Plant Species of Sub-Family Valerianaceae—A Review on Its Effect on the Central Nervous System
Gitishree Das,
Han-Seung Shin,
Rosa Tundis,
Sandra Gonçalves,
Ourlad Alzeus G. Tantengco,
Maria G. Campos,
Rosaria Acquaviva,
Giuseppe Antonio Malfa,
Anabela Romano,
Joyce Ann H. Robles,
Mariel Q. Clores,
Jayanta-Kumar Patra
Affiliations
Gitishree Das
Research Institute of Biotechnology & Medical Converged Science, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang-si 10326, Korea
Han-Seung Shin
Department of Food Science & Biotechnology, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang-si 10326, Korea
Rosa Tundis
Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, 87036 Cosenza, Italy
Sandra Gonçalves
MED—Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Universidade do Algarve, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Campus de Gambelas, Ed. 8, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Ourlad Alzeus G. Tantengco
College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila 1000, Philippines
Maria G. Campos
Observatory of Drug-Herb Interactions, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, Heath Sciences Campus, Azinhaga de Santa Comba, 3000-548 Coimbra, Portugal
Rosaria Acquaviva
Department of Drug and Health Science—Biochemistry Section, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Giuseppe Antonio Malfa
Department of Drug and Health Science—Biochemistry Section, University of Catania, Viale A. Doria 6, 95125 Catania, Italy
Anabela Romano
MED—Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development, Universidade do Algarve, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Campus de Gambelas, Ed. 8, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
Joyce Ann H. Robles
College of Medicine, University of the Philippines Manila, Manila 1000, Philippines
Mariel Q. Clores
Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269, USA
Jayanta-Kumar Patra
Research Institute of Biotechnology & Medical Converged Science, Dongguk University-Seoul, Goyang-si 10326, Korea
Valerianaceae, the sub-family of Caprifoliaceae, contains more than 300 species of annual and perennial herbs, worldwide distributed. Several species are used for their biological properties while some are used as food. Species from the genus Valeriana have been used for their antispasmodic, relaxing, and sedative properties, which have been mainly attributed to the presence of valepotriates, borneol derivatives, and isovalerenic acid. Among this genus, the most common and employed species is Valerianaofficinalis. Although valerian has been traditionally used as a mild sedative, research results are still controversial regarding the role of the different active compounds, the herbal preparations, and the dosage used. The present review is designed to summarize and critically describe the current knowledge on the different plant species belonging to Valerianaceae, their phytochemicals, their uses in the treatment of different diseases with particular emphasis on the effects on the central nervous system. The available information on this sub-family was collected from scientific databases up until year 2020. The following electronic databases were used: PubMed, Scopus, Sci Finder, Web of Science, Science Direct, NCBI, and Google Scholar. The search terms used for this review included Valerianaceae, Valeriana, Centranthus, Fedia, Patrinia, Nardostachys, Plectritis, and Valerianella, phytochemical composition, in vivo studies, Central Nervous System, neuroprotective, antidepressant, antinociceptive, anxiolytic, anxiety, preclinical and clinical studies.
