molecules Review Phytochemical and Ethnopharmacological Perspectives of Ehretia laevis Pooja Sharma 1,2, Richa Shri 1, Fidele Ntie-Kang 3,4,* and Suresh Kumar 1,* 1 Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Research, Punjabi University, Patiala 147002, India;
[email protected] or
[email protected] (P.S.);
[email protected] (R.S.) 2 Sri Sai College of Pharmacy, Manawala, Amritsar 143001, India 3 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Buea, Buea P.O. Box 63, Cameroon 4 Institute for Pharmacy, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Kurt-Mothes-Str. 3, 06120 Halle, Germany * Correspondence: fi
[email protected] (F.N.-K.);
[email protected] (S.K.) Abstract: Ehretia laevis Roxb. (Boraginaceae) has been extensively used as a traditional remedy for the treatment of a diverse range of ailments related to the respiratory system, the gastrointestinal tract, the reproductive system, and against several infections. This review critically assesses and documents, for the first time, the fragmented information on E. laevis, including its botanical description, folklore uses, bioactive phyto metabolites and pharmacological activities. The goal is to explore this plant therapeutically. Ethnomedicinal surveys reveal that E. laevis has been used by tribal communities in Asian countries for the treatment of various disorders. Quantitative and qualitative phytochemical investigations of E. laevis showed the presence of important phytoconstituents such as pentacyclic Citation: Sharma, P.; Shri, R.; triterpenoids, phenolic acids, flavonoids, fatty acids, steroids, alkaloids, aliphatic alcohols, hydrocar- Ntie-Kang, F.; Kumar, S. bons, amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. Fresh plant parts, crude extracts, fractions Phytochemical and and isolated compounds have been reported to exhibit broad spectrum of therapeutic activities viz., Ethnopharmacological Perspectives antioxidant, antiarthritic, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, antidiarrheal, antidysenteric, of Ehretia laevis.