Unlocking the Potential of Launaea sarmentosa: A Short Review

Vaishali Punjahari Argade¹*, Vilas Bhausaheb Ghawate²

Department of Pharmacognosy, Mula Education Society’s College of Pharmacy, Sonai,

Ahilyanagar A/P-Sonai, Tal-Newasa, Dist- Ahilyanagar, Pin-414105.

*Corresponding Author E-mail: vaishaliargade1992@gmail.com

ABSTRACT:

Launaea sarmentosa (Asteraceae) is a renowned and valuable herb, recognized in traditional and ethnobotanical practices. This plant has been traditionally used since ancient times by the tribal communities of the Western Ghats for its medicinal properties. It has been valued as a natural remedy for jaundice, a diuretic, a blood purifier, and for its ability to protect liver health. This review presents current insights into the phytochemical composition and pharmacological activities of Launaea sarmentosa. Numerous phytochemicals have been identified from the plant, exhibiting diverse biological activities, including antidiabetic, antioxidant, antibacterial, thrombolytic, membrane-stabilizing, anthelmintic, cytotoxic, antipyretic, hepatoprotective, antifungal, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory effects. Extensive research over recent decades has elucidated the biological activities and pharmacological effects of its extracts. Chemical constituents isolated from Launaea sarmentosa include alkaloids, amino acids, triterpenoids, flavonoids, saponins, proteins, tannins, phenolic compounds, phytosterols, carbohydrates, and steroids. These findings unequivocally demonstrate that this plant contains potent phytochemicals with a variety of therapeutic applications.

KEYWORDS: Launaea Sarmentosa, Medicinal Properties, Chemical Constituents, Pharmacological Activities.

INTRODUCTION:

It is believed that medicinal plants play an important role in the healthcare system due to their secondary metabolites, organic compounds synthesized by plants^1,2.

Plant extracts, enriched with these metabolites, hold promise for the development of new pharmaceuticals. Recently, polyphenols, flavonoids, and saponins in plants have been reported to possess numerous beneficial bioactivities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antihyperglycemic, and antidiabetic effects^3,4,5.

Launaea sarmentosa (Willd.) Schultz-Bip. ex Kuntze, commonly known as Launaea pinnatifida Cass, is a prostrate, creeping, fleshy, perennial herb that thrives on sandy beaches. L. sarmentosa is believed to have tonic, soporific, diuretic, and mild laxative (aperient) properties⁶. It is applied for the treatment of gout and rheumatism, while on Indian Ocean islands, the whole plant is used in baths to treat skin diseases and fish stings⁷. This is a seasonal plant found in India, locally known as "Bhoi Pathri." The leaves and roots of this plant have been traditionally used as a folk remedy for jaundice and as a blood purifier^8,9,10.

Table 1: Taxonomical Classification: Launaea sarmentosa ^{6,11,12,13,28}

Botanical Name	Launaea sarmentosa (Willd.) Sch. Bip. Ex. Kuntze., Launaea pinnatifida Cass
Vernacular Names	Bonapatre (Kannada); Kadalkozhuppa (Malayalam); Chentam (Tamil); Sagar Pathari (Marathi), Garjibhi (Gujarati)
Kingdom	Plantae
Sub kingdom	Phanerogams
Division	Angiosperms
Class	Eudicots
Subclass	Asterids
Order	Asterals
Family	Asteraceae
Genus	Launaea
Species	Launaea sarmentosa

Figure 1: Launaea sarmentosa

Geographical Source:

The genus Launaea sarmentosa is a coastal plant belonging to the family Asteraceae. The plant is primarily distributed in the sand dunes of coastal areas, including South Africa (KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape Province), Mozambique, Australia (coastal northwest Western Australia), Java, Sri Lanka, Seychelles (islands), Mauritius (islands), La Réunion (islands), Madagascar, China (Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan), Andaman Islands (South Andamans, Little Andaman Island), Nicobar Islands (Car Nicobar Island, Central Nicobars), Myanmar [Burma] (Rakhine, Taninthayi), India (Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Gujarat), Laccadives, Pakistan (Sindh), Thailand, Vietnam, Lakshadweep Islands (Laccadives), Maldives, and Bangladesh¹⁴.

MORPHOLOGY:

Launaea sarmentosa is a glabrous, flagelliform, perennial herb.

Stem:

0.3-0.9m long, striate, growing and bearing rosette leaves at all nodes, arching between them.

Leaves:

Rosulate, attenuate at the base, subdivided, runcinate- pinnatifid, 2.2–17.0cm long; segments in 2–6 pairs; surfaces glaucous; apex acute or obtuse; margins rough with indurated, white teeth. Cauline leaves are few on the flowering stem, lanceolate, and 2.2–8.5cm long.

Flowers:

Capitula 0.9–1.5cm long, solitary, borne on a little husk-covered stalk, 0.1–1.2cm long, arising from the nodes. Involucre bracts are 3–4-seriate, usually purple with white membranous margins, measuring 0.3–0.5–1.2 × 0.1–0.2cm. Outer series bracts are rectangular and obtuse; inner ones are linear-lanceolate, 0.6–1.0cm long, white, and deciduous. Corolla is yellow, with a tube 0.4–0.5cm long and ligules 0.6–1.0cm long.

Fruits:

Cypsela is black, thickly 4–5 ribbed, 0.3–0.4cm long, glabrous, circumstantially wrinkled, and truncate or scarcely beaked at the apex.

Flowering and Fruiting:

Occurs from October to May^15,27.

Traditional Uses:

Launaea sarmentosa can be used as a tonic, soporific, diuretic, laxative, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antibacterial, cytotoxic, anthelmintic, thrombolytic, membrane-stabilizing agent, analgesic, antipyretic, and for its aperient properties¹⁶.

Phytochemistry^29-33:

The whole plant of Launaea sarmentosa has been reported to contain secondary metabolites, including tannins, flavonoids, saponins, glycosides, amino acids, carbohydrates, sterols, alkaloids, and phenolic compounds. These compounds play a major role in exhibiting significant bioactivity against various diseased conditions^17,18.

The roots of Launaea sarmentosa have been reported to contain compounds such as α-amyrin acetate, β-amyrin acetate, lupeol acetate, ψ-taraxasterol acetate, luteolin, 4-allyl-2,6-dimethoxyphenol glucopyranoside, scorzoside, ixerisoside D, and 9α-hydroxypinoresinol¹³. Some of these structures are shown below.

Pharmacological Actions:

Le Thi Them et al. (2019), in the IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, conducted a study to investigate the saponin, polyphenol, and flavonoid contents, as well as the α-glucosidase inhibitory and antioxidant activities, of the ethanolic extract from the leaves of Launaea sarmentosa¹⁹.

Md. Mizanur Rahman Moghal et al. (2017), in the European Journal of Experimental Biology, studied the antibacterial activity of the methanol extract from the whole plant of Launaea sarmentosa²⁰.

Md. Mizanur Rahman Moghal et al. (2016) in International journal of pharmacognos, studied the thrombolytic and membrane-stabilizing activities of the methanolic extract of the whole plant of Launaea sarmentosa using an in vitro clot lysis assay method²¹.

M. M. R. Moghal et al. (2016), in the Bangladesh Pharmaceutical Journal, studied the phytoconstituents, anthelmintic activity, and cytotoxicity of methanolic extracts from Amorphophallus campanulatus (Roxb.), Avicennia marina (Forssk.), and Launaea sarmentosa (Willd.)²².

Kaeko Kamei et al. (2020), in an article published in Nutrients, studied the antioxidant activity of the methanolic extract of the powdered aerial parts of Launaea sarmentosa²³.

R. D. Pokharkar et al. (2007), in Pharmacology Online, evaluated and reported the hepatoprotective activity of ethanolic extracts of Launaea pinnatifida against CCl₄-induced hepatic injury in rats²⁴.

Yadava R. N. et al. (2009), in the Indian Journal of Chemistry, studied the antifungal activity of triterpenoid saponins, glutenol, and hopenol-B from the methanolic extract of the seeds of Launaea pinnatifida²⁵.

Raju G. S. et al. (2014), in Biological Research, evaluated the analgesic, antipyretic, and anti-inflammatory properties of the methanolic extracts of the stem, bark, and leaves of Launaea sarmentosa and Aegialitis rotundifolia (Roxb.)²⁶.

CONCLUSION:

Launaea sarmentosa (Asteraceae) is a medicinal plant with a rich history of traditional use and a promising future in pharmacological research. Its diverse phytochemical composition, which includes alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenoids, saponins, and other bioactive compounds, underpins a wide range of therapeutic properties. These properties, such as hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial effects, demonstrate the plant’s potential as a natural remedy for various ailments. The ongoing exploration of Launaea sarmentosa's phytochemistry and biological activities provides valuable insights into its potential applications in modern medicine, offering opportunities for the development of novel therapeutic agents. Further investigation is necessary to better understand the mechanisms responsible for these effects and to validate their clinical effectiveness.

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Received on 26.07.2025      Revised on 14.10.2025

Accepted on 30.12.2025      Published on 06.07.2026

Available online from July 20, 2026

Asian J. Pharm. Res. 2026; 16(3):285-288.

DOI: 10.52711/2231-5691.2026.00042

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