Chemical composition of the essential oils and extracts of Achillea species and their biological activities: A review.

BACKGROUND

The Asteraceae (alt. Compositae) family incorporates a large number of flowering plants, which have been classified under ca. 1600 genera covering more than 23,000 species. The genus Achillea is one of the best-known genera of this family. The Achillea species are important for their uses in the chemical and pharmaceutical purposes, and traditional and folk medicines. From ethnobotanical point of view, they have been recommended as effective tonic, sedative, diuretic and carminative remedies and extensively prescribed for the treatment of stomachache, inflammation, gastrointestinal, hemorrhoid, hay fever, and wound healing in indigenous medicines. They are also known as effective remedies that promote breast-feedings and regulate women menstruation. This review presents an overview on the ethnopharmacological knowledge of the Achillea genus and provides a deeper insight into medicinal and pharmaceutical applications of different Achillea species.

METHODS

Relevant data were obtained through systematic electronic searches from various scientific databases including the Institute of scientific information (ISI)-Web of Science, Google Scholar, Scopus, Pubmed, other relevant texts and local books.

RESULTS

A variety of ethnopharmacological properties of the Achillea have been documented, and a broad spectrum of medicinal applications, and phytochemicals of the essential oils and extracts of this genus have been identified.

CONCLUSIONS

General correlations between the ethnopharmacological uses and medicinal properties identified through systematic research have been observed. Some of the medicinal properties could also be linked to the phytochemicals present in this genus. The findings of the studied reports in this review article represent therapeutic characteristics of Achillea species and account for their significant impact on the current and future modern medicine.