstract

Background: The whole plant of Boerhaavia diffusa L. (BD) has wide ethnomedicinal and ethnopharmacological applications. It is a versatile medicinal herb with tremendous antioxidant potential, used commonly in Asian and African countries for a variety of Ayurvedic formulations as a “Rasayan” or Rejuvenator. Objective: This paper is aimed at providing an extensive study of the phytochemistry and pharmacology of BD to support its ethnopharmacological uses and the effectiveness of different active constituents present in BD. We believe that this paper will provide an insight into various trends and advances for future studies on BD. Methods: All relevant information was collected from worldwide accepted search engines and databases, i.e., Google, Pub Med, Elsevier, Science Direct and Web of Science, etc. Results: Based on the study conducted for this paper, it was found that BD is a rich source of several phytochemicals that are extracted from its roots and aerial parts. Among them, secondary metabolites such as alkaloids, phenolics, flavonoids, isoflavonoids, rotenoids, glycosides, steroids, and lignans are the most important ones. The crude extract and the isolated phytochemicals are reported to have impressive bioactivities such as immunomodulatory, hepatoprotective, renoprotective, cardioprotective, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antifertility, antioxidant, anticancer, and antimicrobial properties. Conclusion: The immense therapeutic potential of BD has been explored in many experiments, which validates its traditional uses. However, reports from clinical trials and the specific interaction of isolated phytoconstituents with microbial toxins or molecular markers of pathogenesis are meager. Therefore, further studies can be undertaken to elucidate the molecular cross-talk between the major therapeutic components with pathological biomolecules.