Unlocking the therapeutic potential of the Genus Senecio (Asteraceae): essential oil composition and pharmacological insights

Senecio is the largest and most complex genus in the family of the Asteraceae with more than 1,500 species distributed widely throughout the world. A comprehensive search of the electronic databases (1986–2023) using the keywords of ‘Senecio’ and ‘essential oil’ revealed that an essential oils composition breakdown is available for 57 species, with α-pinene, α-farnesene, germacrene D, p-cymene, myrcene, α-terpinene, and caryophyllene oxide being the most identified components. The pharmacological activities have been summarized of different species including antimicrobial, antioxidant, repellent, antifungal, acaricidal, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxicity, phytotoxic, anticholinesterase, allelopathic, nematicidal, antimalarial, antileishmanial, α-glucosidase, anticorrosive, analgesic, and toxicity. This review is expected to lay the foundation for further studies of this genus and provides guidance for selecting accessions of species with the best chemical profiles.