BIOLOGICAL ACTIVE COMPOUNDS OF THE POLYGONACEAE FAMILY - A REVIEW.

The Polygonaceae family includes 800 species of plants, mainly herbaceous, annual, or perennial. These plants are cultivated in temperate regions of the globe. One of the most popular genera of this family is Rumex. About 200 species of the genus are widespread throughout the world. Some species of Rumex are grown as vegetables, while others are used for their biologically active compounds in traditional medicine or pharmaceutical industry. The aerial parts, the leaves, or the roots of Rumex plants contain various biologically active compounds such as anthraquinones, naphthalenes, flavonoids, stilbenoids, triterpenes, carotenoids, phenolic acids, and vitamins. These biological compounds of Rumex plants are involved in certain diseases' treatment, like diabetes, infections, skin disorders, liver diseases, inflammation, etc. This study is reviewing the biological active compounds extracted from Rumex plants, their biochemical profile, as well as medical uses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]