Artemisia herba-alba: Phytochemical Profile, Bioactive Compounds, Pharmacological and Anticancer Properties: A Systematic Review

Abstract

White wormwood, known in Arabic as “shih,” scientifically referred to as Artemisia herba-alba, is a perennial shrub belonging to the Asteraceae family and widely distributed across arid and semi-arid regions of North Africa and the Middle East. The use of Artemisia herba-alba in traditional medicine has occurred over time owing to its phytochemical content of essential oils, sesquiterpenes, lactones, flavonoids, phenolic acids, coumarins and sterols. Environmental and geographical factors influence qualitative and quantitative variation in bioactive compounds; hence they subsequently affect the plant’s biological activity. A substantial number of pharmacological studies confirm A. herba-alba’s broad spectrum of antimicrobial, antiviral, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, and hepatoprotective effects. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that A. herba-alba has anticancer properties by inhibiting proliferative activity of cancer cells and inducing apoptosis through modulation of cellular signaling pathways. Due to differences in extraction methodologies between studies and varying experimental designs, direct comparison of results from different researchers is difficult. Therefore, in order to present a comprehensive overview of recent information on A. herba-alba, this article reviews the plant’s botanical characteristics, its phytochemical constituents, and its pharmacological activities to evaluate its potential as a natural source of drugs and highlight the necessity for more well-designed studies with appropriate experimental methodology to confirm the effectiveness of Artemisia herba-alba for use as a therapeutic agent.