Ethnobotanical survey of genus Leucas

Plants of genus Leucas (Lamiaceae) are widely distributed throughout Asia, Africa, and India. The plant is used in traditional medicine to cure many diseases such as cough, cold, diarrhea, and infl ammatory skin disorder. A variety of phytoconstituents have been isolated from the Leucas species, which include lignans, fl avonoids, coumarins, steroids, terpenes, fatty acids, and aliphatic long-chain compounds. Anti-infl ammatory, analgesic, anti-diarrheal, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and insecticidal activities have been reported in the extracts of these plants and their phytoconstituents. An overview of the ethnobotanical, phytochemical, and pharmacological investigations on the Leucas species is presented in this review.