REVIEW article
Front. Pharmacol.
Sec. Ethnopharmacology
A review on the genus Kadsura: Ethnobotany, Pharmacology, and Molecular Pharmacognosy
Provisionally accepted
Niaojiao Xu1
Xianjing Li1
Yue Zhang2
Lu Qu2Haitao Li2Yunqiang Wang2
Mei-Fang Song2*
Baozhong Duan1*
Zhonglian Zhang2*- 1Dali University, Dali, China
- 2Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College Institute of Medicinal Plant Development Yunnan Branch, Jinghong, China
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Kadsura Kaempf. ex Juss., belonging to the Schisandraceae family, is a key ethnomedicinal resource in traditional Asian medicine, valued for both dietary and therapeutic roles. Traditionally used to boost blood circulation, relieve pain, and dispel wind-cold-damp pathogens, its metabolites have been validated by modern pharmacology to exhibit potent anti-rheumatoid arthritis, hepatoprotective, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties, supporting clinical applications for rheumatic and hepatic conditions. Literature was retrieved from major databases (Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, ScienceDirect, Baidu Scholar, CNKI, etc.), monographs, and dissertations using "Kadsura" as the core keyword. Species identities were verified via Plants of the World Online(http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org), and data on ethnobotany, pharmacology, and molecular pharmacognosy were rigorously screened and synthesized. Our analysis reveals that while Kadsura species share core medicinal attributes, the scientific basis for their species-specific traditional therapeutic effects remains unclear. Furthermore, the mechanisms of some pharmacological activities are not fully elucidated, systematic safety evaluations are insufficient, and molecular pharmacognosy research is limited to preliminary transcriptomic and metabolomic screening and expression profiling. Meanwhile, systematic reviews on these aspects remain lacking. To address this gap, this review summarizes the ethnobotany, pharmacology, and molecular pharmacognosy of the genus to date, laying a theoretical foundation for further development and utilization. (Kadsura ananosma Kerr, a synonym of Kadsura coccinea (Lem.) A.C.Sm.; Kadsura polysperma Y.C.Yang and Kadsura interior A.C.Sm., a synonym of Kadsura heteroclita (Roxb.) Craib)
Keywords: Ethnobotany, Kadsura, Molecular Pharmacognosy, Pharmacology, propagation
Received: 16 Dec 2025; Accepted: 13 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Xu, Li, Zhang, Qu, Li, Wang, Song, Duan and Zhang. 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:
Mei-Fang Song
Baozhong Duan
Zhonglian Zhang
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