Bombacaceae Between the Ethnomedical Uses and Pharmacological Evidences: A Review

Bombacaceae is a small family of flowering plants containing about 28 genera and 200 species. Plants of this family are well-known ornamentals, foods and folk remedies with significant economic and commercial reputation worldwide. Thanks to the growing demand for natural pharmaceuticals, Bombacaceae plants were subjected to several biological investigations due to their richness in numerous bioactive phytoconstituents. Different extracts of these plants and their isolated compounds exhibited a wide range of valuable biological activities with very low toxicity profiles. Besides, a large number of Bombacaceous species as well as their isolated phytochemicals is also still calling for further pharmacological testing. Therefore, this work highlights the results of various pharmacological and toxicological studies conducted on different Bombacaceae plants in light of their ethnomedical uses, along with a future perspective regarding this family as a sleeping giant of nutraceuticals' development. Keywords: Biological effects, Bombacaceae, pharmacological properties, toxicity, traditional uses.