Why people use herbal medicine: insights from a focus-group study in Germany

Bioactivity of the Geranium Genus: A Comprehensive Review

BACKGROUND

Plants from the Geranium genus, which comprises about 400 species, have been used since ancient times in the practice of traditional medicines throughout the world. Therefore, herbal preparations based on Geranium species have found wide usage for the treatment of a variety of ailments. The aim of this work is to present a review, as comprehensive as possible, of the studies concerning different biological activities of Geranium species.

METHODS

Relevant data were obtained through systematic computer searches from major reputed scientific databases, particularly Web of Science and Scopus. Occasionally, information issued in primary sources not covered by these databases was also included provided published as peer-reviewed literature. This review covers the literature disclosed till the end of 2018.

RESULTS

Accompanying the increasing interest in herbal medicines in general, the evaluation of the biological properties of medicinal plants from the Geranium genus has been addressed thoroughly, mostly over the last two decades. Geranium species are endowed with a number of different biological activities. Herein, we present a survey of the results of the studies concerning these different biological activities.

CONCLUSION

Most studies found in the literature effectively contribute to scientifically validate the beneficial properties of Geranium plants claimed by traditional medicines and medical herbalism and demonstrate that many of them possess evident therapeutic properties.