A review on phytochemical, pharmacological and ethnopharmacological aspects of genus Trichodesma

The genus Trichodesma belongs to the family Boraginaceae. The plants of this genus are widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Australia. Phytochemically, scientific reports on Trichodesma species so far revealed more than one hundred compounds from this genus, including hydrocarbons, phenols, flavonoids, sterols, terpenes and alkaloids have been isolated or identified. Medicinally, various reported biological activities of Trichodesma such as antimicrobial, antiparasitic, cytotoxic, anti-infection, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant, antidiarrheal, antispasmodic, antimalarial, analgesic, antipyretic, anti-diabetic, diuretic, and hepatoprotective effects were discussed in this review otherwise. Also, the ethnopharmacological effects of this genus were reviewed. Among all the Trichodesma species, T. indicum is regarded as the most important one regarding its pharmacological values. The volatile oil of T. africanum L. showed high antioxidant activity.