Articum Lappa: Ethnobotanical, Phytochemical, Pharmacological and Homoeopathic Review

Tushita Thakur

Abstract

Arctium lappa commonly called Burdock has been used in Western folk medicine and traditional Chinese medicine for thousands of years with excellent results in skin diseases like eczema, psoriasis, and acne.It a bi-annual plant that belongs to Asteraceae family and is native to temperate and tropical regions of Asia including Iraq, Iran, India, and Nepal. This review was conducted to summarize the available scientific information obtained from literature, medical databases, laboratory studies and human clinical studies on Arctium Lappa. Its hypoglycemic property is attributed to total lignans. Two lignans extracted from this plant namely-Arctigenin and Lappaol F have anti-cancer properties. Arctigenin also has anti-hypertensive and anti-ulcer properties. The anti-oxidant property is attributed chlorogenic acid and caffeic acid. The root extracts of this plant are hepato-protective and help in collagen neo-synthesis leading to reduction in wrinkle formation in mature skin. The homoeopathic preparations of Articum Lappa have been pharmacologically proven beneficial for acne.

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