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Humboldtia Vahl (Fabaceae): A Review on Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and

Pharmacology

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DOI: 10.1016/j.phyplu.2021.100080

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 Phytomedicine Plus 1 (2021) 100080

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Phytomedicine Plus
journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/phyplu

Humboldtia Vahl (Fabaceae): A review on ethnobotany, phytochemistry

and pharmacology
Saranya Surendran a, A. Chandra Prabha b, Raju Ramasubbu a,∗, M.V. Krishnaraj c
a
Department of Biology, The Gandhigram Rural Institute (Deemed to be University), Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India
b
Department of Botany, M.V.M. Govt. Arts College for Women Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India
c
Department of Botany, Baselius College, Kottayam, Kerala, India

a r t i c l e i n f o a b s t r a c t

Keywords: Relevance: Humboldtia, a horticulturally potential, ecologically and medicinally valuable genus of subfamily De-
Anticarcinogenic tarioideae has been reported with 7 species. The information on Ethnobotany, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology
Detarioideae has been published with limited articles in reputed journals.
Phytocompounds
Ethnobotany Objectives: The main objective was to provide a cumulative information on taxonomy, ethnobotany, phytocom-
Pharmacology pounds and various pharmacological efficiencies of all the species of Humboldtia reported in the world. However,
these research works have been limited to only few species and remaining species have not been evaluated
phytochemically and pharmacologically. This review provides a decisive interest to work further on the genus
Humboldtia.
Materials and methods: The systematic search on various aspects of Humboldtia has considered all the articles pub-
lished in the world between 1830 and 2021 by various scientific data bases. All articles reporting the taxonomy,
phytochemistry and pharmacological use of Humboldtia were retained for further investigation.
Results: The scientific search by various standard databases provided about 800 articles published between
1830 and 2021 were included. The taxonomy of Humboldtia was still under confusion and about 7 species were
published mainly based on morphological features. In general, species of Humboldtia were popularly known as
economically important, medicinally valuable and used to cure various diseases and disorders, diabetes, bil-
iousness, leprosy, ulcers, epilepsy, impure blood, demulcent, anthelmintic, stomachic, astringent, menstrual dis-
orders, wounds and urinary troubles. The species of Humboldtia have also reported with various phytochemi-
cals, glycosides, flavonoids, steroids, tannins, phenols, terpenes, tannins, alkaloids, steroids, cardiac glycosides,
terpenoids, saponins, phenols, including selective phytocompounds like 2,4-di-tert-butyl phenol, erythrodiol-
3-acetate, (2R,3R)-3,5,7,3’,5’-pentahydroxyflavone and 3cr-methoxyfriedelan. Various pharmacological experi-
ments were conducted to prove the efficiency of antioxidant, anticarcinogenic, antitubercular, anti-inflammatory,
membrane stabilizing and neuropharmacology of different species of Humboldtia.
Conclusion: Of the seven species reported, the studies on phytochemistry and pharmacology were restricted to few
species H. brunonis, H. vahliana and H. unijuga. Further, studies have to be attempted to know the phytochemistry
and pharmacology of the H.bourdillonii, H. decurrens, H.laurifolia, H. sanjappae and H. trijuga. This review will
assist the researchers in promoting all branches of botanical researches in Humboldtia and other allied genera.

Introduction nov.), and Papilionoideae DC. The sub-family Detarioideae comprises

84 genera and 760 spp. and among them, the genus Humboldtia has 7
The Legume Phylogeny Working Group (LPWG) (2017) proposed spp. The genus was first named as Batschia by Vahl and renamed it him-
a new classification of the Leguminosae family, which reflects the self as Humboldtia in the memory of an eminent Prussian naturalist and
phylogenetic structure. This Group recognised six sub-families: a re- explorer, Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (1769-
circumscribed Caesalpinioideae DC., Cercidoideae LPWG, Detarioideae 1859) (Tables 1-3).
Burmeist., Dialioideae LPWG (stat. nov.), Duparquetioideae LPWG (stat.

Abbreviations: TLC, Thin Layer Chomatography; asl, above sea level; QE/g, Quercetin Equivalent/gram; NSAIDs, Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
∗
Corresponding author.
E-mail address: racprabha@yahoo.com (R. Ramasubbu).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phyplu.2021.100080
Received 20 March 2021; Received in revised form 16 May 2021; Accepted 28 May 2021
2667-0313/© 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
S. Surendran, A.C. Prabha, R. Ramasubbu et al. Phytomedicine Plus 1 (2021) 100080

Table 1
Distribution and phenology of Humboldtia spp.

S.no Name of the species Distribution Phenology(Fl. & Fr.) IUCN status (2020-1) References

1 Humboldtia bourdillonii Endemic: The Western January – May Endangered (B1+2C) (Balan et al., 2016;
Prain Ghats of Kerala, India Ramachandran et al.,
2014; Sanjappa, 1991;
Jose et al., 2011;
The Plant List, 2013)
2 Humboldtia brunonis Endemic to Western December – April. - (Balan et al., 2016;
Wall Ghats (Kerala, The Plant List, 2013)
Karnataka & Tamil
Nadu)
3 Humboldtia decurrens Endemic to Western January – June - (Balan et al., 2016;
Bedd. ex Oliver. Ghats (Kerala & Tamil Jayalakshmi et al.,
Nadu) 2016; Sabu et al.,
2008; The Plant
List, 2013)
4 Humboldtia laurifolia Sri Lanka & India; January – May Endangered (A1c, (Balan et al., 2016);
M. Vahl Southern Western B1+2cd) The Plant List, 2013)
= Batschia laurifolia Ghats (Kerala)
M.Vahl
5 Humboldtia unijuga Southern Western December – April (Balan et al., 2016;
Bedd. Ghats (Kerala & Tamil Jayalakshmi et al.,
Nadu) 2016; The Plant
List, 2013)
6 Humboldtia trijuga J. Endemic to Southern October – July - (The Plant List, 2013)
Joseph & V. Chandras. Western Ghats (Kerala)
7 Humboldtia vahliana Endemic to Southern September – Endangered (Balan et al., 2016;
Wight Western Ghats (Kerala November B2ab(i,ii,iii,v) The Plant List, 2013)
& Tamil Nadu)

Table 2
Phytocompounds of Humboldtia spp.

Sl. No. Name of the species Plant parts Extracts Phytochemicals References

1 Humboldtia brunonis leaf Methanolic tannins, phlobatannins, saponins, (Kumar et al., 2012)
Wall. Extracts terpenoids, anthraquinones and
steroids.
2 Flowers Methanolic High Flavonoids (Pavithra et al., 2013)
Extracts
3 Leaf and stem - glycosides, flavonoids, tannins, (Sheik and
steroids, phenols and terpenes Chandrashekar, 2014)
4 Leaves petroleum ether, chloroform, tannins, steroids, terpenoids, (Sindhu et al., 2014)
acetone and ethanol extracts alkaloids, cardiac glycosides,
saponins, phenols and flavonoid
5 - - tannins, saponins and phenolic (Nagabhushan and
compounds Raveesha, 2015)
6 Leaves - saponins, steroids, (Kumar et al., 2014)
anthro-quinones, terpenoids,
flavonoids and phlobatannins.
7 Humboldtia unijuga - Hexane and chloroform Erythrodiol-3-acetate (HU-1) and (Nair et al., 2018)
Bedd. extracts 2,4-di-tert-butyl phenol (HU-2)
8 Humboldtia laurifolia - leaf, bark and timber extracts Two New compounds (2R,3R)- (Samaraweera et al., 1983)
Vahl. 3,5,7,3’,5’-pentahydroxyflavone
and 3cr-methoxyfriedelan
Other compounds:
0-acetyloleanolic (aldehyde), a
sitosteryl (ester), lupeol,
sitosterol(a fatty acid) and 5,7,4’-
trihydroxyflavone (apigenin)
9 Humboldtia vahliana - - Sitosterol-3-O–D-glucopyranoside (Leela and Pillai, 2005)
Wight. sitosterol, 3a-methoxy friedelan
and apigenin
10 - aerial parts Sitosterol-3-O–D-glucopyranoside, (Asirvatham and
3𝛼-methoxy friedelan, Yesudanam, 2018)
𝛽-sitosterol and
5.7.4′-trihydroxyflavone (apigenin)
11 benzene, chloroform, bark extracts flavonoids, alkaloids, (Asirvatham and
ethanol and aqueous carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, Yesudanam, 2017)
extracts steroids, tannins and phenolic
compounds

2
S. Surendran, A.C. Prabha, R. Ramasubbu et al. Phytomedicine Plus 1 (2021) 100080

Table 3
Pharmacological activities of Humboldtia spp.

Pharmacological efficiency
S.No Name of Species Plant part against various diseases References

1. Humboldtia brunonis Wall. Leaf, bark and timber ethyl acetate Antimicrobial agent (Samaraweera et al., 1983)
extract
Leaf methanolic extract Antimicrobial agent (Dyamavanahalli et al., 2011)
Stem and leaf extracts Antimicrobial agent (Sheik and Chandrashekar, 2014)
Chloroform and ethanolic extracts Antimicrobial agent (Sindhu et al., 2014)
Flowers extracts (Pavithra et al., 2013)
Flowers chloroform, methanol and Anticariogenic activity (Kumar et al., 2013)
petroleum ether extracts
Leaf methanolic extracts Effective Antioxidant Agent (Kumar et al., 2012)

Flower methanolic extract Effective Antioxidant Agent (Pavithra et al., 2013)

Flower methanolic extract. Effective Antioxidant Agent (John et al., 2014)
Stem and leaf methanolic extract Effective Antioxidant Agent (Sheik and Chandrashekar.,
2014)
Leaf ethyl acetate extract Effective Antioxidant Agent (Dyamavvanahalli et al., 2011)

Leaf chloroform extract Exhibit anti-tubercular activity (Kumar et al., 2014)

2. Humboldtia Root extracts anti-inflammatory and (Nair et al., 2018)
unijuga Bedd. anticancer activity
3. Humboldtia Bark Exhibit membrane-stabilizing (Raju et al., 2015)
vahliana Wight ethanol extracts effect
Bark benzene, chloroform, ethanol antioxidant efficiencies (Asirvatham and
and aqueous extracts. Yesudanam, 2017)
Bark ethanol and aqueous extracts neuropharmacological activities, (Asirvatham and
such as hypnotics and sedative, Yesudanam, 2018)
antianxiety, anticonvulsants, and
antidepressants

Humboldtia, one among the genera of Detarioideae reported with it as an exclusive endemic to Sri Lanka. Further, after a long gap, Sasid-
about 7 species. Vahl (1794) proposed the genus Humboldtia supported haran (1998) rediscovered H. bourdilloni Prain, from Periyar Tiger Re-
by his various collections of H. laurifolia from Sri Lanka. Humbold- serve of Kerala, India. Ramachandran et al. (2014) has also reported
tia laurifolia M.Vahl extend southwards to Sri Lanka and all other six the status and distribution of H. bourdillonii from wet-evergreen forests
species were confined to Southern Western Ghats of India. The occur- of about 800 m asl of the Southern Western Ghats, India. The area of
rence of H. laurifolia in India has been recorded with a single collec- occupancy was reported in seven patches as 0.06 km2 approximately
tion by Robert Wight (1830) from the Malabar region of peninsular with a 2 km2 area of occurrence. The estimated number of individu-
India. Thereafter, H. laurifolia has not been found in India and was als in the Western Ghats was recorded as 1310. Humboldtia bourdillonii
thought to be extinct within the country. Also, a special effort has been was also reported from the Peermade plateau of southern Western Ghats
made to relocate all the species of Humboldtia of Kerala State and lo- during 1894 and thereafter no further details of the plant have been
cated all the species of Humboldtia, except H. laurifolia (Ansari, 1985; recorded (Sanjappa 1991). Later, it was relocated from the type local-
Babu 1990; Manilal, 1988; Manilal and Sivarajan, 1982; Pradeep 2000; ity, Periyar Tiger Reserve by Sasidharan (1998 a, b) Augustine (2000,
Ramachandran and Nair, 1988; Sasidharan 2002; Sivarajan and Mathew 2002). Sasidharan (2003, 2004) has also reported all the available lim-
1996; Vajravelu 1990). According to International Union for Conserva- ited information about the species. Recently, Balan et al. (2016) reported
tion of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN, 2020-1), H. bourdilloni and its extended distribution to Vagamon hills. Joseph and Chadrasekharan
H. vahliana are classified as “Endangered spp.”, H. decurrens, as “Near (1985) erected a variety of H. unijuga Bedd. as H. unijuga var. trijuga J.
Threatened” and H. laurifolia, as “Vulnerable”. Joseph & V. Chandras. However, Mohanan (1994) elevated this variety
The genus was first named as Batschia by Vahl and renamed it him- to species status.
self as Humboldtia in the memory of an eminent Prussian naturalist and
explorer, Friedrich Wilhelm Heinrich Alexander von Humboldt (1769- Ethnobotany of Humboldtia spp.
1859).
Sanjappa (1986) revised the genus and found 7 spp. and 2 varieties, Ethnobotany, a scientific discipline that utilizes indigenous knowl-
mainly based on Herbarium materials. Later, Sasidharan and Sujana- edge about plant products for health care. The bark of the Humbold-
pal (2007) added H. sanjappae Sasidh. & Sujanapal to the Flora of In- tia species was used to treat biliousness, leprosy, ulcers, epilepsy and
dia. This species is closely allied to H. vahliana Wight but differs in also as an anticonvulsant in folk medicine practice(Asirvatham and
having elongated racemose inflorescences, smaller flowers with white Yesudanam, 2018). Bark powder decoction cure biliousness, impure
petals and large glabrous pods among other differences, etc. However, blood, ulcers and epilepsy (Sanjappa 1986). Nisbet and Moore (1997) re-
H. sanjappae is not yet possible to assign a status of either Accepted ported that H. brunonis was used as styptic, demulcent, anthelmintic,
or Synonym due to taxonomic uncertainty. Also, other variety viz. H. ulcer, stomachic, astringent, menstrual disorders and urinary troubles.
brunonis var. raktapushpa Udayan, Tushar & S.George was added by Trivedi (2009) reported the usage of H. brunonis to cure diabetes.
Udayan et al. (2007) along the foothills of the Western Ghats of north Prasad and Kumar (2013) reported that leaves and bark of H. brunonis
Kerala, India. This infraspecific taxon has differed from H. brunonis Wall. have been used for treating arthritis and diabetes by villagers of Shiradi
in having crimson red flowers, short petals and few seeded (1-2) pods. and Bisle Ghats of Karnataka. Nagabhushan and Raveesha (2015) re-
A rigorous assessment of the population was needed in future to fix the ported the usage of bark and leaves of H. brunonis in treating wounds
taxonomic status of this flower variant taxon. Balan et al. (2016) ruled menstrual problems and over bleeding during menstruation.
out the possibility of occurrence in India in which Wight (1834, 1850) Leela and Pillai (2005) reported that the bark of H. vahliana was
has misidentified H. vahliana Wight as H. laurifolia Vahl and confirmed used in treating ulcers, biliousness, leprosy and epilepsy. They also at-

3
S. Surendran, A.C. Prabha, R. Ramasubbu et al. Phytomedicine Plus 1 (2021) 100080

tempted to evaluate its neuro-pharmacological parameters. Humboldtia antibacterial activity whereas the petroleum ether extract showed poor
unijuga known as ’palakan’ by Kani tribes in Agasthyamala was used for activities. The chloroform extract of H. brunonis leaves revealed signifi-
treating headaches, chickenpox and snake bite. (Vijayan et al., 2007; cant activity against Bacillus subtilis.
Nair et al., 2018). Asirvatham and Yesudanam (2018) have reported
that H. vahliana was used as an anticonvulsant in folk medicine prac- Antifungal efficiency
tice.
The dramatic expansion of human invasive mycosis cases in the last
Phytocompounds of Humboldtia spp. decades has become a global public health problem. The available an-
tifungal drugs are restricted to a few compounds, and most of them
Phytochemical studies on Humboldtia spp. are limited to a few have limitations such as low effectiveness and high toxicity. Thus, Re-
species and thus, studies in all species needed to be investigated. searchers groups have worked hard to develop new sources of anti-
Kumar et al. (2012) conducted a preliminary study of the methanolic ex- fungal drugs with diverse chemical structures and novel mechanisms
tracts of H. brunonis leaves and found tannins, phlobatannins, saponins, of action (Mahlo et al., 2016). Sheik and Chandrashekar (2014) stud-
terpenoids, anthraquinones and steroids. Pavithra et al. (2013) has de- ied the antifungal activity of leaf extract of H. brunonis which exhib-
termined the flavonoid content of methanolic extracts of H. brunonis ited higher antifungal activity against Candida albicans than Nystatin.
that were higher in flower extracts than in other plant parts. Sheik and Sindhu et al. (2014) determined the antifungal properties of acetone,
Chandrashekar (2014) reported glycosides, flavonoids, steroids, tannins, chloroform, petroleum ether and ethanol extracts of H. brunonis leaves.
phenols and terpenes in H. brunonis leaf and stem extracts of H. bruno- Of them, the methanolic extract was the only one that showed consid-
nis. Sindhu et al. (2014) reported tannins, alkaloids, steroids, cardiac erable activity against selected fungal strains.
glycosides, terpenoids, saponins, phenols and flavonoids from H. bruno-
nis petroleum ether, chloroform, acetone and ethanol leaves extracts. Antioxidant potentialities
Nagabhushan and Raveesha (2015) reported the presence of tannins,
phenolic compounds and saponins in the active fraction of H. brunonis Kumar et al. (2012) has analyzed free radical scavenging activi-
when subjected to phytochemical analysis, TLC and IR analysis. ties of methanolic leaf extracts of H. brunonis using butylated hydroxy-
Kumar et al. (2014) performed the phytochemical screening of toluene (BHT) and ascorbic acid as standards. The result of the study
H. brunonis leaves and recorded steroids, saponins, anthraquinones, has suggested that H. brunonis could be an effective source of natu-
terpenoids, flavonoids and phlobatannins. John et al. (2014) deter- ral antioxidants and can be used in the treatment of radical and age
mined the total phenolic and flavonoid content of H. brunonis as allied disorders. Pavithra et al. (2013) determined the antioxidant ef-
0.98 mg QE/ g. Nair et al. (2018) isolated two secondary metabo- ficiency of flower extracts of H. brunonis by DPPH free radical scav-
lites, 2,4-di-tert-butyl phenol and erythrodiol-3-acetate from H. uni- enging and ferric reducing assays. Free radical scavenging activity was
juga hexane and chloroform extracts. Samaraweera et al. (1983) iso- higher in the flowers methanolic extract (which was rich in phenols and
lated two new compounds, (2R,3R)-3,5,7,3’,5’-pentahydroxyflavone flavonoids) than in the chloroform and the petroleum ether extracts.
and 3cr-methoxyfriedelan along with other compounds such as O- John et al. (2014) have determined the total flavonoid and phenolic
acetyl oleanolic aldehyde, a sitosteryl (ester), 5,7,4’- trihydroxyflavone content in H. brunonis flowers methanolic extract. The values of total
(apigenin) and lupeol, sitosterol from the leaf, bark and timber ex- phenolic content and antioxidant activity had a significant linear corre-
tracts of H. laurifolia. Leela and Pillai (2005) isolated sitosterol-3-O– lation. Sheik and Chandrashekar (2014) studied the antioxidant activi-
D-glucopyranoside, 3𝛼-methoxy friedelan, sitosterol and apigenin from ties of stem and leaf extracts of H. brunonis of which, the methanolic ex-
H. vahliana. Asirvatham and Yesudanam (2017) have detected various tract exhibited the highest antioxidant activity. Dyamavvanahalli et al.
phytochemicals such as alkaloids, cardiac glycosides, carbohydrates, (2011) found a negative correlation between the flavonoids of ethyl ac-
flavonoids, steroids, tannins and phenolic compounds in the bark ex- etate H. brunonis leaf extract and the DPPH radical scavenging activity.
tracts of H. vahliana. Asirvatham and Yesudanam (2018) have also So they suggested that the antioxidant activity should be due to the phe-
isolated sitosterol-3- O-𝛽-D-glucopyranoside, 𝛽-sitosterol and apigenin nolic compounds.
from the aerial parts of H. vahliana.
Anticarcinogenic efficiencies
Pharmacology of Humboldtia spp. Among 35,000 plant species screened against cancer, about 3,000
demonstrated potential anticancer activities (Desai et al., 2008).
Antibacterial activity Nair et al. (2018) isolated two compounds 2, 4-di-tert-butyl phenol H.
unijuga (Accession 2) and Erythrodiol-3-acetate H. unijuga (Accession 1)
Samaraweera et al. (1983) analysed the antibacterial activity of ethyl from H. unijuga and also recorded their anti-inflammatory activity by
acetate extract of H. brunonis by agar well diffusion method against LPS-induced acute inflammatory cell line model. The anticancer effi-
both plant and human pathogenic bacteria. The extract significantly ciency was observed by A431 skin cancer and MCF7 breast cancer cell
inhibited various plant pathogenic bacteria such as Xanthomonas ax- lines. Of the research carried out, higher activity was exhibited by H.
onopodis pv. vesicatoria, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Pseudomonas unijuga (Accession 2) when compared with H. unijuga (Accession 1) in
syringae. Dyamavanahalli et al. (2011) reported the antibacterial activ- which, potential lead compounds were isolated for the development of
ity of ethyl acetate leaf extract of H. brunonis against gram-negative novel therapeutics to treat inflammation and cancer.
and gram-positive bacteria. No activity was found in the methanolic
leaf extracts. Pavithra et al. (2013) determined the antibacterial activ- Anti-tubercular
ity of H. brunonis flowers extracts that could be related to phenols and About one-third of the world’s population has been affected by tu-
flavonoids. Kumar et al. (2013) determined the anticariogenic activ- berculosis according to WHO (Frieden et al., 2003; W.H.O, 2013). A
ity of chloroform, methanol and petroleum ether flowers extracts of H. wide range of phytochemicals was reported on anti-tubercular activity
brunonis against 4 isolates of Streptococcus mutans by agar well diffusion including tannins, phenolics, quinones, peptides, triterpenoids and al-
method. The extracts of flowers inhibited all four isolates. Sheik and kaloids. Kumar et al. (2014) evaluated the anti-tubercular activity of
Chandrashekar (2014) investigated the antimicrobial activity of stem leaves of H. brunonis, in which, various solvent extracts of leaves were
and leaf extracts of H. brunonis being the methanol extract the most ef- tested against M. tuberculosis H37RV and an agar-based proportion as-
fective against standard tested microbes. Sindhu et al. (2014) reported say was used to determine minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs).
that the chloroform and ethanolic extracts of H. brunonis exhibited good Crude leaf extracts of H. brunonis have shown MIC value of 50 𝜇g/ml

4
S. Surendran, A.C. Prabha, R. Ramasubbu et al. Phytomedicine Plus 1 (2021) 100080

while the standard drug Isoniazid showed MIC = 0.025 𝜇g/ml. The crude ethanol extract at a higher dose of 400 mg/kg body weight was more
extracts of H. brunonis have potential anti-tubercular activity against M. effective than the lower dose.
tuberculosis and the former research has suggested identifying the active
compound to treat as a novel anti-tubercular drug. Conclusion

The species of Humboldtia has been widely concerned in recent years

Anti-inflammatory activities
due to its various phytocompounds and their pharmacological poten-
Although numerous anti-inflammatory drugs have been discovered
tials. Of the seven species reported, three species of Humboldtia, H.
and are in clinical use, the inflammation condition is still challeng-
brunonis, H. vahliana and H. unijuga have been only intensively re-
ing. Many of the existing drugs are opioids and NSAIDs, but they pro-
searched on phytochemistry and pharmacology. Further, studies have to
duce many side effects. Hence, the discovery of new drugs is nec-
be attempted to know the phytochemistry and pharmacology and other
essary. Plants have many phytocompounds that have shown to dis-
biological efficiency of H.bourdillonii, H. decurrens, H.laurifolia, H. san-
play anti-inflammatory activities with few side effects (Virshette et al.,
jappae and H. unijuga.This review article will serve as an efficient source
2019). Phytocompounds such as tannins, saponins, alkaloids, flavonoids
for future researchers to understand the existing phytocompounds and
and phytosterols have shown to possess anti-inflammatory activi-
pharmacological efficiencies of Humboldtia which lead to new drug de-
ties (Omodanisi et al., 2017). Nair et al. (2018) reported the anti-
velopment in the pharmaceutical sectors.
inflammatory of erythrodiol-3-acetate and 2, 4-di-tert-butylphenol iso-
lated from H. unijuga. Effects of H. unijuga (Accession 1) and H. unijuga Author statement
(Accession 2) treatments (50, 100 mg/mL) on gene expression profiles
of apoptosis genes p53 and caspase 7 and pro-inflammatory cytokines Saranya Surendran; Planning of research problem, Preparation of re-
TNFa, IL-6 and IL-1b were analyzed. In all three pro-inflammatory view content of Phytocompounds and Pharmacology; Chandra Prabha
genes, a significantly higher anti-inflammatory effect was recorded by Ayyathurai: Preparation of review content of Pharmacology; Raju Rama-
H. unijuga (Accession 2) when compared to H. unijuga (Accession 1). subbu: Planning of research problem, Preparation of review content of
Ethnobotany Lead, Review and Editing of Manuscript; Krishnaraj, M.V.:
Membrane stabilizing Preparation of review content of Taxonomy

Raju et al. (2015) detemined the membrane-stabilizing effect of Declaration of Competing Interest
aqueous and ethanol extracts of H. vahliana on the human red blood
cell membrane. Cell membrane stability was investigated at different pH The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
and temperature and reported as higher with cells exposed to ethanolic interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
extract of H. vahliana. Although, the ethanolic extract has been found as the work reported in this paper.
more effective than aqueous extract.
Supplementary materials

Neuropharmacological effects Supplementary material associated with this article can be found, in
the online version, at doi:10.1016/j.phyplu.2021.100080.
Neuropharmacology is the study of drug effects on the nervous sys-
tem. Many bioactive constituents in the plants have been used in neuro- References
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Ansari, R., 1985. Studies on the vascular flora of Kasaragod division, Cannanore Dist.,
central nervous system have started from the 19th century itself. When Kerala State. University of Madras, India Ph.D. Thesis.
compared with synthetic chemical agents, herbal medicines are easily Asirvatham, R., Yesudanam, S., 2017. Evaluation of antioxidant potential of Humboldtia
available, less toxic and low price (). Drugs to treat pathological con- Vahliana Wight in Neuropharmacological screening on mice. Int. j. med. Res. Pharm.
Sci. 41–53.
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