REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
Uncaria rhynchophylla: An Ethnopharmacological Review Integrating Traditional Chinese Medicine Uses with Phytochemical and Pharmacological Evidence
Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Abstract
Uncaria rhynchophylla (Miq.) Jacks. (UR), a climbing shrub of the Rubiaceae family, has been a foundational remedy in traditional Chinese medicine for over 1500 years, and has long been used to treat neurological disorders, hypertension, and inflammatory conditions associated with "Liver Wind" and "Liver Yang Rising." This review summarizes traditional ethnopharmacological knowledge by integrating it with scientific evidence related to UR's chemical composition, pharmacological mechanisms, and therapeutic potential. This systematic narrative review analyzed 78 studies from databases including PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, CNKI, and Wanfang (2000-2025), focusing on peer-reviewed articles on UR's phytochemistry, pharmacology, and pharmacokinetics. The plant primarily contains monoterpenoid indole alkaloids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolics. Preclinical studies have demonstrated potential neuroprotective effects against Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, and depression, though these are largely limited to in vitro and rodent models with methodological flaws such as small sample sizes and lack of blinding. Its antihypertensive effects involve calcium channel antagonism and nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation, while its immunomodulatory, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effects further extend its therapeutic scope. Pharmacokinetic studies show poor oral bioavailability due to first-pass metabolism via CYP3A4, as well as stereoselective elimination. Despite some evidence linking traditional applications to modern pharmacology, major challenges remain, including difficulties in standardization, poor bioavailability, and a lack of clinical validation. Prioritizing large-scale clinical studies, development of combined formulations, and identification of biomarkers will help advance UR into the realm of evidence-based therapeutics, addressing unmet needs in neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases.
Summary
Keywords
Alkaloids, Antihypertensive, Neuroprotection, pharmacokinetics, Traditional uses, Uncaria rhynchophylla
Received
12 October 2025
Accepted
23 January 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Liu, Ren, Liu and Geng. 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: Chuanguo Liu; Xiwen Geng
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.