Holarrhena species: a review of the traditional uses, active constituents and pharmacological properties

Abstract Medicinal plants play a vital role in human health care and are used to cure various diseases. The genus Holarrhena is a member of the family Apocynaceae and is mainly found in tropical Africa, Southern continental Asia, and Sri Lanka. Many species of Holarrhena have traditionally been used for the treatment of various diseases, such as hallucinations, dysentery, biliousness, leprosy, tiredness, and skin problems. Importantly, the bark and its extracts have long been used in traditional medicine worldwide for their therapeutic properties. Numerous studies suggested the potential antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, cytotoxicity, analgesic, antimalarial, antioxidant, and diuretic activity of Holarrhena against several cancer cells, and animal modal, bacterial, and fungal strains. The aim of the review of this genera is, to explore the therapeutic potential of Holarrhena species and assess future research opportunities, to provide current, thorough, and well-organized information on botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, standardization report, and patent information on the plant and lastly is to compile the majority of the scientific research that has been performed in genus Holarrhena. The articles published from 1882 to 2024 were included in this review. The information about the different species of genus Holarrhena was collected through major E-databases including Google Scholar, Web of Science, Research Gate, CABI, Scopus, PubMed, Science Direct, Google Patents, Academia, and Elsevier. Graphical Abstract