A Review of Common Medicinal Plants in Chin State, Myanmar

Abstract

Promising sources of novel bioactive compounds include plants growing in several third-world countries where the local flora is still largely uninvestigated. A paradigmatic example is represented by medicinal plants growing in Myanmar, especially in Chin State, in northwestern Myanmar. This is one of the least developed areas of the country where the people still use natural remedies derived from a rich biodiversity. This review mainly covers the investigations done on phytochemical constituents and biological activities of 20 medicinal plants, namely Alangium chinense, Anemone obtusiloba, Anneslea fragrans, Antidesma bunius, Croton oblongifolius, Embelia tsjeriam-cottam, Ficus heterophylla, Gaultheria fragrantissima, Hydnocarpus kurzii, Leea macrophylla, Leucas cephalotes, Millingtonia hortensis, Myrica nagi, Olax scandens, Pimpinella heyneana, Pterospermum semisagittatum, Ruellia tuberosa, Smilax zeylanica, Stemona burkillii, and Tadehagi triquetrum, that have long been used in the Chin State for curing various diseases. These plants have been selected on the basis of their medicinal uses not only in Myanmar but also in the related Ayurvedic healing system. Moreover, besides their medicinal importance, most of them grow in the Chin State more abundantly than in other regions of Myanmar. Although the efficacy of some of these plants have been verified scientifically, the chemical constituents and biological activities of most of them still need to be investigated to confirm the claimed therapeutic effects.