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Insights on the pharmacological, phytochemical and ethnobotanical aspects of Artemisia roxburghiana: a rather less explored but therapeutically important species of lower Himalayas

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Abstract

Artemisia roxburghiana Wall. ex Besser, belongs to the family Asteraceae (Compositae), is widely used in traditional medicine in Asia to treat various ailments like diabetes, rheumatism, malaria, hepatitis and helminths. In the present study, the relevant literature collected from various offline and online sources including Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed, was thoroughly reviewed for Phytochemistry, Ethnobotany and Pharmacology of A. roxburghiana. The literature survey revealed that A. roxburghiana contains a wide range of secondary metabolites like flavonoids, terpenoids, coumarins, steroids and fatty acids. The plant has been reported to be an important source of many bioactive compounds such as artemisinin, scopoletin and taraxeryl acetate. It showed anti-protozoal, anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory and antidiabetic activities in various experimental models. The present review concludes that the plant can be used to treat many human ailments; however, further research is warranted to develop it as a medicine.

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Abbreviations

IL-1β:

Interleukin 1β

IL-6:

Interleukin 6

TNF-α:

Tumor necrosis factor α

NO:

Nitric oxide

COX-1:

Cyclooxygenase 1

COX-2:

Cyclooxygenase 2

PGE2:

Prostaglandin E2

IC50 :

Half maximal inhibitory concentration

AGS:

Adenocarcinoma gastric cell line

WBCs:

White blood cells

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by National Medicinal Plants Board, Ministry of AYUSH, Govt. of India (Grant No. Z.18017/187/CSS/R&D/UK-01/2017-18-NMPB-IV A).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research and Development Centre, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Uttarakhand Ayurved University, Harrawala, Dehradun, 248001, India

    Ankit Kumar & Sonali Aswal

  2. Department of Chemistry, Pt. Lalit Mohan Sharma Government Postgraduate College, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, 249201, India

    Ruchi Badoni Semwal

  3. Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Uttarakhand Ayurved University, Harrawala, Dehradun, 248001, India

    Ashutosh Chauhan

  4. Department of Phytochemistry, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Uttarakhand Ayurved University, Harrawala, Dehradun, 248001, India

    Deepak Kumar Semwal

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  1. Ankit Kumar
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  2. Sonali Aswal
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  4. Ashutosh Chauhan
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Contributions

Ankit Kumar, Sonali Aswal, and Ashutosh Chauhan contributed in the searching literature and writing this manuscript. Ruchi Badoni Semwal provided an effective analysis of the document. Deepak Kumar Semwal revised and proofread the paper.

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Correspondence to Deepak Kumar Semwal.

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Kumar, A., Aswal, S., Semwal, R.B. et al. Insights on the pharmacological, phytochemical and ethnobotanical aspects of Artemisia roxburghiana: a rather less explored but therapeutically important species of lower Himalayas. Phytochem Rev 18, 199–214 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11101-018-9589-6

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