Pharmacological activities of Glehnia littoralis

Glehnia littoralis (Umbelliferae), a perennial herb distributed along the coastline of northern Pacific countries, is the medicinal plant used traditionally for treatment of various diseases. This review focuses on the various pharmacological activities of Glehnia littoralis for understanding about its traditional medicinal applications, medicinal uses in the modern society, and potentials for drug development Glehnia littoralis was reported to have anti-oxidant, anti-tumor, anti-amnesic, blood circulation-promoting, immunomodulatory, anti-microbial, and allelopathic activities. However, their mechanisms remain to be clarified. Because Glehnia littoralis has been prescribed in traditional Oriental medicine as a tonic herb, Glehnia littoralis can be better than other chemical drugs and medicines which exert the equal pharmacological activities. Although the activities of Glehnia littoralis are not specifically high-potent with unique mode of action, it may turn out that it can be beneficial to exert multiple pharmacological activities. In view of low toxicity, relative cheapness, presence in the diet, and occurrence in various herbal remedies of Glehnia littoralis, it needs to be prudent to evaluate its properties and applications further.