Emex spinosa (L.) Campd.: A Review on Ethnomedicinal, Phytochemical, Pharmacological, and Toxicological Profile

Emex spinosa (L.) Campd. (E. spinosa) is a plant species belonging to the Polygonaceae family. It is native to the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe and is most commonly seen on the coastlines of Mediterranean countries. Additionally, it occurs primarily throughout Spain, Portugal, Israel, and Morocco. The plant is frequently utilized for managing an extensive variety of illnesses, including indigestion, jaundice, liver troubles, constipation, and liver problems. However, there is a lack of comprehensive resource material on the traditional uses, nutritional benefits, phytochemical, pharmacological, and toxicological assessments of this plant. This review seeks to highlight the traditional uses, chemical composition, and medicinal attributes of Emex spinosa species. Moreover, this study explored the medicinal, chemical composition, and toxicological aspects of E. spinosa. In addition, this investigation aimed to analyze and document all available information and scientific discoveries on the medicinal applications and phytochemical attributes of this plant. Furthermore, the review was carried out using several research and scientific networks, including Scopus, ScienceDirect, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The correctness of the plant names has been checked using plantlist.org. The study findings were assessed, reviewed, and reported using the bibliographic data acquired. In addition, this herb is widely used in traditional healing because of its high phytochemical composition. E. spinosa produces a wide range of secondary metabolites, including alkaloids, flavonoids, and anthraquinones. It also contains coumarins, saponins, sterols, tannins, and volatile oils that have been discovered to be related to their therapeutic properties. These phytochemicals are ideal for potential application to modern therapeutic agents because of their antibacterial, antifungal, cytotoxic, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antiulcer, and anti-inflammatory properties. The secondary metabolites of plants are increasingly being used as scaffolds for medications and for nutritional supplements, including for flavoring. Lastly, toxicological studies have demonstrated the relative safety of moderate doses of E. spinosa extracts. This review explored the geographic distribution, chemical components, and main applications of E. spinosa in order to determine future research interest and conduct clinical studies, where possible, to investigate its medicinal applications.