Anticancer potential of medicinal plants and their phytochemicals: a review

In recent years, medicinal plants have attracted huge attention due to their diverse range of biological and therapeutic properties. Evidences have been accumulated since ages to demonstrate promising potential of medicinal plants used in various traditional, complementary, and alternative systems especially for cancer treatment. Although several medicines are available in the market to treat various types of cancers, no drug is found to be fully effective and safe as anticancer therapy. The major problem in the cancer chemotherapy is the prolonged toxicity of the well-established chemical drugs. However, plants and plant-derived products have been proved effective and safe in the treatment and management of various cancers to some extent. Many natural products and their analogs have been identified as potent anticancer agents, and anticancer properties of various plants or phytochemicals are being identified. Several plant-based anticancer agents including taxol, vinblastine, vincristine, camptothecin derivatives, topotecan, and irinotecan, as well as epipodophyllotoxins, are in clinical use all over the world. This review focuses on the application of medicinal plants and their phytochemicals as natural anticancer substances. In addition, this review will also discuss the Ayurvedic concept of using medicinal plants and their phytochemicals in traditional way for the treatment of various types of cancers. Further, a brief description will be given on the anticancer mode of action of various medicinal plants and their phytochemicals to understand the mechanisms at molecular level that alter growth and metabolism in cancer cells. Finally, this review will summarize the significance and innovative ways on using medicinal plants and their phytochemicals in anticancer therapy along with their future prospective in the treatment of cancer and related diseases.