Ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of Chinese Salvia species: A review

The genus Salvia is one of the largest genera of the Lamiaceae family. In China, about 40 Salvia species have been used as medicinal plants for treatment of various diseases, specifically hepatic and renal diseases and those of the cardiovascular and immune systems. This review aims to provide systematically organized information on the ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry, pharmacology, and toxicology of medicinal Salvia species in China to support their therapeutic potential in the treatment of human diseases. Relevant information on the Chinese Salvia species was obtained from scientific online databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, and SciFinder. Additional information was derived from other literature sources (e.g. Chinese Pharmacopoeia 2015 edition, Chinese herbal classic books, PhD and MSc thesis, etc). Our comprehensive analysis of the scientific literature indicates that many Chinese Salvia species are valuable and popular herbal medicines with therapeutic potentials to cure various ailments. Phytochemical analyses identified diterpenoids and phenolic acids as the major bioactive substances in Chinese Salvia species. Crude extracts and pure compounds isolated from the Chinese Salvia species exhibited various pharmacological activities, typically targeting the cardiovascular and immune systems and hepatic and renal diseases. This review summarizes the results from current studies about basic properties of medicinal Salvia species in China, such as active constituents and their mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, underlying molecular mechanisms, toxicology, and efficacy, which are still being studied and explored to achieve integration into medical practice.