FROM FOLK MEDICINE TO FUTURE PHARMACEUTICALS: A CRITICAL REVIEW OF PLECTRANTHUS AMBOINICUS MEDICINAL USES AND SCIENTIFIC VALIDATION

Abstract

Plectranthus amboinicus (Lour.) Spreng, Indian Borage or Country Borage, is a Lamiaceae family perennial herb with wide awareness for its aromatic nature and immense ethnobotanical value. Traditionally used by example in various cultures for its medicinal usage, the present review summarizes available information on its botanical description, diversified traditional usage, dense phytochemical content, and established pharmacological activities.

P. amboinicus is traditionally used in traditional medicine to treat various disorders such as respiratory ailments like asthma and cough, inflammatory disorders like rheumatoid arthritis, skin infections, fever, and gastrointestinal disease. Contemporary scientific studies have all but validated these traditional applications since P. amboinicus has shown bountiful phytochemical composition like flavonoids, phenols, terpenes, and various other bioactive molecules. These constituents are mainly responsible for the plant's purported pharmacological activities, including potent antimicrobial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antidiabetic, anxiolytic, anti-neoplastic, analgesic, and wound-healing activities.

This review emphasizes the therapeutic potential of P. amboinicus, bridging traditional knowledge with existing scientific evidence. It attempts to be an eclectic repository for scientists, leading future research to more accurately describe its action mechanisms, discover new drugs of therapy, and investigate its wider use in the pharmaceutical and medical industry.