The Potential and Outgoing Trends in Traditional, Phytochemical, and Ethnopharmacological Activity of Gentiana olivieri : A Comprehensive Review

Gentiana, a cosmopolitan and important genus of the Gentianaceae family, comprises 400 species distributed among the world. Based on the studies of Iranian traditional medicine texts, there are some promising bioactivities for this genus that are unknown in modern medicine and some of them are still the basis of new remedies. Whole plant of Gentiana olivieri Griseb. holds a rich source of secondary metabolites including alkaloids, bitter secoiridoid glycosides, triterpenes, fats, flavone-c-glycosides (isoorientin). The alkaloids (gentianine, gentianidine) have been culpable for their manifold pharmacological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal, hypotensive and the flavone-c-glycosides (isoorientin) have been responsible for the anti-inflammatory, anti-nociceptive, gastroprotective, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic effect. In this review, an attempt has been made to enlightened morphology, phytochemistry, ethnobotanical and reported pharmacological activities in the last six years for exploring the interminable medicinal potential of Gentiana olivieri. Nitin Chandel1, Amit Chaudhary1*, Diksha Choudhary1, Kapil Kumar Verma2 1 School of Pharmacy, Abhilashi University, Chail Chowk, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh-175028 India. 2Minerva College of Pharmacy, Indora, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh-176402 India. Submitted: 23 July 2021 Accepted: 29 July 2021 Published: 30 August 2021 www.ijppr. humanjournals.com Citation Amit Chaudhary et al. Ijppr.Human, 2021; Vol. 22 (1): 272-279. 273 INTRODUCTION Indian Ayurveda along with the Siddha, Jammu, Tibetan, Traditional Chinese, and Unani systems of medicine are an essential source of health and livelihood for millions of Asian people. Ayurvedic medicine is broadly practiced particularly in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka[1]. Gentianaceae is an ethnobotanically important family used extensively in Unani, Ayurvedic and Chinese traditional medicine systems. Famous Unani formulations (Tiryaq Samania, Tiryaq Arbaa) employed the use of plants from this precious family [2]. The angiosperms family Gentianaceae is comprised of 87 genra and 1615–1688 species and has been celestially accepted in all subsequent considerable classifications. It is a family that appears great adaption in habit, morphology, anatomy, geographical distribution. The plants of the family are annual and perennial herbs or shrubs [3]. Plants belonging to genus Gentiana are very well-known for their ethnomedicinal and phytopharmacological action. People living in the mountains of Pakistan use Gentiana in many ways such as medicines, timber wood, firewood, food, fodder etc. Gentiana is comprised of intensely bitter glycosides[5] which have been responsible for its immense therapeutic potential. Recently interest in this potent medicinal plant has been revived and various significant phytoconstituents like olivierosides, oliveramine, gentianine, isoorientin, gentianamine etc. have been studied for drug development and discovery. [6-7] Gentiana olivieri Griseb. (Afat), belonging to the Gentianaceae family [8] is widely used as a bitter tonic, stomachic, appetizer, antipyretic, anticonvulsant, antidiabetic, antihepatotoxic, antinociceptive, anti-inflammatory, antiulcerogenic, sedative, antioxidant, antidepressant, and antianemic [9]. The plant is known to possess several bitter secoiridoids glycosides, flavonoids (isoorientin and its derivatives), alkaloids, xhanthones, triterpenoid acids, and fats [10]. Recently, among the species of the Gentianaceae family, G. olivieri has been a focus of interest due to the identification of phytochemicals such as amarogentin and sweroside as new potential drugs [9-12]. Vernacular Names [13] Unani: Gul-e-ghafis, English: Gentian, Hindi: Asbarg, Pakistan: Bangera, Turkey: Afat www.ijppr. humanjournals.com Citation Amit Chaudhary et al. Ijppr.Human, 2021; Vol. 22 (1): 272-279. 274 Taxonomic Classification [14-15]