Ethnobotanical uses of Helinus species (Rhamnaceae family) in tropical Africa and Asia

Background: Helinus species are distributed in tropical Africa and Asia and are widely used as sources of traditional medicines and cosmetics. This review compiles existing information on ethnobotanical uses, chemical, pharmacological properties, and further use potential and applications of Helinus species. Methods: Information on ethnobotanical uses, chemical, pharmacological properties of Helinus species was obtained from online databases such as Scopus®, Google Scholar, SpringerLink®, SciELO, ScienceDirect®, PubMed® and Web of Science, and pre-electronic sources such as books, journal articles, dissertations, book chapters, theses and other scientific articles obtained from the University of Fort Hare library. Results: This comprehensive review summarizes the ethnobotanical uses, phytochemical and pharmacological properties of five Helinus species: H. brevipes, H. integrifolius, H. lanceolatus, H. mystacinus and H. spartioides. Four of these species have ethnomedicinal records, with H. integrifolius and H. mystacinus having the highest utility reports. Chemical compounds isolated from the species include aconitic acid, saponins, scyllitol, phenols, flavonoids, glycosides, steroids, alkaloids, tannins, terpenoids and benzoic acid. The crude extracts of H. integrifolius, H. lanceolatus and H. mystacinus exhibited antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, glucose stimulatory and cytotoxicity activities. Conclusions: Results of this study contribute towards the existing knowledge about ethnomedicinal uses of Helinus species that could be useful in bio-prospecting for new health-promoting products required in the primary healthcare delivery system. Future research should focus on elucidation of phytochemical, pharmacological, toxicological, in vivo and clinical research of Helinus species. Keywords: Helinus, pharmacological, phytochemical, Rhamnaceae, traditional knowledge, tropics