Health Benefits of Crassulaceae Species Frequent in Romania
Abstract
A family of succulent plants with a nearly global range and adaptation to xeric ecological conditions is the Crassulaceae. There are roughly 1500 species in this family, most of which are used as decorative plants or as part of the design of green roofs. Their pharmacological and therapeutic effects, which we list here, include analgesic, antioxidant, hypoglycemic, antibacterial, and anticancer, were recently emphasized by biochemical analyses. Several researches have demonstrated the presence of the following chemical substances with biological and pharmacological action: flavonoids, sterols, ascorbic acid, trace elements, hydrocarbons, bufadienolides, etc. This paper aims to provide a short overview of the known therapeutic effects of the species from the Crassulaceae family which are frequently met in Romania. The studies can serve as a prelude to the application of these properties in the context of alternative medicine, while also opening up new research avenues for the advances of phytotherapy.
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