Plant Chemical Composition and Pharmacological Attributes: Targeting Clinical Studies from Preclinical Evidence.

Members of the genus are native to America, Africa and Asia, and have long been used in traditional medicine. The species most commonly used for medicinal purposes are , , , , , , , and , which are highly effective in asthma, birth/postpartum pains, callouses, conjunctivitis, diabetes, diarrhea, expectorant, fever, flu, lactation, liver infection, malaria, otitis, pains, pediculosis, rheumatism, scabies, skin inflammations, spasm, stomach ache, bladder and pancreas stone removal. Flour, syrup, and beverages from pods have also been potentially used for foods and food supplement formulation in many regions of the world. In addition, various in vitro and in vivo studies have revealed interesting antiplasmodial, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anticancer, antidiabetic and wound healing effects. The phytochemical composition of plants, namely their content of C-glycosyl flavones (such as schaftoside, isoschaftoside, vicenin II, vitexin and isovitexin) has been increasingly correlated with the observed biological effects. Thus, given the literature reports, plants have positive impact on the human diet and general health. In this sense, the present review provides an in-depth overview of the literature data regarding plants' chemical composition, pharmacological and food applications, covering from pre-clinical data to upcoming clinical studies.