Egyptian Cyperus Weeds: A Morphological, Phytochemical, and Biological Review

Cyperaceae, a family of grasslike herbaceous plants, comprises about 100 genera that are distributed globally in both temperate and tropical areas. Cyperus, including around 900 species, is the most important genus of this family in the tropics. Between these species, there are six weeds growing in Egypt: Cyperus alopecuroids, Cyperus articulatus, Cyperus difformis, Cyperus lavigatus, Cyperus longus, and Cyperus rotundus. In traditional medicine, these plants have been reported to treat gastrointestinal and respiratory infections, inflammatory diseases, and menstrual irregularities. In addition, these weeds are characterized by the prevalence of bioactive compounds like flavonoids, stilbenoids, coumarins, iridoids, sesquiterpenes, triterpenes, and nitrogenous compounds. Several scientifically-based bioactivities are ascribed to these species as antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antidepressant, antidiabetic, and estrogenic biofunctionalities. This literature survey shed light on the morphological characteristics in addition to metabolic compositions and bioactivities of different parts, extracts, and some isolated compounds of these plants to serve as a guide in the foregoing studies. This taking in consideration that evaluation of toxicity data and risk assessment is required to clarify its safe and efficient use. Further comprehensive structural-activity and clinical studies are warranted to clarify the therapeutic potential of the phytochemicals derived from these weeds for clinical use