Department of Pharmacy in Persian Medicine, School of Persian Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; PhytoPharmacology Interest Group (PPIG), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Tehran, Iran.
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
J Ethnopharmacol. 2018 Aug 10;222:34-51. doi: 10.1016/j.jep.2018.04.021. Epub 2018 Apr 23.
Aloysia citrodora Paláu (Lippia citriodora Kunth), commonly known as "lemon verbena" is a medicinal plant native to South America, North Africa, and South of Europe which is used by native people for several indications such as diarrhea, flatulence, insomnia, and rheumatism.
Despite the wide biological activities of lemon verbena, there is no current review summarizing medicinal properties of the plant; thus, this paper aims to discuss current state of the art regarding the phytochemistry, pharmacology, and therapeutic applications of A. citrodora considering in vitro, in vivo, and clinical studies.
Electronic databases including PubMed, Scifinder, Cochrane library, Scopus, and Science direct were searched with the scientific name of the plant and its synonyms, as well as the common name. All studies on the ethnobotany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and clinical application of the plant until October 2017 were included in this review.
Despite the few number of studies on the ethnopharmacology of the plant, A. citrodora is widely assessed regarding its phytochemistry and biological activities. Neral and geranial are the main ingredients of the essential oil; whereas verbascoside is the most significant component of the extract. Biological activities such as antioxidant, anxiolytic, neuroprotective, anticancer, anesthetic, antimicrobial, and sedative effects are proved in cell cultures, as well as animal studies.
Several pharmacological activities have been reported for A. citrodora; however, the plant is not fully assessed regarding its safety and efficacy in human. Future well-designed human studies are essential to confirm the therapeutic benefits of this plant in clinical settings.
Aloysia citrodora Paláu（ Lippia citriodora Kunth），通常被称为“柠檬马鞭草”，是一种原产于南美洲、北非和欧洲南部的药用植物，当地居民用其治疗腹泻、肠胃气胀、失眠和风湿等多种疾病。
尽管柠檬马鞭草具有广泛的生物活性，但目前尚无综述总结该植物的药用特性；因此，本文旨在讨论柠檬马鞭草的植物化学、药理学和治疗应用的最新研究进展，包括体外、体内和临床研究。
通过植物的学名及其同义词以及通用名，在 PubMed、Scifinder、Cochrane 图书馆、Scopus 和 Science direct 等电子数据库中进行了检索，纳入了截至 2017 年 10 月关于该植物的民族植物学、植物化学、药理学和临床应用的所有研究。
尽管该植物的民族药理学研究数量较少，但已广泛评估了其植物化学和生物活性。橙花醛和香叶醛是精油的主要成分；而马鞭草苷是提取物的主要成分。在细胞培养和动物研究中证明了抗氧化、抗焦虑、神经保护、抗癌、麻醉、抗菌和镇静等生物活性。
已经报道了几种针对 A. citrodora 的药理学活性；然而，尚未对其在人类中的安全性和疗效进行全面评估。未来需要进行精心设计的人体研究，以确认该植物在临床环境中的治疗益处。
