A Review of Medicinal Plants of the Himalayas with Anti-Proliferative Activity for the Treatment of Various Cancers
Authors
Hailemeleak Regassa
Faculty of Applied Sciences & Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology & Management Sciences, Solan 173229, India
Anuradha Sourirajan
Faculty of Applied Sciences & Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology & Management Sciences, Solan 173229, India
Vikas Kumar
Institute of Biotechnology, Chandigarh University, Mohali 140413, India
Sadanand Pandey
Department of Chemistry, College of Natural Sciences, Yeungnam University, 280 Daehak-Ro, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea
Deepak Kumar
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Shoolini University, Solan 173229, India
Kamal Dev
Faculty of Applied Sciences & Biotechnology, Shoolini University of Biotechnology & Management Sciences, Solan 173229, India
Simple Summary
Drugs are used to treat cancer. Most drugs available in the market are chemosynthetic drugs and have side effects on the patient during and after the treatment, in addition to cancer itself. For instance, hair loss, loss of skin color and texture, loss of energy, nausea, infertility, etc. To overcome these side effects, naturally obtained drugs from medicinal plants are preferred. Our review paper aims to encourage the study of anticancer medicinal plants by giving detailed information on thirty-three medicinal plants and parts that constitute the phytochemicals responsible for the treatment of cancer. The development of plant-based drugs could be a game changer in treating cancer as well as boosting the immune system.
Cancer is a serious and significantly progressive disease. Next to cardiovascular disease, cancer has become the most common cause of mortality in the entire world. Several factors, such as environmental factors, habitual activities, genetic factors, etc., are responsible for cancer. Many cancer patients seek alternative and/or complementary treatments because of the high death rate linked with cancer and the adverse side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Traditional medicine has a long history that begins with the hunt for botanicals to heal various diseases, including cancer. In the traditional medicinal system, several plants used to treat diseases have many bioactive compounds with curative capability, thereby also helping in disease prevention. Plants also significantly contributed to the modern pharmaceutical industry throughout the world. In the present review, we have listed 33 medicinal plants with active and significant anticancer activity, as well as their anticancer compounds. This article will provide a basic set of information for researchers interested in developing a safe and nontoxic active medicinal plant-based treatment for cancer. The research will give a scientific foundation for the traditional usage of these medicinal herbs to treat cancer.
Keywords: cancer, medicinal plants, phytocompounds, cytotoxicity, immunotherapies, Himalayas
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