molecules Review Traditional Uses, Botany, Phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics and Toxicology of Xanthium strumarium L.: A Review Wenxiang Fan 1, Linhong Fan 1, Chengyi Peng 1, Qing Zhang 1, Li Wang 1, Lin Li 1, Jiaolong Wang 1, Dayong Zhang 1,2, Wei Peng 1,* and Chunjie Wu 1,* 1 School of Pharmacy, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu 611137, China;
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[email protected] (C.W.); Tel.: +86-028-61801001 (W.P. & C.W.) Received: 28 December 2018; Accepted: 16 January 2019; Published: 19 January 2019 Abstract: Xanthium strumarium L. (Asteraceae) is a common and well-known traditional Chinese herbal medicine usually named Cang-Er-Zi, and has been used for thousands of years in China. The purpose of this paper is to summarize the progress of modern research, and provide a systematic review on the traditional usages, botany, phytochemistry, pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and toxicology of the X. strumarium. Moreover, an in-depth discussion of some valuable issues and possible development for future research on this plant is also given. X. strumarium, as a traditional herbal medicine, has been extensively applied to treat many diseases, such as rhinitis, nasal sinusitis, headache, gastric ulcer, urticaria, rheumatism bacterial, fungal infections and arthritis. Up to now, more than 170 chemical constituents have been isolated and identified from X.