Helichrysum caespititium is a valuable and well-known medicinal herb in south and central Africa. The current study examined ethnomedicinal uses, chemical and biological properties of H. caespititium. Information on medicinal uses, phytochemistry and biological activities of H. caespititium was assembled from several internet sources which included Scopus, Google Scholar, Elsevier, Science Direct, Web of Science, Pubmed, SciFinder and BMC. Additional information was sourced from journal articles, scientific reports, theses, books and book chapters gathered from the University library. The current study showed that H. caespititium is used for treating several medical conditions, particularly respiratory infections, sexually transmitted infections, nausea, headache, wounds, ulceration and used as an aphrodisiac. The pharmacological research showed that H. caespititium extracts and compounds isolated from the species have antibacterial, antigonorrhea, antimycobacterial, antifungal, antioxidant and cytotoxicity activities. This research showed that H. caespititium is an integral part of indigenous pharmacopeia in southern Africa, but there is the lack of alignment between the ethnomedicinal uses and existing biological screening. Therefore, future research should focus on evaluation of the chemical and pharmacological properties of the H. caespititium extracts and compounds isolated from the species.
Key words: Asteraceae, Helichrysum caespititium, ethnopharmacology, herbal medicine, southern Africa
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