A review of Cremastra appendiculata (D.Don) Makino as a traditional herbal medicine and its main components

Cremastra appendiculata (D.Don) Makino is a herbal medicine with a medicinal history of more than a thousand years in China. It is traditionally used to treat carbuncle, swelling, abscess, fistula, scrofula and scleroma (related to modern lymph node enlargement and various tumors.).This paper comprehensively reviewed the botany, traditional application, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, and quality control of C. appendiculata, discussesed the application of ethnic medicine, modern scientific research and the relationship between them, and put forward some suggestions to promote the further development and utilization of C. appendiculata. We hope to provide a valuable reference for all researchers who are interested in obtaining relevant information about C. appendiculata.The relevant information on C. appendiculata was collected through published materials and electronic databases, including ancient and modern books, Chinese Pharmacopoeia, Ph.D. and M. Sc. dissertations, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Wiley, ACS, CNKI, Springer, Taylor & Francis, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and Baidu Scholar.At present, 190 compounds have been isolated from C. appendiculata, including phenanthrene, dihydrophenanthrene, bibenzyl, flavonoids, terpenoids, glycosides, aromatics, and other compounds. These compounds have been reported to have a variety of pharmacological activities, such as anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, anti-angiogenesis, anti-oxidation, etc. Modern pharmacological studies have proved that C. appendiculata has significant anti-tumor activity and has a good therapeutic effect on liver cancer, gastric cancer, colon cancer, breast cancer, thyroid cancer and other malignant tumors.C. appendiculata is not only an excellent traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of tumors, but also a source of bioactive molecules with good application prospects. At present, the close relationship between the chemical components and pharmacological activities of C. appendiculata has not been established, and there is a lack of systematic and in-depth research on its anti-tumor components and its mechanism. In addition, it is necessary to establish systematic and effective index components and determination standards of C. appendiculata to better explore its therapeutic potential. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out further research on C. appendiculata.