Chemical Constituents and Pharmacological Activities of Marrubium vulgare L., an Important Medicinal Herb

Abstract

Marrubium vulgare L. (Lamiaceae), popularly called pahari gandana (Hindi) and truppad (Kashmiri), is a herb indigenous to Asia, Europe, and the Mediterranean region. In India, this species is mainly found in Kashmir at an altitude of 1524-2438 meters. In traditional medicine, M. vulgare is used in Europe, Tunisia, Brazil, and Pakistan to cure ailments associated with respiration such as asthma and cough. The phytochemical investigation showed the availability of flavonoids, phenylpropanoid esters, steroids, tannins, saponins, and terpenoids as major metabolites. Its aerial parts mainly contain marrubiin, a furan labdane diterpenoid, considered an important marker compound of Marrubium genus. Pharmacological studies have shown that M. vulgare exhibits antispasmodic, antinociceptive, antihypertensive, antidiabetic, gastroprotective, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective properties. The present chapter summarizes all the scientific researches so far being done on the plant to make an attempt to unveil its secondary metabolites so that their therapeutic properties could be assessed.