Ethnopharmacology, Botanical Description and Phytochemistry of Premna barbata: An Unexplored Medicinal Plant Species from Lamiaceae Family

Objectives: Premna barbata Wall. ex Schauer; (Lamiaceae) is a deciduous shrub or tree known as Aganyo in folk language. The plant is widely used in treating various diseases traditionally, such as arthritic pain, dropsy, diarrhoea, fever, and herpes complex disease. However, comprehensive data on this medicinally important plant is not available in the literature. Therefore, this review aims to provide a detailed overview of the botanical description, ethnomedicinal use, phytochemistry, and pharmacological investigations of Premna barbata to provide a scientific consensus for future research investigations and to link its traditionally claimed use to scientifically proven results. Methods: Information regarding the plant was gathered from electronic databases such as Science Direct, PubMed, Web of Science, Wiley Online Library, ACS, Springer, SciFinder, Taylor and Francis, Google Scholar, Scopus and Journal websites. The scientific name of the plant was validated using The Plant List and The International Plant Names Index. Results: An exhaustive study of the accessible sources of Premna barbata confirmed its origin, distribution, and ethnomedicinal use. It has been used in the form of powders, juice, paste, and decoctions against various ailments. Phytochemical analysis revealed the presence of different phytoconstituents. Only antibacterial potential of the plant has been reported yet. Conclusion: By performing the literature search, Premna barbata showcased its importance in folkloric medicine as well as in ayurvedic medicine. Moreover, the collected information from various trustworthy sources shows that the plant holds many hidden potentials and can, therefore, be studied extensively for its quality control, pharmacognosy, phytochemistry and pharmacological activity. Furthermore, in-depth studies are required to discover key features which can help in future research work. An effort is required to investigate this plant species, which is found distributed in most unexplored regions as well as it needs to be preserved as it’s on the verge of extinction.