Ethnomedicinal Uses, Phytochemical Constituents and Pharmacological Properties of <i>Clerodendrum infortunatum</i> Linn: A Review

Background Clerodendrum infortunatum L., a member of the Lamiaceae family, is an important ethnopharmacologically relevant plant that is widely used in the traditional management of infectious, inflammatory, metabolic, and parasitic diseases in South and Southeast Asia. Although this plant is widely used in traditional medicine, scientific evidence is still in an unorganized state. Objective The purpose of this review is to present consolidated information on ethnomedicinal uses, phytoconstituents, and pharmacological properties of Clerodendrum infortunatum. Methods Appropriate keywords were used in the search for relevant literature from Google Scholar and PubMed databases regarding the phytochemical, ethnomedicinal, and pharmacological effects of Clerodendrum infortunatum . Results Ethnomedical research shows that stems, roots, leaves, and flowers can be used as treatments for fever, helminthiasis, wound healing, inflammation, respiratory issues, skin problems, and envenomation. In secondary metabolite studies, research found elements such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, clerodane diterpenoids, phenolic acids, steroids, saponins, fatty acids, and nitrogen compounds. Preclinical research, mostly in vitro and in vivo studies, reports evidence of a wide range of biological activities such as inflammation, anti-infection, anti-helminth, liver protection, anti-diabetic, pain relief, anti-epileptic, wound healing, and anticancer activities. Conclusion The available evidence is mainly preclinical and has little to no mechanistic explanation, varies in extraction procedures, lacks standardization in plant matter, and has underdeveloped toxicity and pharmacokinetic studies. There are no clinical trials in humans, and some parts of plants, especially the fruits and flowers, are still understudied. Clerodendrum infortunatum is an ethnopharmacologically relevant species with some hopeful preclinical data, but the rigorous phytochemical standardisation, mechanistic study, thorough clinical trial design are critical to prove the potential of this plant in evidence-based therapeutics.