Towards the antimicrobial, therapeutic and invasive properties of Mikania micrantha Knuth: a brief overview

Plant-derivatives impose a huge momentum in the field of medical science lately due to their wide-spectrum therapeutic attributes. Owing to the emerging drug resistance and hazardous sideeffect of synthetic drugs, phytochemicals are now coming into play as a source of new and effective therapeutics. Mikania micrantha is a medicinal plant commonly found in tropical Asian countries including Bangladesh. The pharmacological significances of this plant were reported earlier which include a diverse range of antimicrobial and therapeutic potencies. However, the rapid-growing nature and covering surrounding flora reckoned M. micrantha as one of the world’s most invasive weeds. Therefore, it is essential to understand if the therapeutic essence of M. micrantha outweighs its invasiveness. In this brief review, we tried to explore the biological activities of M. micrantha. The future perspectives regarding the management of its invasiveness were also highlighted in this limited scope.