The genus Paris: a fascinating resource for medicinal and botanical studies

Abstract The genus Paris, comprising a series of distinctive medicinal plants, has been utilized globally for its therapeutic properties over centuries. Modern pharmacological studies have demonstrated that secondary metabolites from Paris species exhibit significant pharmacological activities, including anticancer, hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and other effects. Additionally, the unique morphological traits and large genome size of Paris species have continuously captivated the interest of botanists and horticulturalists. Nonetheless, the conservation of wild Paris populations is threatened due to the lengthy reproductive cycle and overexploitation, posing considerable challenges to their development and sustainable use. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the botanical characteristics, historical medicinal uses, pharmacological effects and toxicity evaluation of secondary metabolites in Paris species. It also covers the molecular biological research conducted on the genus Paris and proposes key research questions and important directions for future solutions. We advocate for the expansion and implementation of multi-omics approaches, as well as molecular and genetic technologies recently advanced in model plant research, to intensively study Paris species. This will facilitate the comprehensive understanding of gene function and molecular mechanisms underlying specialized metabolite formation in Paris.