Anoectochilus roxburghii: A review of its phytochemistry, pharmacology, and clinical applications

Anoectochilus roxburghii (Orchidaceae), also known as Jinxianlian (Simplified Chinese: ) and Jinxianlan (Simplified Chinese: ), is valued in many Asian countries, where this plant species is used for medicinal, culinary, and ornamental purposes. As a food, A. roxburghii is widely used as a treatment booster and medicine because of its various beneficial properties; these include, most notably, the curative effects of heat dissipation and cooling of blood, elimination of dampness, detoxification, and immunity enhancement.

This review aims to provide up-to-date information on the phytochemistry, pharmacology, and clinical applications of A. roxburghii.

Relevant information on A. roxburghii was obtained by an online search of worldwide-accepted scientific databases (Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Elsevier, Springer, NCBI, ACS Publications, CNKI, and Wanfang data).

Phytochemical investigations have revealed that the major chemical constituents of A. roxburghii are polysaccharides, flavonoids, glycosides, organic acids, volatile compounds, steroids, triterpenes, alkaloids, and nucleosides. These compounds have been proven to be the main bioactive substances responsible for pharmacological activities such as antidiabetic, antilipemic, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, liver protective, renal protective, immunomodulatory, abirritant, sedative, and antineoplastic effects.

A variety of dosage forms of A. roxburghii are currently being applied to patients suffering from hyperuricemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, chronic hepatitis B, Helicobacter pylori infection, cough-variant asthma, and other conditions. Nevertheless, further research is needed to clarify A. roxburghii absorption, distribution, metabolic, and excretion pathways. Moreover, the toxicology in A. roxburghii and A. formosanus are also in urgent need of research, especially long-term in vivo chronic toxicity tests need to be carried out.