Molecules (Aug 2022)

Phytochemical Compounds and Pharmacological Properties of <i>Larrea tridentata</i>

  • Ana Lizet Morales-Ubaldo,
  • Nallely Rivero-Perez,
  • Benjamín Valladares-Carranza,
  • Alfredo Madariaga-Navarrete,
  • Rosa Isabel Higuera-Piedrahita,
  • Lucía Delgadillo-Ruiz,
  • Rómulo Bañuelos-Valenzuela,
  • Adrian Zaragoza-Bastida

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27175393
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 27, no. 17
p. 5393

Abstract

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For centuries, traditional medicine from plants (phytotherapy) was the only treatment for infectious and non-infectious diseases. Although it is still practiced in several countries with excellent therapeutic results, it is frequently underestimated because, unlike Western medicine, it is not based on an empirical scientific foundation. However, interest in the search for plant-based therapeutic resources has been stimulated by disciplines such as phytochemistry and the side effects of conventional pharmacological therapies. For example, Larrea tridentata is a perennial shrub used in traditional medicine in northern Mexico and the southern United States to treat infertility, rheumatism, arthritis, colds, diarrhea, skin problems, pain, inflammation and excess body weight. Scientific research has revealed its beneficial effects—antioxidant, antitumor, neuroprotective, regenerative, antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, anthelmintic, antiprotozoal and insecticidal—although reports indicate that some compounds in Larrea tridentata may be hepatotoxic and nephrotoxic. Therefore, the aim of this review was to highlight the updates regarding phytochemical compounds and the pharmacological properties of Larrea tridentata.

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