Phytochemistry, traditional uses, and pharmacological activities of Ficus elastica Roxb. ex Hornem: A review

Abstract

Ficus elastica Roxb. ex Hornem is usually found in tropical and subtropical areas, used in traditional medicine for various health problems, including pain, rheumatism, diarrhea, hypertension, infection, skin allergies, anemia, wound, hernia, and hemorrhoids. This review aims to present the phytoconstituents and pharmacological activities of F. elastica. A literature search employing PubMed, Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, and Library was done to retrieve the relevant articles. F. elastica is a good source of traditional medicine for the treatment of various types of diseases, especially for microbial infections and preeclampsia. Quercitrin and myricetrin, having strong antioxidant activity, as well as ficusamide, ficusoside B, elastiquinone, elasticoside, and elasticamide are compounds, which have potential to be developed as new drugs for these conditions. In sum, the data regarding the pharmacological and safety aspects of this plant and its components are still limited. However, F. elastica is a natural product that has beneficial to human health and might be a good source for the preparation of new drugs.

Keywords

• rubber tree
• herbal medicine
• secondary metabolites
• biological activities
• phytoconstituent