Labisia pumila : a review on its traditional, phytochemical and biological uses

Abstract

Labisia pumila is traditionally used by Malay woman to maintain healthy female reproductive function and as postpartum medicine. In vitro and in vivo studies indicated that Labisia pumila exerts a wide range of biological activities such as phytoestrogenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and anti-aging, anti-microbial and anti-carcinogenic activities. These biological activities are related to the presence of the bioactive phytochemical constituents comprising of phenolic, flavonoid and other antioxidant compounds. In addition, saponin, alkenyl compounds and benzoquinone derivatives are also present and these compounds are known to be linked with useful biological activities. In this article, we carried out a critical review on the current knowledge on the traditional usage, phytochemical constituents and biological activities of Labisia pumila.