REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
This article is part of the Research TopicExtracts From Plants and Other Natural Sources: Application, Characterization, Optimization, and Their Use - Volume IIView all 7 articles
Botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and processing of Rhizoma alismatis: A review
Provisionally accepted
- 1School of Stomatology, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
- 2School of Life Sciences, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, China
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Background: Rhizoma alismatis is a traditional Chinese medicine with a long history. It is an important part of many prescriptions and is often used to treat water metabolism-related diseases in clinical practice. At present, there are 12 species of Rhizoma alismatis, of which only Alisma plantago-aquatica L. and Alisma plantago-aquatica subsp. orientale (Sam.) Sam are used as traditional Chinese medicine. Objective: Based on the scientific literature, this paper aims to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information on the botany, traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology and processing methods of Rhizoma alismatis. Furthermore, it seeks to analyze current research findings to establish a new foundation and direction for future studies. Methods: Multidisciplinary research domains including botanical identification, ethnopharmacological applications, phytochemical constituents, pharmacological activities, toxicological profiles, and processing techniques, drawing upon extensive data retrieved from PubMed, Web of science, CNKI, and other authoritative databases. Results: Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Rhizoma alismatis has the effects of promoting water and dampness and venting heat. Modern studies have found that its extracts and isolated compounds have diuretic, liver protection, lowering blood pressure, lowering blood glucose, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The toxicity of Rhizoma alismatis has long been a controversial topic, and it is generally held that no obvious adverse reactions occur within the prescribed dosage range. Conclusion: Modern studies partially explains the traditional concept of Rhizoma alismatis' functions and the corresponding pharmacodynamic material basis. It is necessary to further study the network relationship between traditional usage, modern pharmacology and toxicity, and standardize the cultivation, processing and circulation system of Rhizoma alismatis.
Keywords: Rhizoma alismatis, phytochemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology, processing
Received: 10 Oct 2025; Accepted: 12 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pan, Tang, Wang, Gao, Jiang and Chen. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Jia Gao, gaojiajia100@126.com
Fusheng Jiang, jfs1020@163.com
Buyang Chen, 17855828683@163.com
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