Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2018 Feb 25;10(2):6390-6399.
doi: 10.19082/6390. eCollection 2018 Feb.

Plantago major in Traditional Persian Medicine and modern phytotherapy: a narrative review

Younes Najafian  1 , Shokouh Sadat Hamedi  2 , Masoumeh Kaboli Farshchi  3 , Zohre Feyzabadi  4
Affiliations
Review

Plantago major in Traditional Persian Medicine and modern phytotherapy: a narrative review

Younes Najafian et al. Electron Physician. .

Abstract

Plantago major has been used widely since ancient times, to manage a wide range of diseases including constipation, coughs and wounds. The aim of this study is to review the traditional application, botanical characterization, pharmacological activities, phytochemistry effects and toxicity of Plantago major. In this review study, medicinal properties of Plantago major are collected from credible pharmacopeias, textbooks of traditional Persian medicine (TPM) belonging to the 10-18th century AD, such as "The Canon of Medicine", "Makhzan-Al- Advia" and so on. Moreover, electronic databases including Scopus, Medline and Web of science were explored for this purpose. Plantago major has been prescribed in various forms such as roasted seeds, decoction, syrup, liniment, gargle, rectal enema, vaginal suppository, eye and nasal drop for each illness by TPM scholars. Some of its traditional properties including wound healing, antipyretic, antitussive, anti-infective, anti-hemorrhagic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, laxative, astringent and hemostatic have been confirmed in recent researches. Phytochemical investigations showed that Plantago major contains volatile compounds, triterpenoids, phenolic acids and flavonoids. Modern pharmacological studies have proven some of the traditional applications of Plantago major. Nevertheless, more investigations are required on this plant, because it has the potential to be used to produce various natural medications.

Keywords: Great plantain; Pharmacology; Phytotherapy; Plantago major; Traditional Persian Medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: There is no conflict of interest to be declared.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Wang H, Zhao C, Huang Y, Wang F, Li Y, Chung HY. Chemical Constituents and Bioactivities of Plantaginis Herba. Hong Kong Med J. 2015;22:29–35.
    1. Aghili M. Makhzan-O-L Advieh. Tehran: Tehran University of Medical Science Press; 2008.
    1. Mozaffarian V. Identification of medicinal and aromatic plants of Iran. Tehran: Farhang moaser; 2012.
    1. Shahabi S, Hassan ZM, Mahdavi M, Dezfouli M, Torabi Rahvar M, Naseri M, et al. Hot and Cold natures and some parameters of neuroendocrine and immune systems in traditional Iranian medicine: a preliminary study. J Altern Complement Med. 2008;14:147–56. doi: 10.1089/acm.2007.0693. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Samuelsen AB. The traditional uses, chemical constituents and biological activities of Plantago major L. A review. J Ethnopharmacol. 2000;71:1–21. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources