Adiantum
is a genus of ca. 200 species in the family
Adiantaceae, distributed extensively across the world from cool temperate zones to hot tropical regions. A lot of
Adiantum species have been used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure human and animal diseases including relief of internal heat or fever, enhancement of urination, removal of urinary calculus, and sundry other curative claims. Chemical studies have shown the presence of various classes of compounds, the main ones being triterpenoids, flavonoids, phenyl propanoids, steroids, alicyclic acids, lipids and long-chain compounds. The extract of this genus as well as pure compounds isolated from it have been demonstrated to possess multiple pharmacological activities such as analgesic, antinociceptive, anti-implantation, and antimicrobial activities. In this review, we have addressed the phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of the
Adiantum species in order to collate existing information on this plant as well as highlight its multi-activity properties as a medicinal agent.
