The genus Cratoxylum: traditional use, phytochemistry and pharmacology

The genus Cratoxylum contained medicinal herbs, which are widely distributed in South-East Asia and China. Plants of this genus were consumed as a vegetable side dish, a spice, an ingredient in soup, or a substitute for tea, as well as they are traditionally appropriate for various diseases such as fever, cough, flu, diarrhoea, etc. The most aims of the current review are to highlight the ultimate information about the traditional use, phytochemistry and pharmacology of Cratoxylum medicinal plants.

The relevant literature data of Cratoxylum species have been gathered from Google Scholar, Sci-Finder, Web of Science, Science Direct and various journal websites. The most meaningful keyword 'Cratoxylum' was used in combination or alone in the search for references.

More than 150 reports have been retrieved from the search, completely written in English. Most of them are phytochemical and pharmacological studies, which determined the isolations of 277 metabolites. Xanthone derivatives (205 compounds, 74%) are essential, followed by other chemical classes such as flavonoids, anthraquinones, triterpenoids, benzophenones, phytosterols and tocopherols. Cratoxylum constituents possessed complexed pharmacological activities, including antioxidant, antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antihypertensive, antimalarial, antiviral, antiamoebic, protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B inhibitory, neuroprotective, hepatoprotective and gastroprotective activities, especially in terms of anticancer.