## 1 Introduction
Apart from these drugs that originate from natural sources, other phytochemicals also serve as potential drugs after structural modification [8]. Figure 2: Triterpenoids and their sources. Scientific studies have shown triterpenoids to be potential anti-inflammatory and anticancer agents. This review covers the anti-inflammatory and anticancer property of triterpenoids originating from plants such as onion, ginseng, brahmi, azuma ichirinsuou, shallaki, salai giggal, lei gong teng, licorice, mango, olive, bearberry, Chinese bellflower, sickle-leaf, tulsi, ashwagandha, and others (Figure 2 and Table 1) that target one or more of the various phases of tumorigenesis. As more than 20,000 triterpenoids are available in nature and it is difficult to describe them all, this review summarizes what we know of a few triterpenoids with structural similarity, including avicin, erythroid, madecassic acid, maslinic acid, momordin, saikosaponins, 2-cyano-3,12-dioxobeana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oic acid (CDDO) and its methyl ester CDDO-Me, platycodon D, withanolide, diosgenin, betulinic acid, boswellic acids, pristimerin, and celastrol (Figure 3); their active moieties for anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l} \hline
**Chemical Compound** & **Common Name** & **Botanical Name** \\ \hline Tetracyclic triterpenoid & \\ Astragaloside & Chinese milk vetch & _Astragalus membranacous_ \\ Cucurbitacin & White bryony & _Bryonia alba_ \\ Diosgenin & Fenugreek & _Trigonella foenum graecum_ \\ Ganoderic acid & Reishi & _Ganoderma lucidum_ \\ Ginsoside & Gins & _Panax ginseng_ \\ Gypenoside & Jiaogulan & _Gynostemma pentaphyllum_ \\ Oleandrin & Oleander & _Nerium oleander_ \\ Pentacyclic triterpenoid & \\ Amyrin & Japanese persimmon & _Diospyros kaki_ \\ Asiatic acid & Indian pennywort & _Centella asiatica_ \\ Avicin & Elegant wattle & _Acacia victoriae_ \\ Betulinic acid & Indian jujube & _Ziziphus mauritiana_ \\ Anemone & _Anemone raddeana_ \\ Club mosses & Lycopodium cernuum \\ Trumpet satinash & _Syzygium claviflorum_ \\ Boswellic acid & Boswellia, & _Boswellia serrata_ \\  & Frankincense, salai guggal & _Boswellia carteri_ \\ Celastrol & Thunder god vine & _Tripterygium willfordii_ \\ Escin & Horse chestnut & _Aesculus hippocampalanum_ \\ Glycyrrhizin & Licorice & _Glycyrrhiza glabra_ \\
18-\(\beta\)-Glycyrrheinic acid & Licorice & _Glycyrrhizia glabra_ \\ Lupeol & Mango & _Mangifera indica_ \\  & Three leaved caper & _Cataeva nurvala_ \\ Madecassic acid & Indian pennywort, gotu kola & _Centella asiatica_ \\ Momordin & Burning bush & _Kochia scoparia_ \\ Oleanolic acid & Bearberry & _Arctostaphyllos uva-ursi_ \\  & Heather & _Calluna vulgaris_ \\  & Three leaved caper & _Cataeva nurvala_ \\  & Reishi & _Ganoderma lucidum_ \\  & Chinese elder & _Sambucus chinensis_ \\  & Sodom’s apple & _Solanum incanum_ \\ Platycodon D & Balloon flower & _Platycodon grandiflora_ \\ Pristimerin & Espinheira santa & _Mayetuns licifolia_ \\  & Pale Bittersweet & _Celastrus hypoleucus_ \\  & Thunder god vine & _Tripterygium willfordii_ \\ Saikosaponins & Hare’s ear root, sickle-leaf & _Bupleurum falcatum L_ \\ Ursolic acid & Holy basil, tulsi & _Ocimum sanctum L_ \\  & Thyme & _Thymus vulgaris L_. \\  & Lavender & _Lavandula augustifolia_ \\  & Catnip & _Nepeta sibthorpii_ \\  & Peppermit leaves & _Mentha piperta L_. \\ Withanolide & Indian ginseng, ashwagandha & _Withania somifera_ \\ \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: Common medicinally active triterpenoid obtained from plants. The review also focuses on targets for inflammation, proliferation, apoptosis, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis.