Research Progress on the Chemistry and Pharmacology of Prunella vulgaris Species

An exhaustive literature survey on the secondary metabolites of widely distributed Prunella vulgaris L. species has been carried out. Triterpenoids, sterols, phenylpropanoids, flavonoids, coumarins, fatty acids, volatile oils and carbohydrates along with some other compounds, have been reported from this species. Many of these compounds have been found to possess significant biological properties, including antihypertensive activity, anticancer activity, anti-lipidemic activity, antibacterial and antivirus activities, anti-inflammatory activities, hypoglycemic effects, heptaprotective effects, antineoplastic activities, etc. P. vulgaris might offer a rich natural source with relative cheap price for developing new anti-neoplastic drugs.