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Echinacea plants as antioxidant and antibacterial agents: From traditional medicine to biotechnological applications
Author(s) -
SharifiRad Mehdi,
Mnayer Dima,
MoraisBraga Maria Flaviana Bezerra,
Carneiro Joara Nályda Pereira,
Bezerra Camila Fonseca,
Coutinho Henrique Douglas Melo,
Salehi Bahare,
Martorell Miquel,
Mar Contreras María,
SoltaniNejad Azam,
Uribe Yoshie Adriana Hata,
Yousaf Zubaida,
Iriti Marcello,
SharifiRad Javad
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
phytotherapy research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.019
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1573
pISSN - 0951-418X
DOI - 10.1002/ptr.6101
Subject(s) - echinacea (animal) , traditional medicine , context (archaeology) , antimicrobial , biology , medicinal plants , perennial plant , medicine , botany , microbiology and biotechnology , paleontology
The genus Echinacea consists of 11 taxa of herbaceous and perennial flowering plants. In particular, Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench is widely cultivated all over the United States, Canada, and in Europe, exclusively in Germany, for its beauty and reported medicinal properties. Echinacea extracts have been used traditionally as wound healing to improve the immune system and to treat respiratory symptoms caused by bacterial infections. Echinacea extracts have demonstrated antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, and to be safe. This survey aims at reviewing the medicinal properties of Echinacea species, their cultivation, chemical composition, and the potential uses of these plants as antioxidant and antibacterial agents in foods and in a clinical context. Moreover, the factors affecting the chemical composition of Echinacea spp. are also covered.