A Review of the Phytochemistry, Traditional Uses, and Biological Activities of the Genus Ballota and Otostegia

Abstract

The genus Ballota, belonging to Lamiaceae family (Stachyoideae/ Lamioideae subfamily) [1,2], is, apart from the South African endemic species Ballota africana (L.) Benth., naturally distributed in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and in North Africa. Some species (e.g., Ballota nigra L. s. l.) are also present over large areas of western, central, and northern Europe, and 4 species, whose status will be discussed later, in Somalia.Ballota species are perennial herbs or small shrubs with branched and/or simple hairs, toothed and petiolate leaves, the inflorescence thyrsoid or racemoid sometimes has long and spinose bracteoles (sect. Acanthoprasium), and the calyx is mostly campanulate, purple to white.A former classification of the genus identified the occurrence of 31 species (1 = Ballota integrifolia Benth. -2 = Ballota wettsteinii Rech. pat. -3 = Ballota frutescens (L.) Woods -4 = Ballota fruticosa Baker -5 = Ballota somala Patzak -6. Ballota andreuzziana Pamp. -7 = Ballota acetabulosa (L.) Benth. -8 = Ballota undulata (Sieb, ex Fres.) Benth. -9 = Ballota pseudodictamnus (L.) Benth. -10 = Ballota damascena Boiss. -11 = Ballota hildebrandtii Vatke et Kurtz -12 = Ballota hirsuta Benth. -13 = Ballota bullata Pomel -14 = B. africana (L.) Benth. -15 = Ballota aucheri Boiss. -16 = Ballota macrodonta Boiss. et Bal. -17 = Ballota larendana Boiss. et Heldr. -18 = Ballota rotundifolia C. Koch -19 = Ballota rupestris (Biv.) Vis. -20 = Ballota macedonica Vand. -21 = Ballota kaiseri V. Täckh. -22 = Ballota antilibanotica Post -23 = Ballota cristata Davis -24 = Ballota semanica Rech. f. -25 = Ballota labillardieri Briq. -26 = Ballota saxatilis Sieb. ex J. et C. Presl -27 = Ballota stachydiformis Höchst. -28 = Ballota philistea Bomm. -29 = Ballota platylomaThe 2 genera Ballota and Otostegia, belonging to the Lamiaceae family, are closely related taxonomically and found mainly in the Mediterranean area, Middle East, and North Africa. Since ancient times, they have been largely employed in traditional medicine for their biological properties such as antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, insecticidal, anti-malaria, etc. Phytochemical investigations of Ballota and Otostegia species have revealed that diterpenoids are the main constituents of the genera. A large number of flavonoids and other metabolites were also identified. This review, covering literature from 1911 up to 2018, includes traditional uses, chemical profiles (both of volatile and nonvolatile metabolites), and biological properties of all the taxa of these 2 genera studied to date.

Spathulenol as the most abundant component of essential oil of Moluccella aucheri (Boiss.) Scheen

“…In a recent study (Rosselli et al, 2019), M. aucheri was mistakenly synonymized to Ballota aucheri Boiss., a different, but taxonomically related plant of the Lamiaceae family (Jamzad 2012). To examine their similarity, we compared the EO composition of both species.…”

Micromorphological and phytochemical survey of Ballota acetabulosa (L.) Benth

“…In terms of phytochemical data, there are no studies focused on the profile of the volatile organic compounds (VOC), while several works on the essential oil composition of congeneric species exist, often linked to evaluations of their biological activity (Morteza‐Semnani & Ghanbarimasir 2019; Rosselli et al 2019). Among the most recent works are investigations on B. bullata , B. nigra subsp.…”

“…foetida , B. undulata , B. saxatilis and B. hispanica , some of which refer to Italian samples (Riccobono et al 2016; Rigano et al 2017, 2020; El Mokni et al 2020). With regard to B. acetabulosa , the literature offers several studies on the characterization of extracts of increasing polarity in relation to their potential biological activity; moreover, there are studies in which the composition of polyphenolic, flavonoidic and diterpenic content are analysed (Sahpaz et al 2002; Couladis et al 2003; Yilmaz & Çitoǧlu 2003; Dumlu & Bulut 2007; Dulger & Kilcik 2011a, 2011b; Dulger & Dulger 2012; Askun et al 2013; Rosselli et al 2019).…”

Antidiabetic Potential of Selected Medicinal Plants: A Literature Review

“…Ballota species are perpetual spices or little bushes with expanded and additionally straightforward hairs, toothed and petiolate leaves, the inflorescence thyrsoid or racemoid now and again has long and spinose bracteoles (order. Acanthoprasium), and the calyx is generally campanulate, purple to white [6]. Origanum vulgare L. has a place with Lamiaceae family and it is a fragrant suffering spice found in all aspects of Europe.…”