Trends in Euphorbia hirta Research: A 30-year Bibliometric Appraisal of the Present Realities

Abstract

Euphorbia hirta L.. is a common herb with global spread. Different parts of E. hirta are used in traditional medicine for the treatment of a variety of human and animal conditions, such as skin diseases, inflammation, digestive and respiratory disorders. This bibliometric study aimed to provide a panoramic view of the publication landscape in the last thirty years of Euphorbia hirta research. VOSviewer was used to analyze 603 documents retrieved from Scopus database during the period, 1992 to 2021. Dominant research themes in the last thirty years were centred on the application of crude extracts or isolated compounds from E. hirta against diabetes, oxidative stress, inflammation, tuberculosis, snake bite, gastro-intestinal disorders, respiratory infections, skin pathologies, bacterial, fungal and viral infections. Current paradigm shift in E. hirta research are targeted at improving the efficacy of phytomolecules against resistant bacterial pathogens and cancer cells via green synthesis of nanoparticles and the application of in silico technologies in predicting the activities of nano-phytomolecules against SARS-CoV-2 and the dengue virus. This study recommends further research in the determination of the bioavailability of molecules in in vivo models. Researchers should carry out more preclinical investigations with the aim of establishing the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of phytocompounds instead of relying solely on in silico predictions.