Title:A Review on Genus Alseodaphne: Phytochemistry and Pharmacology
Volume: 9
Issue: 4
Author(s): Bandana K Thakur, Amit Anthwal, Devendra Singh Rawat, Bipin Rawat, Rashmi and MSM Rawat
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Alseodaphne, Flavonoid glycosides, Isoquinoline alkaloids, Lactonic compounds, Lauraceae.
Abstract: The potential of higher plants as a source of new drugs is still largely unexplored. Among the estimated 2.5-5 lakh plant
species, only a small percentage has been investigated phytochemically and the fraction submitted to biological or pharmacological
screening is even smaller. Cumulative studies have revealed that lauraceous plants, particularly those of the Litsea, Neolitsea, Phoebe,
Cryptocarya, and Dehaasia genera contain various types of isoquinoline alkaloids. Besides this, other components such as lactonic
compounds and flavonoid glycosides were reported in certain lauraceous species. To further clarify the application of chemotaxonomy in
this family, a more thorough investigation on other genera is required, especially for those rarely studied ones, such as Alseodaphne. The
genus Alseodaphne is a member of family Lauraceae. It is distributed in tropical belt of India, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos,
Malaysia, Myanmar and Philippines. Although, efforts have been made by researchers to explore this genus, but, very less number of the
species have been explored. The genus contains a wide class of alkaloids and lactones, some of which could be of great biological
importance. The present review is an attempt to highlight various phytochemical and pharmacological reports on the genus Alseodaphne,
to draw the attention of the researchers towards versatility of the genus.
