A Review on Tradescantia: Phytochemical Constituents, Biological Activities and Health-Promoting Effects
Monica Butnariu, Cristina Quispe, Jesús Herrera‐Bravo, Álvaro Fernández‐Ochoa, Simin Emamzadeh-Yazdi, Charles Oluwaseun Adetunji, Adejoke Elizabeth Memudu, Anna Otlewska, Paulina Bogdan, Hubert Antolak, Katayoun Tamimi, Navid Baghalpour, Javad Mahroo Bakhtiyari, Surjit Sen, Krishnendu Acharya, Antonio Segura‐Carretero, María de la Luz Cádiz‐Gurrea, Swee‐Hua Erin Lim, Marius Pentea, Ioan Sărac, Sevgi Durna Daştan, Ahmad Faizal Abdull Razis, Sunusi Usman, Ramla Muhammad Kamal, William N. Setzer, Javad Sharifi‐Rad
Abstract
Tradescantia is a genus of herbaceous and perennial plants belonging to the Commelinaceae family and organized into three infrageneric classifications and 12 sections. More than 80 species within the genus have been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. Phytochemical compounds (from various species of the genus) such as coumarins, alkaloids, saponins, flavonoids, phenolics, tannins, steroids and terpenoids have recently been characterized and described with antioxidant, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer or antimicrobial properties. The objective of this review is to describe the different aspects of the genus Tradescantia, including its botanical characteristics, traditional uses, phytochemical composition, biological activities, and safety aspects.