AUTHOR=Liu Junyu , Zeng Yuanlian , Sun Guojuan , Yu Shaopeng , Xu Yi , He Chao , Li Zulun , Jin Shenrui , Qin Xuhua 

TITLE=Polygonumperfoliatum L., an Excellent Herbal Medicine Widely Used in China: A Review

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Pharmacology

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/pharmacology/articles/10.3389/fphar.2020.581266

DOI=10.3389/fphar.2020.581266

ISSN=1663-9812

ABSTRACT=<p><italic>Polygonum perfoliatum</italic> L. (synonym: <italic>Polygonum knotweed</italic> L.; <italic>Persicaria perfoliata</italic>; family: Polygonaceae) is a kind of folk traditional Chinese medicine with a long history of wide use in the treatment of ancient internal, surgical, and gynecological diseases. At present, 80 chemical constituents have been isolated from <italic>P. perfoliatum</italic>, including flavonoids, anthraquinones, terpenoids, phenolic acids, phenylpropanoids, and alkaloids, among which flavonoids are the main active components. Modern studies have shown that <italic>P. perfoliatum</italic> has pharmacological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, antiviral, anti-liver fibrosis, antitussive and expectorant, anti-tumor, anti-oxidation, and so on. By consulting and sorting out a large number of related literatures at home and abroad in recent years, this paper systematically reviewed the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, and quality control of <italic>P. perfoliatum</italic>, and discussed its development potential in new drug research and clinical application in the future, in order to provide a reference basis for further research and promote the in-depth development and utilization.</p>