Molecules 2014, 19, 9453-9477; doi:10.3390/molecules19079453 OPEN ACCESS molecules ISSN 1420-3049 www.mdpi.com/journal/molecules Review Blumea balsamifera—A Phytochemical and Pharmacological Review Yuxin Pang 1,3,*, Dan Wang 1, Zuowang Fan 2,4, Xiaolu Chen 1, Fulai Yu 1, Xuan Hu 2, Kai Wang 3 and Lei Yuan 3 1 Tropical Crops Genetic Resources Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Danzhou, Hainan 571737, China; E-Mails:
[email protected] (D.W.);
[email protected] (X.C.);
[email protected] (F.Y.) 2 Key Laboratory of Crop Gene Resources and Germplasm Enhancement in Southern China, Danzhou, Hainan 571737, China; E-Mails:
[email protected] (Z.F.);
[email protected] (X.H.) 3 Hainan Provincial Engineering Research Center for Blumea balsamifera, Danzhou, Hainan 571737, China; E-Mails:
[email protected] (K.W.);
[email protected] (L.Y.) 4 School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Guangdong Pharmaceutical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China * Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail:
[email protected]; Tel.: +86-898-2330-0268; Fax: +86-898-2330-0246. Received: 30 May 2014; in revised form: 27 June 2014 / Accepted: 2 July 2014 / Published: 3 July 2014 Abstract: The main components of sambong (Blumea balsamifera) are listed in this article. The whole plant and its crude extracts, as well as its isolated constituents, display numerous biological activities, such as antitumor, hepatoprotective, superoxide radical scavenging, antioxidant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammation, anti-plasmodial, anti-tyrosinase, platelet aggregation, enhancing percutaneous penetration, wound healing, anti-obesity, along with disease and insect resistant activities. Although many experimental and biological studies have been carried out, some traditional uses such as rheumatism healing still need to be verified by scientific pharmacological studies, and further studies including phytochemical standardization and bioactivity authentication would be beneficial.