Pluchea is a genus of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family. The genus Pluchea (Asteraceae) comprises 80 species distributed mainly in North and South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. These are native to tropical and warm temperate areas. The plants of Pluchea genus have been used traditionally used as astringent, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, diaphoretic in fevers, smooth muscle relaxant, nerve tonics, laxatives and for the treatment of dysentery, lumbago, leucorrhoea, dysuria, haemorrhoids, gangrenous ulcer and disorders causing cachexia. The chemical investigations on the genus have shown the presence of eudesmane-type sesquiterpenoids, monoterpenes, lignan glycosides, triterpenoids and flavonoids. The present review summarizes the various biological studies done on the extracts and bioactive phytoconstituents from the plants of the genus Pluchea over the past few decades.
