Pharmacology, taxonomy and phytochemistry of the genus Artemisia specifically from Pakistan: a comprehensive review

The genus Artemisia belongs to family Asteraceae and commonly used for ailments of multiple lethal diseases. Twenty-nine species of the genus have been identified from Pakistan which are widely used as pharmaceutical, agricultural, cosmetics, sanitary, perfumes and food industries. In this review we studied the medicinal uses, taxonomy, essential oils as well as phytochemistry were compiled. Data was collected from the original research articles, texts books and review papers including globally accepted search engines i.e. PubMed, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Google Scholar and Web of Science. Species found of Artemisia in Pakistan with their medicinal properties and phytochemicals were recorded. The present review highlights the geographical distribution, morphological features and medicinal importance of different Artemisia species. Species of the genus are used in different traditional treatments by the local communities of Pakistan and worldwide. The essential oils and some other important derivatives such as artemisinin are commonly used to cure malaria, cancer, stomach, kidney, liver, and spleen other bacterial, fungal, helminthic diseases and much more. These species also possess some important extract such as lignans, polyphenols and flavonoids that help in activation of certain pathways. Majority of work on the taxonomic validation of the species are showing confusion in its morphology, for the correct identification of the species in the present review special focus has been made on its morphological characteristics, along with their traditional uses, pharmacology and phytochemical constituents. This review will provide baseline information for further research on the genus and as well as at species level on different aspects. The aim of this study is to provide comprehensive overview of Genus Artemisia specifically the species of the genus from Pakistan.