CISSAMPELOS PAREIRA: AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW OF ITS ETHNOBOTANY, PHYTOCHEMISTRY, PHARMACOLOGY, TOXICOLOGY, AND THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL

Background: Medicinal plants are vital for safe and compatible healthcare. The liver, central to detoxification, is vulnerable to drug-induced damage. Herbal compounds treat liver disorders, with growing evidence supporting their hepatoprotective effects. Objectives: This review bridges traditional ethnobotany with modern phytochemical and pharmacological evidence for Cissampelos pareira L., highlighting its hepatoprotective and antioxidant activities, other preclinical bioactivities, safety profile, and key research gaps. Methods: A structured literature review synthesized ethnobotanical records, phytochemical data, and preclinical pharmacological studies from scientific databases. Traditional uses, morphology, phytochemistry, antioxidant and hepatoprotective assays, other bioactivities (immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, anti-asthmatic), and toxicology data were extracted and analyzed. Findings: C.pareira contains alkaloids, phenolics, and volatile oils. It shows strong antioxidant activity and hepatoprotection against CCl₄ and drug-induced liver injury. Additional effects include immunomodulatory, antidiabetic, anti-asthmatic, antiprotozoal, and cardioprotective activities. Acute toxicity suggests a wide safety margin, but anti-fertility and hormone-altering effects warrant caution. Conclusion: C.pareira is supported by ethnopharmacological and preclinical evidence as a promising hepatoprotective, multipotent bioactive source. Key gaps include alkaloid isolation, chemotype and quality-control validation, mechanism studies, ADME/PK and drug–herb interactions, chronic/reproductive toxicity, and early clinical trials. Filling these will clarify its liver disorder potential and enable evidence-based development.