The therapeutic potential of Houttuynia cordata: A current review☆

Abstract

The search and development of new drugs for the treatment of numerous illnesses afflicting humans of all ages is an unending endeavour. Moreover, there is constant demand to identify more compounds exhibiting pharmacological properties with improved efficacy and minimal side effects compared to the existing ones. Plants have always served as rich sources of pharmaceuticals, and offer better advantages than synthetic compounds in terms of diversity, production scale and safety. Houttuynia cordata is a traditional medicinal plant that is widely distributed in East Asia. Apart from its consumption as a delicacy in many countries, it has a rich history of medicinal use and numerous studies have reported its pharmacological activity against inflammation, cancer, viruses, bacteria, hyperglycaemia, obesity, etc. The various phytoconstituents that have been isolated from this plant include flavonoids, phenolic acids, volatile/essential oils and alkaloids whose therapeutic potentials are yet to be fully harnessed. This review provides an updated summary of the biological activity and therapeutic potential of H. cordata, its phytocompounds and derivatives. The amalgamation of traditional plant-derived medicines with modern scientific methods can provide better insights to their mechanism of action and also contribute greatly to the discovery and synthesis of new pharmaceuticals.