Saussurea lappa: A Comprehensive Review on its Pharmacological Activity and Phytochemistry

Around 3000 species of Saussurea are known, however Saussurea lappa Clarke which is perennial herb and has been traditionally used as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, medicine without many adverse effects. Phytochemistry of Saussurea lappa after thorough literature survey revealed various varied and copious metabolites such as sesquiterpenes, flavonoids, phytosterols, lignans, terpenes. Many of these compounds have been found to possess a wide range of biological activity such as anticancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-hepatotoxic, anti-viral, etc. Among sesquiterpenes particularly Dehydrocostuslactone, dihydrocostunolide, costunolide Lappadilactone, have been isolated as the main chemical constituents. This review aims to cover published work from public databases (e.g. PubMed, Google Scholar, ResearchGate) and Non-English, Ph.D./MS thesis databases (e.g. CKNIChina, Jairo-Japan, Myto-Malaysia, Shodhganga-India) with a particular focus on phytochemistry and therapeutic uses of different fractions as well as isolated compounds from Saussurea lappa.