Pharmacological potential of genus Marchantia: A Review

Abstract

Bryophytes are the second largest group of plants in the plant kingdom containing about 24000 species; they are well known to create an incredible range of biologically active compounds Marchantia is a dioecious liverwort found all over the world. It belongs to family Marchantiaceae. Marchantia has been mentioned in ancient Greek medical texts as a very useful plant, used in the prevention of infection and inflammation on open wounds. It has been used as a model system for investigating biological processes. Marchantia and liverworts are rich in flavonoid, tannins and phenolic compounds, the main constituent being Marchantian A which is an anticancer agent. This review article is an attempt to explore the pharmacological aspects of this miracle bryophyte.Context: This review focuses on the study and compilation of pharmacological and therapeutic activities of genus Marchantia.Aims: It was noted that pharmacological details related to genus Marchantia is not well documented. The present we have tried to compile information on pharmacological and therapeutic properties of genus Marchantia.Methodology: Information related to Marchantia and related species, their pharmacological properties was gathered via extensively searching scientific databases which included Elsevier, Google Scholar, PubMed, Springer etc. and other related online/offline material.Conclusions: This work congregates the botanical and pharmacological, information on Marchantia and related species. These plants have shown a huge potential in the field of medicine, and are being majorly used in treatment of hepatic disorders by various tribal communities all over the world. Studies on medicinal properties of marchantia are being carried in various laboratories regarding treatment of cancer, cardiovascular, hepatic and skin diseases. Development on new drug from marchantia is another field with a huge scope for the future.